The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1884-06-06
- JACOBS CURSE.

I6aLl6rn cnalf Close 10 IHG SbOVG. vi u
rude table at his elbow were assembled
the little appliances necessary to his
comfort, on the evening of this his first
day of office-a huge jug of beer and
an ample tobacco pouch. He wore an
easy velvet coat, somewhat shabby,
loose slippers covered with roses in
carpet stitch the work of some good
Bertha or Matilda A smoking cap
with long tassel, hung down over
thoughtful, contemplatiye face-a face
that should have belonged to a studious
professor, rather than to man whose
calling led him into the busy walks of
life.
Rath Marquardsen was a young man,
little over thirty: his talent had raised
him thus early to the honorable position
he held in Gottingen. 1t seemed to
him but yesterday that he was student
in the venerable university, taking
notes of the lawyers lectures in the
great saal of the college, or strolling
bhe streets arm in arm with his chosen
comrade, the Captain of the Prussian
Sorps, their white and green caps stuck
jauntily on their heads, and their great
dogs following closely. The streets
were as full of Prussians, red-capped
Vandals, and yellow-crested Swabians,
as ever; they sang the old drinking
songs in their rich voices, bass and bari
tone and mellow tenor SO sweet, that
the Rath was fain to pause for second
in his administration of justice while the
singers streamed past the windows of
the courthouse.
The books he used to study were piled
In confusion on the floor of his parlor,
where he had tossed them out of his
trunk on the day of his arrival. He had
neither wife nor sister to arrange them
for him, so there they would, in all
probability, remain. He was half
minded to refresh himself with little
reading, but was too lazy to get up and
fetch book. just then came a knock
at his door. s'Come in,n called Rath
Marquardsen, and the old clerk of the
courthouse entered, staggering under a
pile of musty volumes.
"You babe me clean out the drawers,
and bring you these old books to look
over, Herr Rath, !" said the clerk. s'Here
they are, the records of justice in Got
tingen for the last hundred years Sure
ay your worship wont be troubled to
read this stupid stuff Better lei me
throw it into the stove.r
And he tossed The books upon the Ia
BILE with a gesture of disdain. But the
Rath regarded them with very different
eyes.
"Pray leave them there, cried he.
spreading his hands over them as though
to guard treasure. ''Ah, that will do.
Wilt thou try my beer and tobaccoP''
The clerk went away muttering:
"When the Herr Rath has been as LONG
about the courts as |, he will not care
for law books out of business hours
Antiquity had an immense charm for
the Rath. The worm eaten, calf-skin
bindings, blackened edges of the leaves.
and mustv smell of the ancient books
helped him to call up the vanished GEN
creations who had used them. They be-
gan to pass before the eye of his fancy
an shadowy rows, reacting the tragic or
tranquil scenes of their little day on
earth. Therefore, the moment the
clerk was gone, he drew the lamp near
him, and began to turn over the yellow
pages OF the records.
They were not particularly exciting.
Most of them were meager notes OF
trials, compressed into as few words as
possible; but at length, in examinino
the very Oldest book of all, he came
upon an entry which interested him so
much that he read it over and over
again. This page was headed, "Trial
OF Jacob Winterwerb for Forgery and
at the bottom of the leaf was pasted a
sheet of crumpled letter paper. closely
written in a curious, Grabbed, but sui
diciently legible hand.
Our bookworm bounced upon this
ancient manuscript as a gold-digger
might pounce upon a nugget, or a
gourmet upon chef d. euvre of Sever.
Putting on his spectacles like
many Germans, he was troubled with
weak eyes-he began to read the faded
yellow writing:
august 9TH, 1754.--I have returned
home after long, firing day in the
courthouse commenced the MS
''but weary though l am, | can not
sleep: can not forget the events Of
this day. strange gloom hangs over
me. A fearful curse which was uttered
IN my hearing keeps obtruding itself
upon my memory, ard some power that
am totally unable to control or resist
impels me to write it down. Yet surely
1t was enough that the recording anoel
should mark Jacob Winterwerb's i'm.
precation: must his fellow-sinner record
at, tooP AS Rath of Gottingen, / have
had to try my old neighbor Jacob fol-
the dark crime Of forgery. Itwas hard
for me to try him, but the extreme hard.
ness of my case is that still believe him
to be guilty, although his countrymen
have acquitted him.
81 have had more opportunity for OBJ.
serving his daily conduct than any 9th
er man in Gottingen, and what I have
noticed makes me fear he has foresworn
himself to-day. He would plead his
own cause.-The would defend himself
Yes! he was quite clever enough to do
at well. Wewere boys together, Jacob
and l, and wicked though he be, l bear
him kindness still; can not endure
to let my mind dwell upon his eternal
loss!
II am impelled to write 1t down.
Probably everyone else who was pres
rent in the courthouse to-day has for
gotten the extraordinary curse by which
he bound himself, but the remembrance
of it keeps me restless in spite of my IA
tigue. He said, raising his hand towards
Heaven: If am not speaking Gods
truth, may my body never turn to dust
in the graye!'
:" Poor Jacob! hated by all but me,
perhaps God in His mercy may vel
lead you to repentance.
. | am safe enough in writing down
what he said, because no raortal eve
will read the lines have now written
until Jacob and | shall both have gone
to our account. shall leave the MS.
sealed and directed to my son Franz;
he will do with it as he pleases.
"Jacoo Winterwerb has lived in the
house adjoining mine ever since his
marriage, thirty years ago. Our gar
dens lie side by side, separated only by
a low hedge. His eldest brother, Her
man, was the richest merchant in Got
tingen, which is saying something
where all are wealthy.
"The brothers lived together until
Herman's death, which took place two
rNN4