The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-12-04
A TALE OF LOVE. MURDER AND
ASSASSINATION.
The Murderer DevOured by ALI.
gators.

An the 18th Of July, 1873, two men
sat at dinner on the broad veranda of the
coffee plantation house of the Palma Gar
da, near San Juan, Porto Rico. They
were Clarkson Collins a blonde young
American, the proprietor of the panta-
T;5svid Owens, and they were celebrating
the anniversary of their national indie
pendence with many a bumper to their
distant country and their absent friends.
"Well, Senores Americanos," said
musical voice behind them, care you not
going to thank me for the good dinner [
prepared for you with my own handsp
The two friends turned, and found
themselves face to face with a beautiful
octoroon girl of twenty years at most,
who had Just assembled the steps of the
veranda with rush net full of oranges,
bananas and a couple of pineapples, all
fresh pucked and loading the air with
perfume, on her head
Come, now," she continued, laugh
ingly, as she placed the fruit on the Ia
bic, ''here is your desert, and here Pm
ready for my reward"
Take it, then, Teresita," exclaimed
Collins, "for you have earned it nobly.
Your banquet is fit for an emperor" and
twinning his arm around her waist he
drew her face down toward his own and
imprinted kiss on her lips.
But did you really prepare the dinner
yourself" asked Owens, initiating his
friends example and drawing the girl to
seat on his knee. SIS it all your work.
Every morsel of it" she replied,
coquettishly, running her slender fingers
through his curling hair. 81 would not
trust to Maria's clumsy hands on such
an occasion as this, you may be sure
She can cook well enough for common
| folks"
Your husband for instance" inter
rupted voice hoarse and quivering with
rage, and an understood; strengthening
mulatto bounded upod the veranda,
while the girl started up with shrek Of
alright.
Course you, you wanton Since you
are so fond of feeding other people but
me, 90 and cook dinner for the devil
And snatching long keen knife from
his bosom, he plunged it up to the hilt il
Teresita's body before either of tht
Americans could interfere.
The girl fell dead, and springing upor
Owens, whom he seized by the throat
the man yelled:
'sAs for you, you dog of an American
| have watched you this long while
You wanted my wife, did you? VERY
well, then, you have enjoyed her. Nov
go and have your fun with her in hi
And with circular sweep of his knife
like that of an experienced butcher il
Sitting the stomach of bullock, he rip
ped the overseer open, while the lattel
who had snatched fork from the table
drove the tines into his cheek, leaving
the weapon quivering there as he fell.
By this time Collins had recovered
himself, and, catching up the heavy
stool on which he had been sitting, h
felled the murderer with a single tire
mendous blow, and shouted for assist
ance.
The mulatto resisted furiously, bu
still made no effort to injure the slave
} who secured him, using his knife only I,
hack and mangle the bodies of his vic
Tins until he was finally dragged ava,
and bound, leaving the veranda inunds
ted in blood
After the bodies were removed tn
, planter, followed by the negroes draggin
i the prisoner behind them at the end of
rope, led the way to deep but narro'
stream that irrigated the plantation, an
commanded the murderer to be throw
10. 81
: The order was promptly obeyed, an
t the man had hardly touched the waite
; when score of hideous heads appeare
all about, and in moment more he ha
disappeared. The alIigators had DE-
lvoured him.
= Then Collins returned to the hous
D and sought to drown the recollection {
; the days tragedy in a manner viii CHI RI
: suited in his being carried to bed By b
servants dead drunk. ssy