Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1883-09-20
A Strange Story.

The Abbe Bezuel communicated the
following strange story to the we'll
known Able de Saint Pierre, who, by
the.by, besides tie authorship of
paul and Virginia. anticipated the
Peace Society by an equally wel!'di-
gested project of universal brother
hood. The Able Bezuel. it may be
remarked, enjoyed a spotless reputa-
tion for truth and sincerity.
The abpe was about fifteen years of
age in 1893, when he became ac-
quainted at college with the children
of acknowledgements by name
and who were students like himself.
A particular friendship grew up be.
tween him and the eldest whose name
was Desfontaines, and who was about
his own age.
Walking together one day i'll the
year 1896, conversation fell upon a
work in which they had read, an ac-
count of two friends who had prom
ised one another that the one who
should die first should come and In
form tho survivor of his decease, and
which event actually took place,
Desfontaines proposed to Bezuel
that they bind themselves by similar
promise, but Bezuel did not give his
consent till some months after, when,
his friend being about to leave college
for Caen they exchanged manuscripts,
written and signed with their own
blood.
For some time an active correspond
ence was carried on between the two
friends, till, six weeks having elapsed
without his having received letter,
Bezuel was walking in meadow in
the afternoon of the 3lst of July,
1897, when he felt a sudden faintness
come over him, from which he was
some minutes in recovering.
The next day the same weakness
overlook him at the same hour, and
so also the day; but upon the latter oc'
casion Desfontains appeared to him,
making signs to him, as if calling him
near to his person. AS he was seated
on bench, he withdrew short dis
tance 10 make room for his friends.
Several students who were present OBJ
served this movement. AS Desfon-
taines, however, did not come nearer,
Bezuel got up and went to him.
The spectre then took his friend by
the arm, and, leading him away to a
quiet spot, addressed him as follows:
"l have come to keep my promise.
l was drowned the day before yester-
day in the river at Caen, at about this
hour. l was out walking with the
Abbe de Menil Jean. 1t was so hot,
that we resolved upon bath. When
in the river, faintness came over me,
and l sank to the bottom. The able
dived after mel seized him by the
foot; but whether he thought it was a
salmon, or that he wished to get back
again without interruption he gave me
tremendous kick that finally disposed
of me on the bed of the river"
Desfontaines also spoke of other
matters to his friend, and charged him
with various messages for his brother,
and also for his father and mother,
and bade him repeat for him sever
psalms that had been given him as q
punishment the Sunday previous te
his death, and which he had omitted
to reclte before the catastrophe.
Bezuel promised all, and wished tt
embrace his deceased friend, but ht
only found shadow, although the
spectre held him so tightly by the arm
that he felt sensible pain from thu
pressure.
The spectre looked rather taller thar
when alive and was half-naked, and {
manuscript was interviewer in hi
long, light hair, on which he coult
only read the syllable "in." He hat