Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-04-27
A MODERN BLUEBEARD.
The Escape by Night of an Afghan w
from Her Cruel Husband

The Escape by Night Of an Afghan Wife
from Her Cruel Husband.
A correspondent of the London Times
! says In the village of Gandamak there
named Said Mir, to whose house there
came from the neighboring village of
Petta, one Kadir, potter. The reverend
gentleman supplied his guest with dried
| mulberriss, the only food at that hour
| available in the house, after which the pair
sat down on the terrace below the pome-
granategrove which overhangs the stream,
| to smoke and talk. Said the potter to the
| mollah, 81 have in my house a daugh-
ter, who is beautiful and of mar
riaseable age; if 1 could suitably dis
| pose Of her l should have room in my es-
! tablishment for another wife," I" Brother
| potter" replied the mollah, 81 can we'll
| feel for you. have myself a daughter,
whose face is like the moon, whose lips are
like the seed of the pomegranate, whose
hair is like tangled snakes but what
availeth all this beauty? Wives are Ger
tainly more useful than daughters. And
so the two old reprobates talked the mat
ter over, till at last it was agreed that they
should change daughters and in due time
the mollah married the pOttsr's daughter,
and the potter married the mollah's daugh-
ter. Now, the potter's daughter had not
been brought up with a proper sense Of
propriety, and soon after her wedding be-
gan to make eyes at the young men of
Gandamak in a manner most unbecoming
to the wife of clergyman.
The moliah, perceiving this, cut off her
nose and ears and sent her back to her
father with an intimation that he had dis
covered her in an act OF intidelity, for
which he bad punished her, and that he
now returned her, as he had no further
use for her. The potter, in getting his
daughter back mutilated in this hOrrid
way, was sorely distressed. He argued to
himself thus: 4" If the girl goes about the
village in this state the neighbors will
never cease to twit me about her, and
less girl. Such shame is not to be thought
Of" So he killed her. Having killed his
daughter, the potter was stung with the
pangs of remorse. He thought to himself
The mollah is great brute, and l will
be avenged on him." So he called his wife
and said "YOur father cut off my daugh-
ter's nose and ears and forced me to kill
her. Now, must have revenge, so l shall
cut off your nose and ears and send you
back to him." On hearing this the lady
began to cry and begged for a few days
grace. "Very WELL" said the potter, IL
will givo you till tomorrow"
It was II o'clock at night, and the pot
ter had fallen into his first deep sleep,
when his wife rose noislessly and crept out
of the cottage into the dark, cold
night. She mad seen the tents of the
Feringeis, the Caffres, and she would 90
tothem for protection. Well she knew
that if she went to her father he would
kill her to avoid a bloody feud with her hus-
band if she went to the native officials
they would take no interest in her fate,
and would return her to her husband with
as little compunction as they would return
a stray heifer to the butcher. There was
nothing for it but to go to the
Feringi. 1t was long and diff
cult strip of country to traverse, but
fear lent her strength and speed.
She sped miles across the Ishpan plain
she plunged without hesitation into the
icy ford across the Turkab; she
climbed, with painful effort and with hard.
drawn breath, the rugged steep above Sa-
raneu !; she fled, with stumbling steps, the
winding path that led to the British camp
at Pezwan she crawled past the sentry
she glided into the nearest tent the morn
was beginning to dawn, and she was safe.
Do you know Fitzgerald? It was his tent.
He took her to Ball Acton, who commands
at Pezwan, and Colonel Acton wired to
General Arbuthnot at Gandamak, and
General Arbuthnot made arrangements
for the young woman's safety. I do not
known what will be done with her, but
she has saved ner nose and ears for the
present.