The daily gazette., 1878-08-02
The Banker, Prisoner.
BY O. A s

,"'"u nu"ieu anu swept with furious
blasts through the old forest and around
the ancient castle, whose towers had
wlthstoud the storms of two centn-
/ ries s"
Gustave Gaehler, the present lord of
The castle, was seated alone IN his cham
ber.
de had that day, late in the afternoon,
received heavy sum of money and was
Dusied now in counting it over, intend
ing 10 deposit 1t early on the following
morning in tbs bank of Kiel. IL was
was rather risky in those days-wbicb
uate as TAR back as 1743-for the owner of
evenso strong hold as his, to retain
of such weight.
But that the shadows of the short win
ter day were already falling when ile
money was received, and the escort he
could m lister was so few in number, the
Dahker would not have suffered it
10 remaih single night under his
roof A''
| The silence of death had reigned for
some time in the old castle. Gaehler
had nearly hnished his work, when sud
aehly ny was startled by noise it was
heard but an instant and ceased SO sud
denly he could not determine its charac-
| ter.
But scarcely five minutes had elapsed
ere ne heard the noise repeated, and this
. une u continued long~r, and more dis
u"ct, top. Hastily turning the kew. he
hurried to the door, and after Cautiously
nstenlng for moment, he became con-
Vinced " proceeded from below. He i'm
mediately lighted dark lantern, armed
hiilself with his cntlas and double-bar-
Relied gun, descended with noiseless step
the grand staircase. He soon found that
some was hard at work on the outside,
SURVIVING 70 make a breach in the wall I'M
mediately beside the great entrance door.
which was guarded on the inside by a
strong iron bar.
| he at once awakened his son and SER
wants, and revealed to them their peril.
| Wlthout the least noise or sign that
might uetray alarm to the robbers, Gae-
hler stationed one domestic in tie rear
OF the mansion as a sentinel, to apprise
them should the brigands divide their
forces IN the hopes of succeeding there
more easily. The other was sent to the
armoryi ior strong rope, and ordered to
reJoin him and his son az the front door
as soon as he had procured it,
silence and darkness reigned through
out the castle. The dark lantern alone
Indicated to those within the progress
making by those with in their deep laid
viliany, az they fancied, in the most per-
rect security. As soon as the banker saw
that mans arm was thrust through the
opening in the wall, and that the rob-
ber's hand sought to raise the iron bar
] which secured the door, he was at once
on the alert. He quickly made run
ming knot OF his rope, passed it around
| the Wrist OF the robber, strained it tight
~, drew the arm further through, and
fastened the other end of the rope to the
IRON balustrade in such a manner that
the robber found himself pinned to the
inner wall, unable to stir an inch.
A breathles hush for few moments
succeeded, then confused sound from
the outside, and something like the muf-
fled tread of men IN deep drift. Gaeh-
| Ter, rs soon as he was satisfied that the
robbers were fleeing, directed his domes-
tic to despatch after them "a round of
gunshots. They then waited quietly
awhile longer, until fully assured of the
flight q all but the pinioned man, and
| then uhbarrrd the massive door, and
swung IT slowly back to seize their pris :
oner.
A sight to chill the blood of even those
stern men greeted their vision. Instead
OF living man, struggling to be free,
| they saw nothing but a naked, blood
stained corpse and what most appalled,
| them, was the fact it that it was d head
less one.
They closed the door upon it, and
finging an old robe over the white a IN
and had which hung in the deadly moose
they fastened to an upper and distant
room, and waited with impatient hearts
for the break of dawn. Slowly, tedious
ly wore the hours away; but not until
the sun was quite high in the heavens,
could the four men break the spell which
the last nights horror had flung over
| their nerves and hearts, and proceed to
their duties. 1t was determined after
some consultation to despatch young
| Gustave with one of the old retainers TO
the neighboring town, not only to call
upon it for suitable escort to carry
1 thither the treasure which had come
nigh being fatal to them instead of the
| headless prisoner, but to summon with
| them a detachment of police to hold the
| corpse, and see if it would give "A clew by
which the living villains could be de-
tected.
Sometime after q clock had strdck the
chimes of noon they returned with not
only those for whom they had been sent,
but number, too, of ths first citizens of
the place. They entered, as they had left
in the rear of the building, and proceed
ing to the grand hall, were informed by
Gaehler of the successful stratagem he
had adopted and the mantle being with
drawn, were shown the rigid arm and
hand, with the rope yet fastened on the
WrlSJ' ueu IHe uOOr was opened eaCn
had strung his nerves to look unblauch-
ingly upon the sight. But the blood which
had curdled in their vein as they looked
upon the fcttered limb, now rushed like
lava torrent; and their hearts, for there
upon the cold stone sill, half buried in
snow drift, clasping the feet of the muir
dered man, sat young and lovely woman
Her tresses, dark as the shadows of night
were unbound, and fell like the mantle
of death over her fair bosom. Frozen
tear drops chung to the siIken lashes of
her half-closed eyes, and her parted lips
| Were stained with blood, as though she
| had pressed frantic kisses upon the CORY
hand that hung just above her brow. She
was cold in death. They buried them in
one grave-sad though it seemed, that
| the beautiful and the pure should rest
besidethe SHINING and the vile.
| Two years after, the formidable band
were Surp ised in their stronghold, cap
tured, and made to suffer the vengeance
of the laws they had so long outraged.
The mystery that yet hung over the affair
| of the midnight attempt on the castle of
Gaehler was then elucidated. The cap
taih, perceiving one of his men thus i'm
prisoned, feared that if he left him, he
might reveal that which would destroy
all. He consulted few moments with
/ the rest. and leSitatel an instant wheth-