Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-09-24
NO. 221.
Talfs and Sketehes.
From hppleton's Literary journal.
THE DEAD ALIVE"

lhe name OF a popular author will gem
orally float even very slight effort into
general knowledge at once, so it NAV be
taken for granted that most of the readers
OF the journal have by this time glanced
through the pages Of the last work of Mr..
collins, which bears the above title. An
unsatisfactory work, it is likely that most
OF them have found it-a work in which
1t might puzzle one to discover a single
trace OF the constructive ability and the
nervous ylgor OF style which, as a rule,
chafaclerize the productions of this nov
ehst Yet, apart from the careless man.
ner III which its outlines are sketched, the
chlei point which strikes one about the
iittIe narrative is that, there are some
thihgS Which 1t Is a mistake to weave into
lIction. There are some stories which
impress us more deeply, which appeal
more strongly to our interest and curios-
lty, when lett in the domain of fact, than
when draped in the robes of fancy. In
other words, as Lord Lyton would say,
the real does not always adapt itself well
to the uses of the ideal; and incidents
which would seem simply strange and in
'ctcstng IN reality, are apt to appear
strained and ''sensational' in fiction.
though the trial on which Mr.. Collins
has based his story is certainly remark
able, 1t is not without many parallels in
legal history. More than once before. in
the annals of the law, have the dead been
alive, according to the sense in which he
uses the term; more than once before
have men confessed crimes of which they
were innocent; and many times before
has elrcumstancial evidence condemned
the guiltless to a shameful death
Of cases that come under this head, one
OF the most singular on record is that of
the trial and conviction of a Danish cler-
@yman, which occurred many generations
ago in Jutland. From its impressive
nature it has been made the subject of fire.
quent remark by Danish and German
writers, and it is sill remembered land
dweit upon with pity in the native country
OF the unfortunate man. In his Famous
Cases of Circumstantial Evidence" Mr..
Philips gives an account of this celebrated
and striking case, which may be worth
quoting, since the book in which it is to
be found Chough full of interest even to
the general reader) is not likely, from the
nature OF its subject, to have attained
very large general circulation.
The unhappy hero of the story, Soren
elulrst, was pastor of the little village of
Neilby. situated few miles from Grenall.
III the Jutiand Peninsula He was a man
OF excellent moral character. generous,
hospitable and diligent in the perform
ance of his sacred duties but he was al
so man of coustitutionally violent tenn
per. which he lacked the ability to re-
strain, and was consequently subject at
times to fierce outbursts oe wrath, which
were Il scourge to his household when
they occurred, and humiliation to him
self. Like most Danish clergymen of
that day. he was a tiler of the soil as well
as preacher of the Word, and, from the
produce of his tithes and the cultivation
OF his farm, realized comfortable COM
petence. AT the time of the occurrences
about to be related he was widower,
with two chlldaen-a daughter. who kept
house tor him, and a son, holding an Of
ticer'S commission in the army.
AT lngvorstrup, a village not far from
Neilby, lived at the same time cattle
farmer, one Morton Burns, who had ac-
quired considerable property, but was in
i'll repute as reckless self seeker and op-
pressor of the poor. This man saw tit to
pay court to the pastors daughter, but his
suit was rejected by both parent and child
and either the refusal or the manner of it
so irritated the sutor that he swore to be
revenged on both
Some months later, when the short lived
suit had been forgotten. the pastor being
in want OF tarm-servants, engaged Niels
Burns, poor brother of the rich Morton,
in that capacity. Niles soon showed him.
self to be utterly worthless. lazy and i'm
pudent, of which the result was constant
succession of quarrels between him and
his master. Soren, on more than one oc-
casion, gave him a thrashing, which did
not tend to improve the relations between
them. These relations, however were
not destined to last long. One day the
pastor set Niels to dig piece OF ground
In the garden; bu., on coming out after
time, he found him, instead of digging,
leisurely resting on his spade cracking
nuts, his work being left undone. The
master scolded angrily; the man retorted
that it was no business of his to dig in the
garden, ut which Soren strnck him in the
face and the fellow, throwing down his
spade, retaliated with volley of abuse.
Ihereupon the old man lost all self-con-
troll, and, seizing the spade, dealt him sew
eral severe blows with it, Mise fell to
the ground like one dead, but, when his
master in great alarm, raised him up, he
broke away, leaped through the hedge,
and made off into the neighboring wood.
From that time he was seen no more. and
all inquiries after him proved vain. This
was the pastors account of the facts.
Before long, strange rumors began to
circulate in the neighborhood, and, as
matter of course, reached the clergyman's
ears. Morton Burns WINS known to have
said that "he would make the parson pro-
duce his brother, even if he had to dig
him out of the earth Soren was in
tensely panied at the calumny implied.
and instituted, at his own expense, Quiet
search which failed altogether. Mean
while, Morton Burns, in tulfilment of his
threat applied to the district magistrate.
taking with him, as witnesses, one Larsen
a cottager and laborer's widow and
daughter, on the strength of whose testi.
mony he declared his belief that the pas.
tor had slain his brother. The magis-
trates represented to him the risk he ran
in making so serious a charge, and adj.
vised him to weigh the matter well before
it was too late But Morten persisted IN
his design and the statements of tho ,,,;.