Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1874-11-12

whose testimony be declared his sus'
picion that the pastor had slain his
brother. The magistrate represented
t. him the risk he ran in making SO
serious charge againat the clergyman,
and advised him TO weigh the matter
wall before it was too late But Nor
ton persisted in his design, and the
statement of the witnesses were taken
down. The widow Karsten deposed
that on the very day when Niels Bruins
was said to have fed from the parson
age she and her daughter Else had
passed by the pastors garden about the
hour If noon. Wien they were nearly
in front of the hedge which encloses it
on the eastern side they heard some
one calling Else, It was Nisls, who
was on the other side Of the hazel bush
es. and who now bent back the branch
cs, and asked Else if she would have
some nuts. She took handful, and
then asked him what he was doing
there? He answered, that the pastor
had ordered him to dig, but that Job
did not suit him, and he preferred
cracking nu'a. Just tltn they h ard 4
| door in the house open, and ->iels said,
''Now listen, and you shall hear a
preachment." Directly after they heard
(they could not sec, because the hedge
was t"o high and too thick) how the
two quarrelled, and how the one paid
the other i'll the kind. At last they
heard the pastor cry, 81 will beat thee,
dog, until thou liest dead at my feet /
Whereupcn there were sounds as Of
blows, and then they heard Niels call
ing the pastor rogue and hangman.
10 this the pastor made no reply; but
they heard two blows, and saw the
iron BLADE of a spade and part of the
handle swing t~ &c above the h, dserow
but in whose hands the spade was they
could not discern. Ai:er this all was
quiet i'll the garden, and, somewha
alarmed and excited, the widow aud
her daughter hurried Oh their way.
Larsen ,ieposed that on the evening
Of the following that of the disappear
ance of NIels, as he was returning home
very late from !olstrur, aud was pass
ing along the footpath WHICH TANKS the
southern side of the i.astor's garden, he
heard from within the garden the sound
of some one digging the earth Al
first he was rather startled but seeing
that it was clear moonlight. he deter
mined to find ont who ii was that was
working in the garden al that late an
hour; whereupon lie slipped off his
wooden shoes, climbed UP the hedge,
and parts d the tops of the hazel-bushes
80 as to enable himself to see. Then
he saw the pastor in the green dressing
gown he usually wore, and with a
white nightoap on his head, bussd in
le,eling the earth with spade; hut
more than this he did not see, for the
pastor suddenly turned round 20 if some
sound had struck his ear, and witness be-
ing afraid of detecioe, let himself down,
aud ran away.
When the witnesses had thus deposed
Morten demanded that the parson
should be arrested Wishing to avoid
'uch scandal if possible. the masis
trate, who vas friend of Screens, pro.
posed that they should 60 together to
the parsonage, where they would prob
ably receive satisfactory explanation
Of the facts deposed to. Morten con
| sented to this, and the party set out
On approaching the house they saw
Soren coming to meet them-wher
Morten ran forward, and blunt'y accused
| him Of numbering his brother, adding
that he was come with the masistrat,
to make search for the dead body
The pastor made no reply, but conrt
eously greeting the magistrate, gave
| directions to the farm servants. who
now gathered round, to aid by al
means in their power, the search abou'
to be made. Mar,en led the WAY int
the garden, and after looking round foi
some time, pointed to q certain spo,
and called upon The men to dig there
! The men fell tn work, and Morter
joined them, working with show q,
frantic eagerness. When they had dug
to little depth the ground proved SC
bard that it was evident it had not beer
broken up for long while Soren had
looked on quite at ease, and now h.
said tc Morten, "Slanderer. what hay.
you got for your pains Instead o
replying, Morten turned to Larsen, an6
asked him where it was he had see,
the parson digging. Larsen pointed t.
a heap of cabbage stalks. drieq haulm.
and other refuse. and said he though
that WAS the place. The rnbbish wa,
/ soon removed, and the men began dig
glny at the soil beneath. They had no
dug long nhen one of them criee
out, ''ileaYen preserve u.s." and as al
present crowded to look, the crown 0
a hat vas visible ahoTe The earth