The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-03-31
ANGEL WINGS.

! STAKE. which i3E near the body covered
with the blood; aud his pockets had
been riIled of their contents. including
4 considerable sum of money which he
was known to have received the pre-
| vious evening Tor some sheep sold bv
him in the neighboring market town.
/ When the awe and excitement crea-
ted by this event had subsidized a little.
every eXertiou was made 10y the author
tiles to ferret out the perpetrator of
| the crime. reward was offered Tor
the discovery of the murderer, procla-
| nation of which bounty was made for
several successive SUNDAYS at the
| church door. AT last some disclosures
were made, duplicating young mau
| named LarOche-a stripping eighteen
/ Years OF age.
The person who brought the charge
| against young Laroche was man OF
the name OF Landry stranger in the
district. but VINO had lately been an
pointed by the lord OF the manor as
one OF the keepers of game preserves.
Landry testified that hc had seen La
roche cutting q stake from the hedge
on the afternoon previous TO the mur-
der, and that he had reproyed him for
it, and, taking the stake from him. had
stuck il on the bank OF the hedge at a
particular spot. The stake was the
same one that was found living near
the body of the farmer, Landry could
swear 10 il, because after taking 1t
from Laroche, he had nickcd il IN
peculiar way with his pen knife
Now, it SO happened that the muir
dered farmer had many and Influential
friends. white Lsrocbc had but lew.
a.. 1
the murder, aud sentenced to be hung
on a certain day, ani Mt a certain
place, until wnicn time he was placed
Tor safe keeping IN tue jail OF tue dis
tret-the tlIiru iloor OF large stone
building, the lower part OF winch was
u mill.
The prison consisted of Il single
apartment, lighted by SINAI. window,
at the height OF about sixteen feet from
the floor. Inc sic oI The building
from which the wIndow looked, ran
sheer down 10 The water oI a dark, deem
river, whlcn creeps lazi.y by the mill,
but quicSene'i the paee u little lower
down, uuti II gradually became
rushing toTrcut, Gaping wi dly on to
Its fail over "a perpen"ieuiar ledge of
rocks. Bodies c.rricd over the fall
oGto s'-+'A ~ AofS q Hifc pScn ItCOf-
cred; and it was a fixed notion among
the country people that there was q
suctional force below by which every
thing falling into it was carried down
into the unexpiored abysses of the
earth.
1t was the daY before that fixed for
the execution of young Laroche. and
the priest of the parish, Father Allard
by name. had been left alone with the
prisoner, in order 10 prepare him. 10y
the consolation OF religion, fer his APP
preaching doom. To his words of COM
fort Laroche listened with humility
and silence, until the good Father be-
gan TO dilate upon his chances of for
giycness in the next world for the great
crime committed by him. Then the
prisoner elcctr fed him by declaring
his perfect innocence Of that crime--a
position which he meant 10 maintain.
he said, with his latest breath.
10 be brief. the youth oi the prison
er, his earnest asseVerations OF iEuo-
cence, and a wavering doubt of his
guilt, which had all along troubled
Father Allard' 5 mind, so wrought upon
that worthy man that he nj last con-
sented to commit himself to plan for
giving the prisoner chance of escape,
ii not from death. ut least from the
ignoniny OF dying by the hand of the
accursed haBgmau.
''lf / die by the gallows. most reye-
rend Father, said the young man, "a
great sorrow will some day fail upon
ali concerned in my death. The real
murderer is sure TO be discovered,
sooner or later;and the Just retribution
OF Heaven will pursue niy mgrderers.
Aid me to escape rather tnan risk a
great stain upon your conscience.
Stand upon this chair, which | pace
upon the table, thus; aud then, Dy
mounting upon your shoulders, L can
reach the window and drop from it.
But the river belowr'
IL can swim ike an otter. and, at
any rate, it is better TO be drowned
than hanged. "
Convinced OF the young mans inuo-
cence, Father Allard consented to aid
him in his escape. A moment suiiiced
to carry the plan into execution. he
prisoner gained the window and disap-
peared.
Parading in a struggling way outside
the building went one Of the minor Of
ticers OF justice-a solid peasant who
had been placed there BY way OF SEN
try, and VINO at this moment happened
to be looking towards the river wall of
the mill. His sight nearly left him, as
he afterwards stated, when he saw
man drop frow the jail window, strike
on to a platform that protruded from
doorway in the second story, and,
rebounding from that, fall into the wa
ter with heavy plunge, reappearing
at intervals, until he was carried away
into the rapids below.
The alarm was at once given. Village
officials rushed to the prison-room
where they found Father Allard alone,
seated on the chair, pale as if Just re-
covering from the sight of some SUPER
natural vision. To the question put
to him he replied that, as he was adj
ministering the consultations of his holy
office to the prisoner. voice sounded
through the apartment, accompanied
by the shadow of Il mighty pair of
wings, on which the prisoner mounted
to the ceiling OF the apartment and was
no more seen by him. The voice, he
added, proclaimed the prisoners inno-
cence, the real circumstances of the
murder would soon be made manifest.
1t was miracle; and the good coun-
try people, ever ready to accept that
form OF interpositioB, were easily per-
suaded 10 do SO on the present occa-
sion.
Meantime, Laroche, when he leaped
from the window. had forgotten all
about the platform As he fell upon it
he displaced sack OF grain, which
splashed into the dark waters OF the
river, appearing to the eyes of the be-
wildered sentry to be the body of the
man who had dropped from the prison
window. Laroche lay upon the mar
row platform. stunned oy the heavy
fall.
Spride, tine miller's daughter, saw
hisn sali- There was no one else in tie
mill at the time She drew him be-
hind the sacks and great heaps OF grain
on the floor. and. having administered
to him such restoratives as her young
experience suggested. threw somo loose
sacks over him and told him to lie
still.
That night Spride and her lover
Laroehe and she had been lovers for
about six hours only-made their way
to where a boat lay moored below the
falls; and embarking in it. were soon
carried far beyond pursuit 1t was sup
posed BY the frightened villagers that
Spride must have been carried from
the platform when the body from the
| window above had been seen to strike
upon it, and as the whirlpool below the
torrent had never been known to give
up Its dead. Dut little search was maue
| for her, and her friends resigned them
selves to mourning tor her awful Iatc.
Less than six months after this Ian
drv was tried for tho murder o. :