The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-10-30
A COURIER'S STORY.


birth and nationality am Swiss, but
cosmopolitan in every taste and habit.
In my early days l regularly followed
the profession of a courier, as | do now.
occasionally when anyof my old patrons
or their friends require such services,
which is rather infrequent, the taste of
the travelling public having degenerated
into hasty journeys by express trains,
with the consequent loss of all enjoy
ment of the different phases of scenery
through which the travellers are pass
inc. In the course of my many years
experience have been witness to many
strange occurrences, have assisted in
many a secret and adventurous under
taking, and have been subject to many
perils. From among such varied eXpe-
riences | give the following strange
story, suppressing for obvious reasons
the real names of those interested.
Many years ago | was engaged as
courier to his Excellency the Honorable
Frederick Eslington, Ambassador-extra-
ordinary of his Britannia Majesty King
George, on special secret mission to
one of the great Continental powers
Having finished his duties and success
fully attained the object of his mission,
we started on our homeward journey in
the summer of 1S-. The period was
one to be long remembered, from the
political excitement which existed
throughout all Europe, almost every
Government having unsheathed the
sword. We had travelled consid-
cradle part of the first stage of
our return journey, when his
Excellency, who was feeling the.
fatigues of the incessant travelling
! in the heavy, rumbling carriage, said he
should stop at the next town we arrived
at, and take rest and refreshment, both
OF which he was much in need of, be-
sides having important state documents
to transcribe. In due course we arrived
at the small town of S., on the CON
fines of Germany, where we put up.
We staid a day and a half there; and /
was then instructed to have the carriage
and horses in readiness to continue our
journey. His Excellency meanwhile,
had completed his writings, to which he
had assiduously applied himself; and
told me, as it was fine afternoon, he
would take short walk, and on his re-
turn resume his journey at once, and
must therefore make all necessary prep
arations. He accordingly left the hotel
But he was never seen afterward, nor
was any thing known of his fate.
| waited for upward of an hour anx-
iously, and then made a close search for
him, which / continued for several DAYS,
but not trace could ! discover of my
master. A villager, however, living
outside the town, brought to me at the
hotel a pair of ovcralls, which he stated
he had found in a neighboring copse L
recognized the garment as belonging to
his Excellency, and at once repaired
with the villager to the'copse, and close
ly examined the spot, but found no trace
or sign of any struggle.
Finding it useless to prosecute the
search, l at once returned to London
with his Excellency's travelling gear,
which | handed to his family. The
British Government at once Instituted
inquiries, as also did his Excellency's
family, and large rewards were offered
by both, and advertisements widely dis
seminated for any information respect
ing the missing Ambassador; but they
failed one and all to gain any informa-
ton of or the slightest clew to his fate.
A certain amount of suspicion attached
to me, but it was only momentary, and
l at once cleared myself of it, and as
sisted the distracted wife and her miss
ing husbands family as much as Law in
my power. Well | remember the
agonies of anxiety and suspense caused
to the Ambassadors wife and family by
the distressing calamity. Magisterial
investigation was made, experts were
employed, and every endeavor made to !
penetrate the dark veil of mystery srn<
rounding the event; but all efforts were
unsuccessful. One of his Maiesty's Am
bassadors had completely and mysteri- 4
ously disappeared, without leaving a !
clew to light up the awful obscurity,E
which enveloped the tragic occurrence.
Several years had elapsed since the
distressing event, and the memory, the |
painful memory, of it was beginning to |
fade from my mind, when l happened |
to be in Antwerp on short tour through |
Belgium with patrons. And, while list |
lessly strolling by myself on the quay |
one summers evening, watching the |
passengers disembarking from the new