The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1886-04-29
CATISS0N COUSSAC.s :

hA~ -AS1SAS NSSoe<A ~ 80
Ten years ago left the chasseurs, and
sSentered the guard at Limoges, where tn.
saijutant one aosniHg informed us wa
had an Important undertaking Oh hand
An honest, poor man, . master mason
had been assassinated at his own home
Fanbourg Montmailler, no one knowing
who had coaamitted the crime. It wal
in Septe.aber. and we had an agreement
10 clear the roads for the I,narmed chas,
seurs. The adjutant, II. Boudet now
promoted to the rank of captain, recon-
naended to the quartermaster that the
mes redouble their vigilance, and If
they found nader thu chestnut tree OF
along the ioad doubtful or suspicious
characters, to arrest them. The entire
= round was guarded, for the order had
been dispatched to Cllatea,,-neuf, to Am
bayse. 10 Saint Sulpice and Lauriere,
Bcllac and Reeh@cheuart. Such orders
~ are somewhat perpiexing. twill not
do to depend too mach upon the appear
1ances There are those of unfavorabie
naien who are most worthy. once
knew person whom they might have
'guillotined. or at least sent to the galleys,
for his looks. All, well, he was a man
10 whom in every other respect they
would have given the Montyou Tai,le.
g lie supported number of people, and
distributed to the poor ah he had; a
saint. upon my honor, yet with the head
of galley slave; while others who would
be granted absolutaen without confession
suddenly come to manacles. But they
told rs TO arrest, and we arrested ped
dlsrs. beggars. as yellow as their wallets,
eyenjdiots. who roamed eunknowingly
over the country. Not one seemed
capable of making way with Father
Coussac. Time passed, and the assassin
of Faubourg was still unknown. Discov-
cry was not easy; we had 40 few indica-
tons TO guide us, and the affair was one
|. kmystery, VEssss:! I'LL
~ One day when I was at the guard
house beautiful girl, with black eyes
like mulberries, and red lips like straw
berries, came toward me, saying: saesa
"Have they any news of the assassin
am the daughter of Leonard CeNssac."
.! That was something worth hearing.
She spoke with so much energy and feel.
Sng that felt ashamed of not having put
into custody the wretch who had killed
her father. Then tried to excuse my
self, saying how meager was our infor-
mation regarding the assassin, and this
-and shat, but she locked at me go steadily
] became embarrassed and said suddenly:
well. miss, I would risk an arpa or
limb TO catch the rogue for YOU"
y And spoke the truth; yet it was not
perhaps professional duty that made me
cay it but those yelyety black eyes. A.&,j
~Only," said, 1--WE must have ciew."
"A clew" And then she shrugged
her shoulders. as not the hand one 7" =
,%The hand What hand,
Then Catisson. Coussac related to me
che, story of the crime, which I confess
chilled me. 80 ~. p"
- Is was one ssegirg "a September
Poor. honest Coussac had at his house in
Faubours Montmailler some money
which had been ntrusted to him by his
patron, NJ. Gabourdy, the contractor
about 5000 francs, with which he was
q. 81 settle two bills~-,one @ith a plasterer,
the other with lumber merchant. Hav-
ing, upon this particular evening
finished bis .repast, Father eCous-
eac and his daughter remained
downstairs after mother Colssac had re-
tired, he reading his almanac as he sa.
near the closet containing the silver, and
she knitting VOC. stocking. 1t is nee
.ssary to explain that there was a gar
den back of the house, and, facing this,
g q window, the height of a man, the shut.
ters OF which were generally closed, but
which on this particular evening. the
worthy man, being a trifie warm, left
open. He read there, under the sky
fight by small lamp. and Catisson
{ j.eard Kim turn over and over the pages
Of his almanac. She has often told me
that she felt while working mechan-
3cally. little drowsy, by this noise of
the paper. So. regular, and by the tick,
OF the pendulum, and that, suddenly
snisihg her head from her work, to yawn
and see II it'wasnot time to go to sleep,
she saw, believing az first that she was
paistallen, that she dreamed; chat she had
fhe nj .tnarc-she saw between the
folds of the shutter, passing, moving
I softly. softly, hand, large hand, but
with something frightful about it that
Catissonr remarked at once, the four fin
gers, 4a4aost- ss large as the thumb, be-
ing all of the size, as though cut BY, line, .
yet they were not cut, only terminated
In this ffightful way; and this hideous
t,aad eiided alengthe shutters. evidently
seekiag to open the blind noiselessly.
Then it remained motionless, as though
: its owner knew that Catisson had discov-.
prsd him. For a moment she believed
si,s had not seen Alright, that tie
light Of. the lamp had dazzled her
sight. But, when, she opened her
eyes, very much frightened, there
was the moving hand with its enor-
nous even fingers. .Catisson wished
10 scream. butsseen,eds strangled by that
terrible hand. Then she suddenly arose,
and, Selling iher father BY the sleeve,
pointed tp the hand on the blind. But
at the same moment thatlyolds Coussac
turned. the robber quickly pushed open
chs blind. and current of air extin-z
g,iished the lamp in a cloud of fame
and smoke, leaving Catisson and her
father in DARKNESS Coussac, hearing
the sound of heavy body leaping into
(fC@IoJiiAy SAiCu W Ituu O nhiiC "ith
which 10 defend himself. and more es-,
9 rscially the money, but before he could
open the cupboard he was seized by the
throat, and felt a stroke against his
asck, tbca down near bis heart. Cats
con screamed, divining all. though see
ing nothing, but a heavy blow rendered
}:,r powerless.f The poor girl was in Q
faint, she could not say how long, and,
when she recovered found herself in the
lower hall, where Mother Coussac,
.shitsr than her robe, sought to rouse
poor Leonard, who pointed to the breast
Is u to say; Wound in here--no rena-
edy," y Il 4dza.s& II fE
OF course the closet whers Coussae
bad placed the money YVES broken open
sud the bills were stolen. S,ich night
che Faubourg Montmailler will long re-
msspberit.E They aroused the neighbors
and searched the garden, where they
found footprints, which, they measured,
ASt1any sfaarchnd avarvuyhoro Tn fha