The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-08-13

quite unconscious of the magnitude Of the
| task achieved by her toDgue that day, STOOD,
just at the hour when her star began to rise
| above the horizon of society's armament, view
ing herself In magnificent mirror previous 10
| stepping INTO her carriage for departure to a
scene of splendor whereof she was to be the
| brightest luminary. She was q triumph OF
Meinds's art, and blazing witness of MT;
| Mortimer's wealth, and proud emb 1diment OF
| her own extravaganza of outlay in Dress ana
| that was abont all. Her dress of wondertui
| to hold captive the light from the hearts OF
| rubies, was caught up here and there by low
| ers whose petals were pearls, and whose leaves
eneralds crusted with gold. Her ermine CLOAK
was held over her beautiful shoulders by clasps
of diamonds, and her hair considered so glo
| rious in society for it's "rch and rare golden
hue, was held in place by corones Of gems
queen might not only envy, but envy IN vain
Gems, keSs, from crown Of proudly held head
to very tip of dainty foot poised for the out
ward STEP and under them, as under some pyre
of baleful light, she lay, ten minutes later,
senseless stricken heapl For to the picture she
saw of herself in the mrror-mirror of fsbu-
lous price for SO ghastly use-sdvapced
dreadful shape, shape that might have been
her husband, if he could have died since last
she saw him, and after epcountering the blight
Of the grave, have risen with this upon him to
dreadful shape. reflected in the crystal deep, o
rss,r in one hand, paper in the other-the
paper it flung into her rouged and powdered
face the razor it drew across its own qulver
ing throat, quivering with its last dreadful
laugh, laugn that never, never could ce ase to
haunt any one hearing it, a laugh accompanied
my blood be upon the cursed. cursed
tongues that have lied about George Hszlitt
Horrible! The relentless mirror reelected it
all, and in moment more reflected the awful
picture of the man, weiterng q his blood dead
upon the velvet carpet and the woman, mass
of Jewels and laces, and silk, and appnllihg
ghastliness glazing oat Of all. quite as acou'
rately! Never could mind of man have con.
ceived SO dreadful picture of the littleness of
earthly splendor, and the greatness OF deaths
mysterious rule as that presented in dual as
pect to the horror-stricken crowd who soon
collected there If any one circumstance added
unparalleled climax to its peculiar horror,
it was the bright, cruel mirror, with its uner-
ring fidelity of reproduction. Strong men
stood 80 overwhelmed before it, that they
could neither speak nor move to find its cause;
q thunderbolt could not have stunned them
more etfectuslly for the time being. At last
one raised the woman, with rigid face and
CLASSY eyes. strange to say, wide open, and
seeing the fatal paper, handed it TO another,
who read:
at will be too late Take precautions for
the worst.
GEORGE HAZLITT.'
It was telegrsphio dispatch, Only addressed
to the man lying dead before them, and under
meath, in his own cramped, stiff handwriting,
well known to many OF them, was written
.sTo the man who sent the above. l have
found the worst-death. You would have saved
ne, but a woman's tongue has foled Us both:
ASA MORTIMER"
They were crowd of faultlessly costumed
gentlemen, come to attend their goddess to
the scene of her tTiumpbs. They stood help
less and stricken before the scene of her fall,
and mi ght have remained so for time indies.
criba5le as to length, bat that upon it came a
vision of life and grace and parity unutterabie
vision of young girl standing moment
the thres hold, with aspect OF JOY and hope
that seemed like some miracle to the wondering
lookers-on, aud then fluttered over it. and knelt
ia heavenly
beamng out of her eyes.
~ came with good news for her, that Mr..
Hazltt has telegraphed that be is safe" muir
INJURED the gentlest Of voices; 1--WE must rouse
her, so that she hear it," So she began to
chafe the woman's cold hands, and, seeing
that she did not perceive the other dreadful
heap away from which they had lifted this ap-
parently lfeless body, some one silently hid it
from sight under the gaudy veil of an en-
broidered piano-cover. Her utter unconscious
ness OF the fearful fact was more touching to
them than the most pathetic display of emotion
could have been. Ia a few minutes, finding
her efforts in vain to restore the woman to con-
sciouSness:
Please cali some servant" she said :" re-
storatives must be had"
Tpey looked at each other. ave should have
done it long ego" they whispered: ;,
"My mother is at the door in the carriage"
she said tnen; please call her, too"
So both requests were obeyed, and the IN:
conscious burden carried up and laid on bed
of down with coverletS of wonderful price, and
its poor gauds stripped from 1t, and there it lay
virtually q living corpse, incapable Q! motion,
or speech, OF sense. And on each side Of it,
keeping faithful and kind watch, sat the young
girl and hor mother the people it had striven
to make wresched, now strangely decreed to be
all " no stood by it in its extremity, Mrs. Whyte
and her daughter Cornea. Below the dead
held awful sway, and over all hung mystery
no one could fathom.
After many hours came George fAz!itt, with
f, vail fka f0l M
moned By the "authorities." the uuveling had
to be or lesS public. 1t unfolded itself in
| this wise:
Eztvact from the Daily Journal.
In tho otrauge case of Mr.. George HAzlitt,
called ~ uiErees Oh the Coroner's inquest held
on the body OF hr. Asa Mortimer, supposed to
| have killed himself at his own residence last
| night, the following was the testimony.
George HAzlitt (sworn)
Did you leave town early train yester-
day mornngf
| Witness-I did.
| In company with lady
Witness-Yes.