Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-10-07

brown, and his hair raven black: his fea.
lures were severe and his lips compr es ,ed
as If in wrath bold aquiline nose height
ened the naughty appearance of his coun.
tenance; and dark shaggy brows lowered
over his fiery eyes. He wore a green coat,
with large golden braids, and a glitterine
star. The bride, who now kneeled besi6 e
him, was magniicently dressed. A sky.
blue robe, richly trimmed with silver, en-.
veioped her slender limbs, and floated in
large folds over her graceful form: a dia.
dem sparkling with diamonds adorned her
fair hair the utmost loneliness and beauty
! might be traced in her features, although
despair now expressed itself in them her
cheeks were pale as those of a corpse-her
features unanimated-her lips were blanch-
| ed-her eyes dimmed-and her powerless
arms hung notionless beside her almost
lfeless form. As she knelt before the al.
tar, the picture of death itself, terror
seemed to have wrapped her consciousness
as well as her vital powers in a fortunate
slumber.
TIE cure now discovered near him an
old, ugly bag, in parti. colored dress, her
head covered with blood red turbap. who
stood gazing with an expression of fury ar
mockery on the kneeling bride; and be.
hind the bridegroom he noticed man of
gigantic size and a gloomy appearance.
whose eyes were fixed lmmovably upon the
ground.
Horror-struck, the priest stood mute for
some time, till a thrilling look from the
bridegroom reminded him of the ceremony
he had come thither to perform. But the
uncertainty whether the couple he was
now about to marry understood his Ian
guage afforded him fresh source of uneasi
ness. He ventured, however, to ask the
bridegroom for his name and that of his
bride: "Neander and Fedora" was the
answer given in rough voice.
The priest now began to read the ritual
In faltering accents, frequently misiaking
and stopping to repeat the words, without,
however, either the bride or bridegroom
appearing to observe his confusion. which
confirmed him in his conjecture that his
language was almost unknown to either of
them. On putting the question, "Nean.
der, wilt thou take this woman for thy
welded wife," he doubted whether be should
receive any answer, but to his establishment
the bridegroom answered in the affirma.
tive with loud and almost screaming
voice, which rung throughout the whole
church, while deep signs from the whole
spectators accompanied the awful Eyes :"
and silent quivering, like the reflection
of a flash OF distant lightning, threw a
transitory motion over the death-pale fea
lures Of the bride. The priest turned to
her, speaking louder to raise her from her
trance " Fedora, wilt thou have this
man for thy welded husband ?" The life
less form before him at this question
seemed to awake deep conyulsive throb
of terror trembled on her cheeks-her pale
lips quivered-a passing CLEAN of fire shone
in her eyes-her breast heaved-a violent
gush of tears Hooded the brilliance OF her
eyes, and the Eyes was heard pronounced
like the scream of anguish uttered by
dying person, and seemed to find deep
echo in the sounds of grief which burst
from the surrounding multitude. The bride
sank into the arms of the horrid old bag
some minutes passed in awful silence the
pale eorpse.like female then kneeIed again,
az il In a deep trance, aud the ceremony
was finished. The bridegroom now rose
and led the trembling bride to her former
place, followed by the tall man and the old
woman; the two strangers then appeared
again, AMI having bound the priests eyes,
drew him with violence through the crowd,
and pushed him out at the door, which
they then bolted within.
For some minutes be stood endeayoring
to recollect himself, and uncertain whether
the horrid scene, with all its CHASTITY at
tendans circumstances, might not have
been dream but when he had torn the
bandage from his eyes, and saw the illumi.
mated church before him, and heard the
murmuriug OF the crowd, he was forced to
believe its reality. To learn the issue he
hid himself in the corner Of the building,
and willie listening here he heard the muir.
muring within grow louder and louder
then it seemed as if fierce alteration
arose, in which he thought he could recog.
nize the rough voice of the bridegroom
commanding silence long pause followed
u shot fell-the shrek of a female voice
was heard, which was succeeded by an.
other pause-then followed a sound of Ia.
Dor, which lasted about quarter of an
hour-the candles were extin guished-.he
murmuring arose again-the door was flung
open, and multitude of persons rushed
out of the church and ran towards the sea.
The old priest now arose from his hiding.
place, and fastened back to the village,
where he awoke his neighbors and
friends, and related to them his
incredible and marvellous adventure :;
but everything which had hitherto
fallen out amongst these simple people had
been 50 calm and trauquil-so much meas
uIed by the laws of daily routine, that
they were seized with very different ter
ror, they believed that some unfortunate
accident had deranged the intelects of
their beloved pastor, and it was not with
out difficulty that he prevailed on some of
them to follow him to the church, provided
with picks and spades.
Meanwhile the morning had dawned, the
sun arose, and when the priest and his COM
panions assembled the hill towards the
church, they saw a man-of- war standing off
from the shore under full sail towards the
north. So surprising sight in this remote
district made his companions already hest
tate to reject his story as improbable, and
still more were they inclined to listen to
him when they saw that the side door of
the church had been violently burst open.
They entered full of expectation, and the
priest showed them the grave which be
had seen opened in the nighttime !;
it was easily perceived that the
stone had been lifted up and re.
placed again; they put their nipple.
msnts in motion, and soon came to a new,
richly. adorned coffin; the old man de.
scended with almost youthful impatience
into the grave, and others followed him,
the cover was taken off, and the priest
found all his awful forebodings confirmed.
In the coffin lay the murdered bride-a
bullet had pierced her right breast to the
heart-the magnificent diadem she had
worn had disappeared but the distracted
expression of deep grief had vanished
from her counteRance, and a heavenly calm
seemed spread over her features as she lay
there like an angel The old man thew
him self down on the coffin, and wept and
prayed aloud for the soul of the murdered,
while mute astonishment and horror seized
his companions.
The clergyman found himself obliged to
make this event instantly known, with all
It's circumstances, to HIS superior, the
Bishop of Zssiand meanwhile, until he
got further instructions from Copenhagen,
he bound ali his friends to secrecy by an
oath. Shortly afterward person OF high
rank suddenly arrived fran the capital !;
ne inquired into all the circumstances, Wis.
tied the grave, commended the silence
which had been hitherto observed, and
stated thai the whole event must remain
forever secret, threatening at the same
time with a severe punishment any person
who should dare to speak Of it.
After the death OF the priest a writing
was found in the parochiai register narrat.
ing this event. Some believed that it might