Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1881-09-02
THE MYSTERIOUS CoACHMAN.

story, which was related to me as i am
about to tell 1t to you, and it happened
Just as it was told me. 1t is not an in
vention designed to show You how a
fault is often sufficient to lose man s
life; it is an actual fact, in the recital
of which we will not give the real
names. because they would pose the
secrets of family holding an ilustrious
rank in one of the principal States OF
Germany.
Marshal c. Che was then only q
GeneraD found himself in need of a
coachman. He made his wants known
to woman OF Saint Dominique who
kept furnished hotel, and rented at
the same time livery carriages. At
first. this woman declared that she was
unable 10 procure one for whom she
could answer; almost all of those who
took care OF her coaches were hired by
the day, and did not live with her.
There was only one, who was q sort of
overseer of the others, who would suit
the General, and ii was on account of
his good qualities that the woman de-
sired to retain him herself. The Gen
eral insisted so much the more on hav-
ing him. AT last. the mistress of the
furnished hotel yielded him up TO the
employ of the General.
When this man entered the service of
the General, nothing extraordinary
noticed in him, except in extreme po-
hteness, an attentive care never to en-
gage in the recreatons of The other
servants, and Il rare promptness in the
accomplishment of his duties which rem
dered m precious to his master. BY
an exception very rare, this preference
of the master for his coachman did not
excite the envy of the other servants.
There was such continued sadness
about this man that no one could think
that it was through pride that he kept
Rloof from his comrades. At the gen.
era dinner hour he seated himself ST.
lently at the table, ate soberly, and re-
tired to his stable Immediately n ter the
meal. In the chateau of the General,
Mt the time when the service of the
horses gave Muller great deal of leis-
ure, he was not accustomed to go to the
cabaret, nor to play as did the others;
he seated himself under some tree in
the park and spent all his time in read
ing. AT the time these ngularities,
which were remembered later, caused
but little surprise; they contented them
selves by saying that Muller was bear
and permitted him to follow his taste
without concerning themselves further
about him.
Almost two years passed in this way;
Muller followed the General wherever
the duties of war called him. This was
in the neighborhood OF 1907.
Muller had accompanied the General
to Ragusa in Dalmatia,, of which the
Emperor had made him Governor. and
ii was in this village that the little ad-
venture happened which | am about 10
relate:
One day, when the Governor General
had invited to his table large party of
the officers of his staff and the principal
officers of corps of the Austrian army
which was stationed in the vicinity, it
happened that he was obliged to press
into the service of the table all the
servants of his household, and Muller
found that he was included in this
requisition; at the hour of dinner he
was in the dining hail. napkin over
his arm. The great number of guests
present no doubt prevented Muller
from noticing any one in particular, be-
cause the dinner was over before any
trouble occurred, but ut the commence
ment of the second service, as he was
in the act of placing dish on the table,
one, of the foreign general officers
turned himself little, to give more
room to Muller, and uttered cry oil
surprise as he recognized him. Muller
in his turn, looked at the general Off
Ger, turned pale as he did, was right
ened as he was. In his surprise, he
dropped the dish which he held in his
hand and left the dining hall in con-
fusion which struck all the guests with
astonishment.
All this happened so quickly that no
one could explain whether it was the
surprise VIII ch caused the accident OF
the accident which had caused the sur.
prise, and the dinner continued with.
out Mullers reappearing. But the
General had too well remarked that the
Austrian officer and the coachman rec.
ognized each other; he also noticed
that their astonishment could not be
that of q master who simply recognized
again an old servant, or that of serv-
ant who found again an old master. A
singular emotion, a profound terror was
shown in the faces OF these two men
whom they found themselves face Il
face, and the preoccupation of the
Austrian General during the remaindel
ofthe dinner did not escape the atten
ton of the General If war had existed
at,that time between France and Aus
tria, the General might have though
that this Muller, whose manners an
nounced that he was more than coach
man, was Il spy, whom the hope of 1
great reward had induced to play thi
role, But as things were, there was NJ
probability in this supposition, and i
was more rea enable to suppose tina
the coachman, who concealed himsel
with so much care, had formerly served
the general officer whom he had recog
nlZed and in whose house he had beel
guilty of some action the revelation o
which alarmed him. Although tn,
General had every reason to be conten
with the service OF Muller, he wished /,
know il this was not a case of one o
those old, hypocritical servants VIII,
wait entire years TO obtain the conf
dence of their masters in order at las
10 be able to abuse il in a manner NOR
profitable TO themselves.
The dinner ended, the Genera
sought everywhere for the Austrian
officer that he might question him, Du
the officer had disappeared from tn
salon, as the coachman had from tn
dining hall, and neither of them put Il
an appearance during the whole even
ing. When night came, the General
whore this double disappearance ha
annoyed. inquired Of the other servant
What had become of Muller; he learpe
that Immediately alter his accident a
the table he flew TO the stable in e,
treme agitation. The General ais
learned that after the dinner the Au:
trian officer had inquired for Muller
apdlthat. after hearing where he wa!
he had hurried TO join him. and that fc
q lopg time they had been closete
together; that one OF the other servant
had heard between them a aspirited col
versation. and that at last they ha
both let the hotel, continuing thei
conversation. The next day the Ger
eral sent down for an explanation {
this mystery Then he learned ths
Muller had reappeared at the stable AN