American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-06-29
VOL. NH.

Deeply impressed with the maryeIou
history, the lieutenant-criminal decide
that the matter should be sifted to til
bottom. The process continued.
Magdalene Paret deposed that Mirabo
had called on her one day, looking pal
and agitated, and declared that he ha,
been holding converse with an apparition
which had revealed to him the situation
of some buried treasure. She was presen
when the parcel, apparently containin.
money, was found and she remembered
Mirabel stating, subsequently,, that III
had placed 1t for safety in the hands o
Auguier.
Gaspard Deleuil repeated the narrativ,
told by Mirabel of the ghost and the gold
| adding that he had met him on the Sth o
September, near the Porte DIES Faineant
udler's Gate), carrying two bags that h,
saw him hand them over to the man VIII,
appeared to be waiting for him, and saw
him receive in return a piece of paper
and that, on rejoining him Mirabel stated
that he had intrusted to Auguier some
newly-found treasure, taking his acknowl
| edgment for the same.
Francois Fourniere, the third witness
confirmed the story of the specter and the
money, as related by Mirabel, who ap
peared deeply stricken by the extraordi
nary favor shown him in this supernatu
raj visitation. On his pressing for sight
of the treasure, Mirabel took the witness
to his chamber, and, removing some
| bricks from the chimney, displayed a
large bag filled with gold coin. Having
| afterward heard of Auguier's alleged dis
honesty, the witness reproached him with
it, when he became deadly pale, and en-
treated that the subject might be drop
ped
Other witnesses deposed to the sudden
intimacy, more noticeable on account of
their difference of station, that had
sprung up between Mirabel and Auguier,
dating from the period of the discovery of
the gold. Sundry experts bore testimony
to the resemblance of the writing of the
receipt, signed Louis Auguier," to the
autograph of the latter.
The ghost and Mirabel carried the day.
In fact, it was a mere walk over the
course. The lieutenant-criminal, entirely
with them, decreed that Auguier should
be arrested, and submitted to the ''ques-
ton"
Appeal, however, was made to the
Parliament of AK, and the matter began
to excite considerable notice. Persons
were found to censure the ready credence
given by the Geutenant-criminal to the
story of the ghost, and the case coming
to hearing, an able advocate of the day
buckled on his armor to do battle with the
shade.
Is it credible Che asked that spirit
should quit the repose of another world
expressly to inform Monsieur de Mirabel,
a gentleman with whose existence it
seems to have had no previous acquaint-
ance, of the hiding-place of this treasure?
How Officious must be the nature of that
ghost which should select, in a caprice, a
man it did not personally know, to enrich
him with a treasure, for the due enjoy
ment of which his social position made
him so unfit. How slight must be the
prescience of a spirit that could not fore
see that Mirabcl would be deprived of his
treasure by the first knave he had the mis-
fortune to trust! There could be no such
spirit, be assured.
If there were no specter, there was, ac-
cording to all human probability, no
gold; and if no gold, no ground for the
accusation of Auguier.
Descending to earthly reasoning, was
it likely that M;rabel should intrust to
Auguier treasure of whose actual value
he knew nothing, or that he should take
in return a receipt he had not seen the
giver write? How was it, pray, that the
woman Paret and Gaspard Deleuil de-
manded no share in the treasure so dis
covered? Were these excellent persons
superior to the common weaknesses of
humanity-curiosity and the lust of gain?
The witness Paret certainly saw the dis
covery of parcel; but the rest of her ev-
idence was hearsay. The witness Deleuil
saw the exchange of bags and paper; but
all the rest-specter included-was hear
say. And when the witness FOurniere de-
clared that Auguier, being taxed with rob-
berry, turned deadly pale, Auguier frankly
nay proudly-confessed it, stricken as
that honorable burgher was with terror at
a charge so foul and unexpected, The
climax of Injustice was surely reached
when this respected, estimable, substan-
tial merchant of Frances proudest sea-
mart was, on the uncorrObOrated word of
a ghost for to this it must be TRAGEDY, |
submitted to the torture. In criminal,
even more than in civil cases, that which |
seems repugnant to possibility is reputed
false. Let hundred witnesses testify to
that which is contrary to nature and the
light of reason, their evidence is worth |
less and vain. Take an example, the |
famous traditions which gives an addi-
tional interest to the noble house of Lu- |
and say that certain persons swore |
that the fairy Melusina, who had the tail |
of a serpent, and bathed every Saturday |
in marble cellar, had revealed treasure |
to some weak idiot, who was Immediately |
robbed of it by another. What would |
be thought of judge who should, on
such testimony, condemn the accused? |
Is it on such fairy fable that Auguier, |
the just, the respected family father, the |
loyal patriot, must be adjudged guilty? |
Never! Such justice might be found at |
Cathay, might prevail in the yet undis-
covered islands of the Eastern Archi- |
pelagO, but in France-no! There re-
in short, but one manifest duty |
to the court, namely, to acquit, with all |
honor, this much abused man, and to rem
der him such noble compensation as the |
injuries he had suffered deserved.
1t was now, however, the phantOm's |
innings. Turning on the court the night
side of Nature, the specter's advocate
pointed out that the gist of Auguier's de- |
Tense consisted of narrow and senseless |
satire upon supernatural visitations, in |
volving a most unauthorized assumption |
that such things did never occur. Was |
it intended to contradict holy writ? To |
deny truth attested by Scripture, by the |
fathers of the Church, by very wide expe-
rience and testimony, finally, by the Fac |
ulty of Theology of Paris? The speaker |
here adduced the appearance of the prophet |
Samuel at Endor (of which lie Brun |
that it was, past question, a
work commenced by the power of evil, |
but taken from his hand and completed |
by a stronger than he); that of the bodies of |
buried saints after our Lords resurrection;
and that Of st. Felix, who, according to
st. Augustine, appeared to the besiegei |
inhabitants of Nola. But, say that any
doubts could nationally exist, were they |
not completely set at rest by a recent de |
cision of the Faculty of Theology? ODE |
string" says this enlightened decree, 'to |
satisfy pious scruples, we have, after "A
very careful consideration of the subject |
resolved tnat the spirits of the departed |
may, and do, by supernatural power and |