St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-07-29
THE MYSTERIOUS HAND.
A Weird story of Revenge and
Death.
From the French.


normal causes. If however, instead OF
using the word Supernatural" to express
what we do not understand, we should use
simply the word ''inexplicable." it would be
much more exact. In the affair am about
to relate, it was. above all, the preceding
and attending circumstances that impressed
me. will give you the facts.
was examining magistrate at the time
at AjiccO, little white city lying on the
edge of a beautiful bay which is surrounded
on all sides by high mountains. The cases
with which I had chiefly to do were those
of vendetta. l had some fierce, heroic in
stances, the most superbly dramatic possible.
, Among those people were found the most
glorious causes for revenge that men could
dream of-secular hatreds, appeaSed Tor
moment, but never eXtinguished, traitorous
ruSes, asSassinatiOnS developed into lnassa-
:, ores, and almost glorious in their horror.
For two years had heard of nothing but
the price of blood. that terrible COrsican
prejudice which binds a man to avenge ev-
ery injury on the person who wrought 1t,
his descendants and kinsmen. l had seen
old men murdered and children, ana my
head was full of such stories.
l learned one day that an Englishman had
lust leased for a number Of years little
villa at the foot of the bay. He had brought
with him a French body servant, engaged
at Marseilles as he passed. Everybody was
Hoon busy with this strange parsonage, VINO
lived alone. and LETT his dwelling only to
hunt or fish. He spoke to nobody, never
came to the city, and every morning prac-
ticed shooting for an hour or two with his
pistol or rifle.
There were many stories about him. One
man held that he was of princely rank, and
had fed his country for political reasons;
another affirmed that he was lying in con-
cealment after having committed fearful
crime, and even related particulars OF an es-
pecially horrible nature.
| wished, in my capacity of examining
magistrate. to obtain some definite inforna-
ton in regard to this man. | could learn
nothing. He gave his name as Sir John
R0well. / took satisfaction in watching
him near at hand, but no one could point
out to me anything really suspicious about
him.
Since. however, the rumorS concerning |
him continued. increased, and became more |
general, | resolved to make an attempt to |
see the stranger myself, and l began to hunt |
regularly in the neghborhoOd Of his estate. |
l waited long for my opportunity. 1t
came finally in the shape of partridge, |
which / shot and killed in an Englishman'S |
face. My dog brought it to me, but taking |
the game in my hand | went to excuse my |
lack of good manners and beg Sir John |
Rowell to accept the bird.
He was large man, with red hair and !
beard. very tail and very robust, sort OF
placid and polished Hercules. He had |
nothing Of the so-called British stiffness, |
and he thanked me cordially, speaking with |
f,y -
ness. At the end of a month we had talked |
five or six times together.
One evening as | was passing his door L |
saw him in his garden smoking his pipe, |
astride of a chair. / Saluted him, and he |
invited me in to take glass of beer with |
him. did not wait to be asked twice.
He received me with scrupulous English |
courtesy. eulogized France and Corsica, and
declared that he was warmly attached to |
that country and to that particular portion |
of the coast.
then, with great caution and under the |
guise of a very lively personal interest, ven |
tured few questions regarding his IRE. lie
replied without embarrassment, telling me
that he had travelled extensively in Africa, |
India and America, and that ne had had |
many adventures.
l then returned to the subject of the4
chase, and he gave me many of the most |
curious details in regard to hunting the hip |
popotamus, the tiger, the elephant and even |
the gorilla.
remarked that all these animals were
formidable.
lie smiled.
''Oh, no: man is the most terrible
He laughed outright with hearty. con- |
tented English laugh, as he further in !
formed me:
Il have also been Il great hunter Ofmen." |
Then he turned the conversation to the |
topic Of arms. and invited me to the house |
to look at guns of different kinds
His drawing-room was hung with black |
silk. embroidered with gold. Large yellow |
flowers rioting over the dark background. |
shone like fire. He explained that it was |
japanese fabric.
But, in the middle of the largest panel, |
strange object drew my eye. On a square |
OF red velvet a black object was thrown into |
relief. 1t was a hand, a human hand. Not |
a skeleton hand, white and clean, but a |
dried and blackened hand. with yellow |
nails, naked muscles and traces of blood
old clotted blood, where the bones We're |
cut short off, as if with the blow of an AK, |
about midway up the forearm. An enor-
nous iron chain, riveted at the wrist, sol |
dered to this unsightly member. attached it |
to the wall by a ring strong enough TO hold
an elephant in leash.
s'What is that?" l asked. 81
''That is my worst enemy" replied the |
Englishman. calmly. ''He came from |
America. 1t was cut off with saber. |
skinned and dried in the sun for week 1t |
was a pretty good piece of work for me-
] touched that human fragment. which |
must have belonged to a giant. The fingers.
Extraordinarily long, We're attached by |
enormous tendonS. to which Shreds OF skin |
still chung. Scorched as it was, it was a |
frightful thing to behold. suggesting ir-
resstibly some savage revenge.
''He must have been very strong man." |
said l.
''Oh. yes," said the EngIishman. gently. |
''But l was stronger than he. / had that |
chain put on to hold him."
thought no was testing, and said:
''The chain is wholly useless now; the |
hand will not run away"
But he gravely replied:
'The chain was necessary. 1t was al |
ways trying to get away"
With a rapid glance 1 questioned his |
comtcnence. asking myself:
SIS be Il lunatic or an ugly jester?''
But his face remained impenctrable. calm. |
and benevolent. l talked of other things. |
and admired his guns. l noticed that three
loaded revolvers 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 become accus-
toned to his presence and had grown in !
different.
A whole year passed. Then one morn
ing. toward the end of November my ser
want awoze me with the announcement that
Sir John Rowell had been assassinated in
fhe NIGHT