Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-10-05

PAOAOuAA ~ yoCSAy1 "AASA 4A0u %AdppCucu
years before. And I remembered how
our position, Ludwig Kuhl, had assisted
me in the unavailing search for his Ex-
cellency. Soon we reached little ca5a-
ret : their name is legion in Antwerp
one of the back streets near the cathe-
dral; and with glass of his favorite !
Boonjekamp in froAt of him, he seated |
himself, and told me the following Sc
quel to the mysterious disappearance
''You must remember me, friend" he |
began, 'when was in a better condition
than you now see me-" and he scanned
his wretched garments, Struggling his
shoulders with al impatient air. I'LL.
nodded acquiescence.
"Well,'' said he, ''you must also know
in your long experience of travel that all
classes OF society on the continent, and
particularly in Vienna, have their secret
club. The positions had theirs; but it
was subject to the rule Of the Chief Sc
cret society. In my younger days, friend,
l was induced, in an unlucky moment,
to enroll myself as member, and take
the oaths OF the Secret Society of Pos
tilions. Bitterly have I repented since,
for it is to that circumstance I owe nv
present deplorable state of mind and posi-
ton" a",&,. H..
"But what has that to do with the
mysterious case of his Excellency?" I
! asked Of him, somewhat impatiently.
"Much more than you imagine or can
ever know, frlend," replied he, senten-
tiously wagging his head. He paused
for moment. "Well, I will tell YOU"
continued he, "though you must not
break my story with your inquiring COM
ments. Firstly, then, you must know
that was on the establishment of Herr
Sputzen, the carriage master and stable
keeper from whom his Excellency the
Honorable Eslington hired his travelling
carriage and horses for his return Journey.
1t was known to the Chief Secret Society
! that his Excellency was IN possession of
important papers, and it was also known
that he was upon the point of starting
with them for England. The Chief Com
mander had important reasons for obtain
ing these papers, or copies of them, and
of one in particular above all others. bv
fair means or foul; and what the Chief
says is to be, done, Is done invariably at
any cost. The Committee had ballotted
for the person who must execute their Or
ders, and their choice had fallen on me
as position, and the more likely to effect
a successful result. By virtue of my oath
/ was bound to obey, or [ shonld have
suffered secret death. by assassination
probably. I need not tell you my in
structions; but a dreadful fate await
ed you in the event Of you or bis Ex-
cellency obstructing our wishes. In
every town through which we passed
there were emissaries of the Chief Society
to assist me, so great is the organization !;
and when received your orders to pull
| up at the next town, which, if you re-
member, was s., knew the wishes
OF the Chief Commander would be effect
ually carried out. The landlord of the
hotel you staid at, and the head hostler
were known to me as members of the
Chief Society, and there were other resi-
dents in the town also members, whom
did not know. So you see IN friend,
how bis Excellency and you were en-
comprised III net from which there was
no escape" and he chuckled to himself
as he said it. "Now you remember how
his Excellency was always engaged in
writing his dispatches and documents.
Well, there was consequently great diff
Guilty in getting a view of the papers
without adopting foul means, and time
was OF great Importance to the Chief
Commander
,"What!' exclaimed, in great aston
1shment, my hair almost on end with the
suddenness of the confession" what ! Do
you mean to tell me, Carl johann Roeckel.
that you murdered his Exccllency in cold
blood?"
'Not exactly hat, FRIEND" he quietly
replied. "When his Excelency went for
that short walk, the head hostler also
went for a stroll in the same direction.
| A short distance from the town the host
Ter met a friend, also member and thew
quickly bound and gagged his ExcelIency
and carried him to the ccller Of the lat
ter's house, where they kept him secretly
until. after the excitement of the disap
pearance and search had subsidized, when
he was taken to Vienna in the involunta
ry disguise of d dangerous lunatic peas
ant, and afterward-" And he made a
significant sign indicative of strangula-
ton. "Ihe papers were distracted by
the landlord, and handed to me, and I
IN turn delivered them to the Chief Com
mander personally. Nothing was ever
said about the missing documents If you
recollect, because only one other person
besides his Excellency and the Chief Com
mander knew of them, and he dared not
say what they were"
''But how" asked I, "was everything
kept so quietly, as the British govern
ment made a great ado over the matter,
| and large rewards were ofered?'
"Well," replied he, 'those to whom the
matter was referred were mostly mem
bers Of the Chief Society, which, you
must remember, numbered in its roll
members Of all ranks and stations. The
pair of overalls found in the copse some
days after the disappearance were pur
posely placed there to lead and encour-
age the belief that his Excellencv had
been robbed and then murdered"
"But you do not account for your be-
ing here in Antwerp now," said I.
swell, friend,' continued he, and he
drew himself closer to me and spoke in
a very low tone-'well, the Chief Com
mander, in consequence of the stir made
by both the British and our government,
and fearing disclosure on account of the
large rewards offered, took effective steps
to prevent it by ordering the deaths of
those concerned in the tragedy. The
landlord of the hotel, however, suddenly
decamped to America-where he will be
tracked, never fear-after hearing of the
deaths of the hostler and his friend, who
were found STABBED in their beds; and |
escaped here, by circuitous routes, and |
have remained in hiding ever since. But
I am really known and discovered, and |
go daily IN fear of my life. The sign of