River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-08-13

noticed that three loaded revoIvers lay
on the tables. as if this man lived in
constant fear of an attack.
| visited him several times and then
went there no more. People had be-
come accustomed to his presence and
had grown indifferent.
A whole year passed. Then one
morning, toward the end of November,
my servant awoke me with the an
nouncement that Sir John Rowell had
been assassinated in the night.
Half an hour later, with the central
commissary and a captain of soldiery,
entered the Eaglishman's house
His servant. bewildered and despairing,
was weeping before the door. sus-
pcctcd him Mt first, but he was inno-
cent. The guilty man never could be
found.
As / entered Sir Johns stting-room.
| saw Mt the first glance his body
stretched oGt on It's back in the middle
Of the floor. His waistcoat was torn.
one torn sleeve Of his coat was hang
inc; all told that Il terrible struggle had
taken place.
He had died of strangulation! His
terrible couutenauce. black and swol-
len, seemed to express an abominable
fear; he held something between his
set teeth, and his meek. pierced in II
hundred spots, as ii with iron points,
was covered with blood
A physician Joined rs. He cx.tmin-
ed long and closely the marks OF lin
gers in tho flesh OF the dead mans
throat and spoke these strange words:
''Onc would say ilIat he had been
strangied by Il skeleton.
A shuddGr crcpt ever my back, and
| raised my eyes to the wall, to the
place where / had formerly seen the
horrible, shriyeicd hand. 1t was no
longer there. The chain hung broken.
Then | leaned over the dead man,
ana found in his distorted mouth one
ri the fingers OF that missing hand, cut.
or rather sawed. oil by his teeth close
to the second joint.
They proceeded TO make inyestiga-
tions, but discovered nothing. No
door or window had been forced, no
article of furniture moved. The two
watchdogs had not been awakened
The testimony of the servant could
be summed up in n few words
His master had seemed a@itated for
a month past. He had received and
burned many letters. Often Selling a
horsewhip, with fury that rcsembled
madness, he had dashed that dried
hand chained TO the wall, which had
been remove |, no one knew how, at
the very hou OF the crime.
1t was his habit to retire early at
night and to lock himself in with care
He always had weapons within his
reach. He often talked very loud in
the night, as ii quarreling with some
body.
That night it Glanced that he had
made no sound, and it was only on
coming TO open the windows in the
morning that the servant had found
Sir John assassinated. He suspected
nobody.
reported to the magistrates and
public officers all | knew about the
death, and minute inquiry was pros
ecuted over the whole island. Moth
ing was discovered.
One night. about three months after
the crime, | had fearful nightmare.
| seemed to see that hand, that horri-
bic hand, running like scorpion or a
spider over my curtains and walls.
Three times awoke and three times
Oh going to sleep again | saw the hid
eous member running about my room,
moving its fingers like feet.
The next day it was brought to me.
1t had been found III the cemetery on
the grave of Sir John Rowell. The
foreinger was gone.
Had an explanation to suggest it
would but overthrow your wild mag
inings, and would not be likely to find
acceptance with You My belief is
simply that the lawful owner of the
hand was living, and had come in
search OF it with the one that remained
to him. But | have not been able to
picture to my satisfaction the manner
of his enge.-FroDi tie French.