Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-06-30
THE MYSTERIOUS HAND.

THE MYSTERIOUS HAND.
Do not think for a moment that /
could ever have seen anything super
human in the occurrence. do not be-
licvc in any but normal causes. II,
however. instead of using the word
supernatural" to express what we do
not understand, we should use the
word "incNplicable, it would be much
more exact. In the affair am about
to relate, it was. above all, the pre-
cedlpr and attending circumstances
that impressed me. | will give you the
facts.
| was examining magistrate at the
time at Aiicco, little white city lying
on the edge of beautiful bay which is
surrounded on all sides by high noun
,aius. The cases with which ! had
chiefly to do were those OF vendetta.
had some fierce, heroic instances, the
most supcrbly dramatic possible
Among those people were iOund the
most glorious causes Tor revenge mat
men cOuld dream of-sCcular hatrcds,
appcascd for a moment, but never eX-
tinuuished, traitoTous ruscs, assasslna-
,ions, developed into massacres, and
almost glorious in their horror. For
two wears had heard OF nothing but
! the price of blood, that terrible Corsi-
can prejudice which binds Il man to
ayenge every injury on the person who
| wrought it. his descendants and kins-
men. have seen old men murdered
and children, and my head was tull OF
such stories.
learned one day that an English-
man had just leased for number OF
wears a little villa at the foot oil the
bay. He had brought with HIM
| French bodv-servant. engaged at Mar
| seillcs AS he passed. Everybody was
| soon busy with this strange parsonage,
who lived alone, and left his dwelling
| only to hunt or fish. He spoke to no.
| body. never came to the city, and every
morning practiccd shooting for an hour
or two with his pistol or rifle.
| There were many stories about him.
One man held that he was OF princcly
rank, and had fled his country for po-
litical reasons; another affirmed that
he was lying in cOncealment after haV-
ING committed fearful crime, and
even related particulars Of an especial
ly horrible nature.
! wished, in my capacity OF eXamln-
ing magistrate, TO obtain some definite
information in regard to this man; but
could learn nothing. He gave his
name AS Sir John Rowell. | took sat
sfactiOn in watching him near at hand
but no one could point out TO me any
thing really suspicious about HIM.
Since, however, the rumors concern
ing him continued, increased, and be
came more general, | resolved to make
an attempt to see the stranger myself
and | began TO hunt regularly IN The
r ncighbornood Of his estate.
waited long for my opportunity
1t came finally in the shape Of Il part
! ridge which | shot and killed in tn,
Englishman's face. My dog brough
it to me. but taking the game in IN,
hand went TO excuse my lack of goot
r manners and beg Sir John Rowell t,
accept the bird.
He was large man, with red hal
and beard. very tall and very robust
f a sort of placid and polished Hercules
lie had nothing of the so-called Brit
ish stiffness, and thanked me cordially
= speaking with strong English accent
for my scrupuousness. At the end o
- a month we had talked five or six time
: together.
= One evening as | was passing hi
door saw him in his garden smokinI
" his pipe, astridc of chair. i salute
o him, and he invited me in to take
o glass of beer with him. | did not wa
to be asked twice.
= He received me with scrupulOus III
!, glish courtesy, culogiZcd France an
| hot hn d
warmly attached to that country an
Q to that particular portion Of the coas
| then, with great caution and undo
the guise Of a very lively personal in
terest, venturcd a few questions +,
+ garding his life. He replied withor
IS embarrassment, telling me that he ha
; travelled extensively in Africa, lndi;
and ATvlICa, and that he had had man
n adventures.
n. then returned to the subject of tn
chase, and he gave me many OF Il
r. most curious details in regard to hun
,e ing the hippopotamus, the tiger, tt
II, elephant, and even the gorilla.
" remarked that all these anima
were formidable
He smiled.
.. "Oh, no; man is the most terrible.
- He laughed outright, with a heart
y contented English laugh, as he furth'
,e informed me:
= II have also been great hunter
u men
a Then be turned the conversation
the topic of arms, and invited me
the house to look at guns OF dIilere
a. kinds.
n His drawing-room was hung wi
black silk embroidered with gol
Large yellow flowers, rioting over I
dark background, shone like fire.
u explained that it was a japanese ia
n ric.
q, But, in the middle of the largest pa
Ell, strange object drew my eye. I
nd a square of red velvet a black obje
a. was thrown into relief. 1t was a ha
"A human hand. Not skeleton han
)" white and clean, but dried and DlaC
ened hand, with yellow nails. max
muscles. aud traces of blood-old, eli
n ted bloou, where the bones were c
short off as ii with the blow OF an q
Us about midway up the forearm. :
en- enormous iron chain, riyeted at
,d wrist, soldercd to this unsightly me
ber, attached it to the wall by RI
el- strong enough to hold an elephant
tic leash.