The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1886-01-07
Now, it so happened that the muir

on u certain day, and at u certain
place, until which time no was placed
Tor safe keeping in the Jail OF the dis
trict-the third floor of u large stone
building, the lower part of which was
q mill.
The prison consisted of single
apartment. lighted by small window,
at the height OF about sixteen feet from
the floor Tho side OF the building
from which the window looked, ran
sheer down to the water of . dark, deep
river which croeps lazily by the mill,
but Guickened the pace n little lower
down, until it gradually became
rushing torrent, leaping wildly on to
its fall over perpendicular ledge OF
rocks. Bodies carried over tho fall
were said to never have been recuI-
cred; and it was liked notion among
the country people that there was a
suctional forco below by which every
thing falling into it was carried down
into the unexplored abysses of the
earth.
1t was the day before that fixed for
the execution of young Larochc, and
the priest OF the parish, Father Allard
by name, had been left alone with the
prisoner, in order to prepare him, by
tho 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
giveness in the next world for the great
crime committed by him. Then the
prisoner electrified him by declaring
his perfect innocence of that crime-a
position which he meant to maintain,
he said, with his latest breath.
10 be brief, the youth OF the prison.
CT, his earnest reservations of irno-
ceucc, and wayering doubt of his
guilt, which had all along troubled
Father Allard's mind. SO wrought upon
that worthy man that he at last con-
scented to commit himself to plan for
giving the prisoner Il chance of escape,
ii not from death, at least from the
ignoniny OF dying by the hand of the
accursed hangman.
''lf die by tho gallows, most reve-
rend Father" said the young man, "a
great sorrow will some day fall upon
all concerned in my death. The real
murderer is sure to be discovered,
sooner or later;and the just retribution
OF Heaven will pursue my murderers.
Aid me TO escape rather than risk q
great stain upon your conscience.
Stand upon this chair, which l place
upon the table, thus; and then, by
mounting upon your shoulders, l can
reach the window and drop from it. "
"But tho river below!''
81 can swim like an otter, and, at
any rate, it is better to be drowned
than hanged"
Convinced of the young mans inno-
cence, Father Allard consented to aid
him in his escape. A moment sutliced
to carry the plan into execution. The
prisoner gained the window and disap-
pcarcd.
Parading in 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 sem
try, and who 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 o
man drop frow the Jail window, strike
on to platform that protruded from
a 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 AlIard alone.
seated on the chair, pale as if just re-
covering from the sight of some super
natural vision. 10 the question put
to him he replied that, as he was ad-'
ministering the consultations of his holy
Office 10 the prisoner, u voice sounded
through the apartment, accompanied
by the shadow of a mighty PAIR OF
wings, on which the prisoner mounted
TO the ceiling OF the apartment and was
no more seen by him. The Vo,ce, he
added, proclaimed the prisoners inno-
cence, the real circumstances of the
murder would soon be made manifest
1t was a miracle; and the good coun-
try people, ever ready to accept that
form of interposition, were easily per-
suaded TO 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 Il sack OF grain, which
spiashcd into the dark waters of the
river, appearing to the eyes of the be-
wlldered sentry to be the body of the
man who had dropped from the prison
window. Laroche lay upon the mar
row platform, stunned by the heavy
fall.
Spride, the miller's daughter, saw
him fall. There was no one else in tue
mill at the time. She drew linn be-
hind the sacks and great heaps OF gra Il
on the floor, and, having administered
to him such rcstoratives rs her young
experience suggested, threw some loose
sacks over him and told him to lie
still.
That night Spridc and her lover
Laroche and she had been lovers for
about six hours only-made their way
to where boat lay moorcd below the
fails; and cmbarking in it, were soon
carried far beyond pursuit 1t was sup
posed by the frightened villagers that
Spridc must have been carried from
the platform when the body from the
window above had been seen 10 strike
upon il; and as the whirlpool below the
torrent had never been known to give
up its dead, but little search was made
for her, and her friends resigned them
selves TO mourning for her awful fate.
Less than six months after this Lam
dry was tried for the murder of q
brother keeper and was convicted and
hanged accordingly. Previous to his
conviction, however, he made q clean
breast of it to Father Allard, confess
ing that he had murdered the farmer
for his money, killing him with the
stake cut from the hedge by young
Laroche, which, as he stated singular.
ly enough, suggested to him tho ides
of committing the crime.
Two years elapsed, and Father AL