Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-01-10
Queer Condolences.

From the Whitehall Review December IA.
Mr.. Browning came back from Italy in the
autumn with curious story of condolences.
The story is divided dramatically into two parts.
whereof the first was enacted late in the sum-
mer of last year, when Mr.. Browning found
himself with his sister in remote Swiss valley
on the confines OF Italy. StrOlling about in the
evening while dinner was preparing. they paused
before going In, to admire the calm and repose
of the valley that lay stretched before them,
when their talk suddenly turned to the subject
Of murder and each began to speculate on
what their conduct would be If they should be 80
unfortunate as to find body. l say unfortu-
nate for it is well known that in France, Switz-
erland and Italy the presumption of innocence
Is most strongly against the person lighting on
corpse, instead OF, as in our law, the presump-
ton being in his favor. They could hardly set
tie as to whether they should or should not give
Information to the authorities. and 80 escape
the annoyance OF being detained on their jour
ney, when they found themselves at their inn
door and dinner ready. The next morning. as
they were about to resume their travels, the
landlord attended with long face to inform
the poet that it would be impossible to have the
two horses for his carriage, as one was wanted
to bring In the body of man found Murdered
early that morning at the head Of the valley
Questioning him. Mr.. Browning found that in all
likelihood the murder had been committed after
the conversation of the evening before, and
that the body had been found by man
digging potatoes just about the spot where his
sister and he had stood discussing the probable
tiles of their conduct in case such an event
should occur Part one ends on the departure
of the travellers behind the one hOrse part two
opens In the autumn of this year, when Mr..
Browning paid another visit to the remote Swiss
valley again in company with his sister. Re.
of la Of =
the landlord if the murderer had ever been dis
covered when he told them no; that the man
suspected (who had found the body had thrown
himself out OF his prison window, unable to bear
the thought of trial and the possibility of his
wife and children in want. and had since died;
and that it was supposed the murdered man, an
Italian, had been stabbed in q quarrel by his
companions, who had escaped over the frontier.
Further, as on the previous year dinner pre-
pairing, he took them to the spot where
the body was discovered, and they
found themselves standing exactly where, on
the very evening of the crime. they had specu-
lated as to what they should do in case of
such an event To heighten the dramatic effect
OF the coincidence, they learnt that no crime of
violence had been committed In the valley for
the last hundred years. gentleman present
when this story was cold capped it with one of q
yet more curious chain of condolences. He was
travelling to Doncaster on business, and, turn
ing to the first sheet of the Times, was amused
his wife giving birth to son, the announce
ment that the wife of similarly named hus-
band had performed them sac kindly Office on the
same date At D0ncaster, in the Office where
his business called him, he was introduced to
his namesake, who, travelling down in the same
carriage, had been equally amused. Nor did
the coincidence end here, for. attending the race
course later in the day. some one in the betting
ring put his hand on his shoulder, and, naming
him, roughly said: "Y0u owe me twenty
pounds" Turning angrily, the man dropped
his hand at once and apologized prOfusely, de-
claring he had for the moment mistaken him for
friend.