Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-05-12

identified, was shrouded and cofined at
the expense Of the town.
Probably Ursula was not as bard
hearted as she affected to be- People
said she was fond of Hans, although she
played him the unlucky matrimonial
trick that cost him his life Her hus-
band being jealous fellow, however,
she was obliged to stifle her regrets, ana
pretend to be gay and careless. But the
servants said she was sometimes found
crying alone; and III the long-r1n it was
believed Michael Stratus had become
hen-pelked and unhappy.
-Four years passed away, and Meitz-
berg had its fete day, on the eve of st.
Berthilda, the patroness of the town. On
the day before tremendous storm had
occurred, stripping roofs, smashing win
dows, and affecting garden shrubbery
A great piece of the bank had tumbled
into the lake, carrying with it the grave,
headstone and coffin of the unfortunate
Hans Wouverman. Some gloomy, SUI
perstitious people were concerned about
it, believing that Hans, now released
from stake and cross, the fate of sui
eide, could return to plague his surviv-
ors. But the spectral coniectures were
interrupted by the hustle of preparation
for the merry-making. The young Bar
on Won Ramer, whose chateau was about
two and half miles distant across the
water, was likely to attend, perhaps
strictly incognito. Farmer Stratus was
away at a neighboring fair, but that did
not prevent his gay and beautiful young
wife from coming down to enjoy the fes-
tive scene. The sun was down, torches
blazed reilly under the edge of the for
est, and colored lamps cleaned from the
tents; while, over all, was seen the silver
lustre of themoon.
The quick ear of Ursula caught the
sound of music on the lake. She saw
boat, pulled by four men in livery, with
fantastic musicians, and one handsomely
dressed gentleman in velvet and gold
lace. AS the cavalier disembarked, and
approached, her heart beat quick. After
a time she and the young stranger be-
came deeply interested, and talked with
their heads close together. More eyes
were watching then she suspected, and
they saw the courtly stranger and Ursula
exchange rings. Presently they engag-
ed in dance, his servants striking up
merry tune. The dancers moved In the
direction of the lake. More fantastic
grew the dance the nearer they drew to
the edge, over which, suddenly, with
bound, both dancers disappeared. From
the boat a strange thunder of music
swelled, and the hollow laughter of many
shrill voices. AS the crowd rushed for
ward, the mist came rolling in like the
dense smoke of cannon. The fog be-
came SO thick that one could not see the
blaze of torch for many yards. The
frOhc was over, no search was possible.
Next morning the lake was dragged,
and later in the day two bodies were
found. One was that of Ursula, it is al
legged, with dreadful rent in her breast.
through which her heart had been torn,
her wedding-ring was gone, and in it's
stead ring of iron, such as was fixed, in
olden times, to the pommel of soldiers
sword. The other was the black and
swollen corpse of a tall man, on whose
finger. impossible toremove without cut
ting it off, was found the wedding ring of
Ursula Stratus.
( E'ramer Stratus was, he declared. in
consolable. He declined reclaiming the
bridal ring so horribly profaned, and the
iron one is still to be seen in the old
town-house of Meitzberg.
The executioner of Spieldaam, crossing
the lake just then, said that the corpse
which had been taken out of the lake
with Ursula's was that of man whom
he had himself hanged a week before,
and which had been stolen off the gal
lows at night. The prevailing opinion,
however, in his native town, was that
the mysterious stranger was no other
than Hans Wouverman.