Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-08-28

my actions? She had neither relatives
nor protectors to question me on the
subject and I designedIy put off writing
to my friends, so that none Of them
could arrive at time.
con coming back from the vault I
did not feel the slightest weight on my
conscience. I had been cruel, but she
deserved [ did rot hate her; could
forget Ter; | hardly thought about it.
Never did man commit a murder
with less remorse than I.
Goa my return, | found in the
chateau the countess so often men
toned. My measures had been so well
taken that she also arrived too late for
the funeral. She seemed much agltated
Oh seeing me. Terror, sympathy, grief
I know not What-made her speak so
confusedly that could not understand
what she said to console me.
'Did I even listen to her? What
need had I of consolation? I was not
sorrow stricken. Finally she took me
Familiarity by the hand and said in q
low voice that she was obliged to con-
tide to me secret and that she counted
on my honor as a nobleman not to
abuse it. She had given to my wife to
keep for her package Of letters that she
could not keep herself, and she begged
of me to give them back to her. While
she was speaking I felt several time
that I shivered from head to foot.
With apparent GOODNESS [ questioned
her on the contents of these letters. At
this question the lady started and re-
piled with indignation.
"'Sir, your wife was more generous
than you. When she took charge of
these letters she did not ask me their
contents. She even gave me her word
never to look ut them, and [ am con-
WINGED that she never even glanced at
them. Hers was noble soul, and she
would have disdained to break in secret
her given word
"It is WE'LL replied, how shall I
recognize the package?"
est was tied by s pink ribbon with a
silver edge
"'I will 20 and search for it..
II took my wife's keys and began to
search for the packet; although [ knew
where it was, | pretended to have some
difficulty in finding it.
SIS it this 2 / said, handing it TO the
countess.
"'Yes, yes! See, the knot [ made is
still there. She never touched it,
81 did not dare to lift my eyes to her
/ feared lest she should read in them
that | had undone it, and that I had
undone something else besides. / took
leave Of her hastily; she got into her
carriage and drove off. Poor woman,
she had her excuse. Her husband was
brutal and dissipated. If | had been
like him / should have deserved a wife
like her. Oh! but my wife! Her heart
was innocent, her soul angelic! she
loved her husband even in the moment
when her husband killed her. / do not
know what did during the first hours
that followed. When [ came back to
the consciousness Of the horrible
reality I was in the vault, beside the
coffin, [ saw the lid slowly raised
and the dead woman within rose noise
lessly before me. 1t was stretched,
stiff and stalk, beside the coffin, one
hand on its edge and the other beneath
her head. The lips of the corpse were
white; one drop Of blood hung from
them. She bent slowly towards me,
opened her eyes as when / murdered
her and kissed my right hand. The
drop of blood fell again on my flesh
her eyes shut once more, and she fell
back on her cold pillows and the coffin
closed over her dead body.
ga short time after [ was awakened by
pain as sharp as that produced by q
scorpions, sting. [ rushed into the
open air. 1t was early morning. No
one saw me. The drop Of blood had
disappeared; there was no outward
sign ofthe pain, and yet the spot where
the blood had fallen burned as though
being eaten away by a corroding poison
The pain gave me no respite and in
creased from hour to hour. / could
sleep sometimes, but even then | never
lost consciousness Of my suffering
There Was no one to whom [ could
make complaint, and for that matter
there was no one who would have
believed my story. You have been
witness to the intensity of my suffer
ing and you know how mucn your
operation relieved me. Bot as soon as
the wound heals the pain comes back.
1t has come now for the third time, and
[ have no longer the strength to struggle
against it. IN an hour l shall be dead
One thought consoles meas she
avenged herself on me IN this world she
will, perhaps, forgive in the next. [
thank you for your good offices. May
God reward you for themW
A few days after the newspapers of
S. recorded that one of the rich
est landed proprietor5 had blown out
his brains. Some attributed the suicide
to grief at his wife's death: others, who
were better Informed, to al incurable
wound. Those who knew best said he
was a monomaniac, and his wound,
which could not be cured, existed only
in his imagination.