Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1871-01-19

famous alnrpieee of the. crucifixion Of
| that Saint, with his head downward, by
| the great master, Rubens, who presented
| it to the Church in which he WAS bap-
| tized.
| The fount in which Rubens was hap
| tized still exists in this church, and here 1t
! was that the ObSequies of the Lady Shroe-
| der were performed according to the Gus
! tom of that age, when death inspired feel
1 ings of5pietYi and confidence rather than OF
terror. The body of the deceased was
/ dressed in white silk, covered with flow
ers. A coronet was placed ON her head,
and her thin, white fingers were adorned
with the same rings she had Worn during
| her life time. She was put in coffin lined
with looking glass, and laid in little
| chapel built in "A vault beneath the choir.
! Several Of her ancestors had preceded her
| thither Her name, title, together with the
| date of her birth and death, were engraved
on the plate in the lid of the coffin The
! inscription closed with these stlacing
/ words: "She is not dead, but sleepeth"
Baron Eselwicke followed her 70 her
| last home. The enormous bell weighing
! ten tons, placed in the steeple of tle ca
| thedral, had made the great city rasound
with its funeral knet Pale and itelcss
the Lady Shredder reposed In her coffin,
the devout monks had chanted her nquiem,
and the immense clock-which is only
wound up once year, and which points
out the hours of the day, and the course OF
the stars-was the sole object that moved
under the solitary and silent vault The
monotonous noise ofits peAdulum rsound-
ed above the mute tombs and images of
saints discolored by time -,
+ It.was atthe close Of the evening of a
day in the month of December, the
weather being cheerless and gloomy, that
| HeintZ Whernrt, sexton Of the church OF
St. Peter, returned home after Uhb splen
did funeral but he could not rest, His
mind was absorbed with but one ilca he
yearned to possess himself of the Jewels
which had glittered 81 temptingly before
his ayaricious eyes NV herart had always
been esteemed plain-dealng, honest
sort Of fellow, one who was incapable OF
committing a theft. lie was a charitable,
well-meaning man enough, but he could
not comprehend or appreciate the scnti-
ments which ordained those love tokens
to lie in impossible immoyability on hal-
lowed breast. fnhi opinion it was a silly
waste Of treasure, and he argued that no
harm could come Of his appropriating it;
ftlll iit, llSItlDlG, uibIi
ing to the church for the purpose Of open
ing the coffin, that he might possess him
self of the jewels.
Upon his entering the sacred eiifice on
his guilty errand, he tremblcd like an as
penleaf. Tho handsin which he held the
lantern was agitated by so violent and con
vulsive a movement, that he wasmore than
once afraid the light would go out and
leave him in utter darkness; but the na-
ture of his office had given him 0 tamiiari
ty with the building, every obscure corner
of which he asvery well acquainted with
He was not, however, dead TO a sense of its
sacredness. If the sight Of a temple in
spires every piQus man with respectful fear
what must not be felt at tha: t.rl5 of Tie
night by one who comes TO trouble its soil
tude with the intention Of committing an
odious sacriege?
AS he took his way along the gloomy
aisles the tombstones on the walls glarcd
as IL were reproachfully upon linn one by
one, and his perturbation was increased by
the dart Of Il bat close to his face. A thou
sand marvellous tales returned t. his memo
ry as he passed into the Lady ShrOedcr's
sepulchre. He revived his heart as best
he could, laid down his lamp OF niche in
the wall and proceeded with mis- iHstrl-
ments to take off the lid of the coffin
which contained the body Of her who had
been consigned to ber last resting place on
the morning Of that day.
Heintz Wherart took off thu lid then
thu sight Of the corpse lying there by that
dim light in the heavy stiffness of death,
with its white and placid countenance,
made his heart beat violently and his
nerves tremble. The sublifiiy Of the
sight made him feel the meanless Of his
action with double force. Heavy drops Of
perspiraten bcdewed his forehead and
temples he felt faint and returned into the
body of the church. The cOoness of the
air refreshed him, and he nsde up his
mind to abandon his wicked Project; but
upon rccollecting that the lid # the coffin
should be replaced, he mustered an air Of
intrepidity to his brow, and went again III
to the vault to replace the lid,
But the sight OF the corpse vas not near
" so awful 20 him as IL had cen before,
and his original intention seemed to sud
denly move him to aCtion, B. quick ef-
fort he lifted the body, Grew tie chain over
the head, discngaged the lociet from un.
der the hand, and then lowered the corpse
into its place. As he did tbs, the arm,
which before lay upon the brelst, fell with
strange tlexibiiity over the side of the
coffin, and a faint sigh cane from the
body.
At this moment he though he heard the
pendulum of the great clock move quicker
and more nOisiy Had q thunder clan
broken in upon the silence.ae could not
have been more staggered an he was at
this awful moment He rushed hastily
forth-tear finds its way ins he dark-and
needless Of his lantern, wls,h he left in
the niche, he passed out oi the vault and
crossed the cloister and cAoir with the
swiftncss of hunted hare. He opened
the church door to 70 out, when, as If 10
increase his bewilderment he first thing
thatmei his eyes WAS tha & sat moon lift |
ing itself ii llnabafed lustTe over the edge
of the,hofizons@ Vt shona 9i4t4 opposite /
and seemed loc king at and oming 10 ex
pose him He did not dare o lift his ewes
again bnt without stopping to lock up
the church, he flew over the fields, pursued
BY his own fears.
A reaction, as sudden as was sincere,
took place in bis felings, al he became
anxious to make full aHc ample GonIes-
sion, and, for this purpose ~ at once de. /
tarmtned upon seeking audBnce with the /.
Baron Anton Esel WIcke, IEe had not
much difficulty in this resp; as he knew
the Baron was staying al Iotel de Belle
vue, lie madc quickly for Ac hotel. rang
the poFlers beal aBf iIaHirc4 FOR ihG !.
Baron, and was at once sh3gn up into the
apartments hc occupied. i pale face and .
distracted Appearance was he occasion Of
l.