The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-22


glistening white-light, to stable his weary horse,
and to saddle another to ride into the larger viii
lage of SAINT Arturo. 1t was past midnight; he
could do no good he could see no one but it
was relief to him to be in movement; he felt
that it would choke him to Sit and sup, and Sleep
and smoke as usual in his quiet house amongst
the magnolias and the myrtles, whilst the love
OF his life lay alone in her misery
All gladness, which would at any natural
death of Tasso Tasslo have filled his soul, was
quenched in the darkness of horror in which her
fate was snatched from him and plunged into
the mystery and the blackness of imputed crime.
He never actually suspected her for a moment
but he knew that others would no doubt do more
than suspect
Perhaps the brute killed himself, he thought
that the blame of the crime might lie on her
and part her from me-"
Then he knew that such thought was alb
surd Tasso Tassilo had loved his life loved
his MILL and his money, and his petty power.
and his possession of his beautiful wife; and be-
side, what man could stab himself from behind
between the shoudersl It was just the blow
that strong yet timid woman would give. AS
he walked to and fro on the old terrace. whilst
they saddled the horse, he felt sickening shud-
der run through him. He did not suspect her.
No. not for an instant. And yet there was =
DIM unutterable horror upon him which yelled
the remembered beauty of her face.
The passing of the days which came after this
feast of the two apostles, were full of an I'M
speakabe horror to him, and in the brief space
OF them he grew haggard, hollow-cheeked, almost
aged, despite his youth. The dread formalites
and tyrannies of law seized on the quiet village
and tortured every soul in it; every one who had
seen, or heard, or known aught of the dead man
questioned, tormented, harangued, exam
ined, suspected. Don Gesualdo himself was made
subject to searching and oft repeated interro-
cation. and severely reproved that he had not let
the body lie untouched until the arrival of the
officers of justice. He told the exact truth as
far as he knew it, but when questioned as to
the relations of the murdered man and
his wife, he hesitated prevaricated contradicted
himself and gave the impression to the judicial
authorities that he knew much more against the
wife than he would say What he tried to do
was to convey to others his own passionate con-
viction of the innocence of Generosa, but he ut
tery failed in doing this; and his very anxiety
to defend her only created an additional suspi-
cion against her.
The issue of the preliminary investigation was
that the wife of Tasso Tassilo murdered on the
morning of the day of S. Peter and Paul, was
consigned to prison. to be detained as precau-
ton" under the lock and key of the law. circum-
stantial evidence being held to be strongly
against her the primary cause, if not the act
ual executant OF the murder of her lord.
Everyone called from the village to speak Of
her spoke against her, with the exception of
Falko Meegar who was known to be her
lover, and whose testimony weighed not a
straw and Don Gesualdo himself, a priest
indeed, but the examining Judge was no friend
OF prleSCS, ana WOulQ not nave DeHeVeQ them
on their oaths, whilst the strong friendship for
her and the nervous anxiety to shield her, dis
played so unwsely, though so sincerely by
him, did her more harm than good, and made
his bias so visible that his declarations were held
vaueleSs.
You know am Innocent" she cried to him,
the day of her arrest; and ne answered her with
the tears falling down his cheeks: II am sure of
it; l would die to prove It'll for one moment die
doubt you-pardon me!-but only one. l am
sure you innocent. as am sure that the sun
hangs in the skies"
But his unsupported belief availed nothing to
secure thar Of others; the dominant feeling
amongst the people of Marca was against her,
and in face of that feeling and of the known
jealousy of her which had consumed the latter
days of the dead man, the authorities deemed
that they could do no less than order her pro-
visional arrest Her very beauty was a weapon
turned against her. 1t seemed SO natural to her
accusers that so lovely and so young a woman
should have desired to rid herself of husband,
old, ll-favored, exactng and unloved. In vain
utterly in vain-did Falko Meegari black with
rage and beside himself with misery, swear by
every saint in the calendar that his relations
with her had been hitherto absolutely innocent.
No one believed him.
"You are obliged to say that" said the judge
with good humored Impotence.
but God in heaven why not when it is true!
shouted Falko.
1T is always true when the demo is a man of
lous, amused smile
So. her only defenders utterly discredited, she
paid the penalty of being handsomer and grand
er than her neigh bors, and was taken to the town
of Vendramlno, and there left to lie in prison
until such time the majesty of the law should
be pleased to decide whether no it deemed her
guilty of causing the death of her husband.
The people of Marca were content They only
could not see why the law should take such
time to doubt and puzzle over a fact, which to
IN
their church tower
"Who should have killed him if not she or her
d@mo" they asked, and no one could answer
So she was taken away by the men of Justice
and Marca no more saw her handsome head with
the silver pins i'll its coiled hair leaning out from
the square mill windows or her bright coored
skirts going light as the wind up the brown sides
of the hills, and through the yellow blossomed
gorse in the warm autumn air. to some trystng
place under the topmost pines, where the wild
pigeons dwelt in the boughs above, and the black
stoat ran through the bracken below.
The work of the mill went on the same, being
directed by the brother of Tassilo who had al
ways had share in it, both of labor and profit
The murder still served for food for peoples
tongues through vintage and onward until
the maize harvest and the olive gathering. AS
the nights grew long, and the days cold it ceased
to be the supreme theme of interest in Marca;
no one ever dreamed that there could be doubt
of the absent womans guilt, or said good word
for her, and no one gave her any pity for vast
inc her youth and fretting her soul out in a
prison cell, though they were disposed to grant
that what she had done had been. after
all, perhaps, only natural considering all
things. Her own family were too poor to
travel to her help; indeed, only heard of her
misfortunes after many days, and then only by
chance. through a travelling hawker they could
do nothing for her, and did not try; she had
never sent them as much of her husbands money
as they had expected her to do and now that she
in trouble she might get out of it as she
could, so they said. She had always cared for
her earrings and breastpins, never for them; she
would see if her jewels would help her now.
When any member of poor family narres into
riches the desire to profit by her marriage is. if
unqualified, quickly turned into hatred of her
kid and fried lamb and hare baked with fennel,
when they had only bit of salt fish and onion
now and then2
They had admitted the vicar of San Bartolo,
once or twice, to visit her, the iailer standing
nv a a hnap oh 10 TO- 40 hon IN