, 1876-03-31

claimed, in burning eloquence, against
the horrible cruelty of her fate. She was
reprieved for three months, in the hope
that new evidence would transpire to
save her. None was forthcoming. She
was executed amid the greatest excite
ment throughout the metropolis; and on
a warm July day she was borne, amid the
sOrrowing faces of ten thousand specta-
tors, and her pail upheld by six young
girls robed in white, from her humble
home to the graveyard of the Founding
Hospital. One who lived amid those
scenes wrote, long after: "Poor Eliza
Fenning! SO young, so fair, so innocent
Cut down even in thy morning, with all
life's brightness only in its dawnl Little
did it profit thee that a city mourned
over thy early grave, and that the most
eloquent of men did justice to thy
memory"
For more than half century the guilt
or innocence of Eliza Fenning was dis
puted point. Then the confession of the
real murderer came out, and her innocence
was established beyond doubt.
The story of the Danish pastor, Soren
Qvist, is one of the most touchingly
tragic in judicial records; and once more
examplities Paul Feval's complaint that
justice is sometimes too quick to seize
upon appearances, and neglect the sup
position of fabricated evidence Soren
was clergyman of middle age, settled
over a small, primitive parish in Jutland.
Pure and irreproachable in character,
genial, generous, and devout, he was
cursed with a fiery and ungovernable
temper; yet he was universally revered:
and varied his pastoral cares, as is not
infrequent in Scandinavian countries,
by cultivating modest farm. He had
daughter gentle and comely. A farmer
in a neighboring village, one Morten
Bruins, we'll OF but of bad reputation,
sought this daughter in marriage, but
was rejected both by her and by the
pastor. Soon after brother of his, Niels
Bruins, entered the pastors service as
Farmland. Niels was lazy, imprudent,
and quarrelsome, and frequent alterca-
tions occurred between him and his mas.
ter. One day Soren found the man idling
in the garden. A quarrel ensued, when
the pastor, bis hot temper getting the
better of him, struck Niels several times
with a spade, saying, 81 will beat thee, |
dog, until thou liest dead at my feetW
The man then jumped up and ran off
into the woods, and was not seen again. |
The rejected suitor, Morten, after his
brother had thus mysteriously disap-
peared, boldly charged the pastor with |
the crime, and offered to produce con-
vincing proofs of the fact Soren was
therefore arraigned, when the following
evidence was arrayed against him. A man
testified that, on the night after the quar-
rel, he saw the parson, in bis green dress-
ing-gown and white night-cap, digging
hard In the gardeD( It was also proved
that, search hag1ng been hade in the
pafden body had beent tdnearthed, un-
doubtedly tfat of Niels, NTH his clothes
and earrings upon it. A servant-girl
testified not only to having heard Soren
repeatedly threaten to kill Niels, but to
having seen the parson go out into the
garden on the fatal night, in his green
dressing-gown and night-cap. Still
stronger evidence was produced to the
effect that the parson had been seen, in
his dressing-gown and night-cap, carry
ing heavy sack from the wood near by |
into the garden. The chain of evidence
was apparently complete against Soren
and the poor parson now sealed his own
fate by declaring that he believed he had
killed Niels, though unconsciously. He
stated that he was won't to walk in his |
sleep. He had found texts, written ser
mons, and visited his church while in
state Of somnambulism. He must, there |
fore, have found the man dead in the
wood while thus unconscious, and have
buried him while in this condition. To
be brief, Soren was found guilty and exc
cuted.
Twenty years after, Niels Bruins turned
up again, alive and we'll, grown now old
and gray. He recounted how his brother
Morten (now dead) had concocted plot
to fasten the crime of murder on the pas
tor, in revenge for the rejection OF his
suit. A body had been disinterred and
dressed in Niel's clothes; the dressing
gown and night-cap had been abstTacted,
used as we have seen, and replaced; Nor
ten, dressed in them, had brought the
corpse in the sack, and buried 1t in the
garden; and then, his plot carried out, he
had given Niels purse and bid him be-
gone, and not to return, or his life should
answer for it. Niels had kept out Of the
way till Morten's death, and had now re-
turned with this terrible taIe.-GEoRGE
NJ. TowIE in Appletons' Journal.
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