The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-04-04
THE WITHERED HAND.
A STORY FROM THE FRENCH.

There was quite a crowd around Mr..
Bermutier, the great criminal lawyer, as
he discussed he mysterious st. C.oud
affair. For a month this inexplicable
crime was the sensation of Paris. Nobody
could make anything out of it.
Mr.. Bermuticr, with his back to the
fireplace, arrayed proofs and cited diff
ferent opinions, but drew no conclusion.
Several ladies had risen and drawn
near him, and remained standing, with
their eyes fixed upon the smoothly
IhsVcn mouth of the attorney, whence
fell such weighty words. The women
shivered, chilled by their inquisitive
fright, by that Unsuitable hunger for the
dreadful, which haunts their souls. One
of them, paler than the rest, exclaimed
est is frightful. 1t approaches the
supernatural. 1t will never be cleared
up"
The great lawyer turned toward her:
"Yes, it will probably always remain
mystery, he said. "But the word su-
pernatural, that you used, is hard y
called for. The matter we arc discuss.
ing is clevcrly devised, cleverly exc
cuted crime, so enve!oped in darkness
that We cannot disentangle the imrene-
trable network of circumstances that sur
rounds it. But confess that was once
called upon to follow case which
really seemed to ha :e some hint of the
fantastic about it. We were, in fact,
compelled to give it up for want of data
on which to proceed"
All the women cried with one voice:
"Oh, tell US all about it2"
Mr.. Bermutler smiled gravely, as a
great criminal lawyer should smile, and
continued:
II do not myself admit that there can
be any such thing as superhuman
agency. I should substitute the word
inexplicable' for supernatural
''In the story l am going to tell, it was
the surrounding or preparatory circum.
stances that impressed me. The facts
were as follows: At the time l speak of,
Twas examining magistrate at Aiaccio.
Ny business was principally the prosecu-
tion of cases of vendetta. In Corsica, as
we all know, this sort of family venge-
ance has given rise to supcrbly dra.
matte, highly heroic incidents. For two
years heard of little beside the avenger
Of blood-the Corsican code that revengcs
murder on the person who commits it, or
his descendants and relatives. had seen
old men, children. and distant cousins
Hassacred; my head was filed with such
aoiDgs.
81 heard one day that an Englshmau
had rented villa on the gulf for several
years. He had Freuch servant, en-
gagged at Marseiles, on his way to Ajac-
clio. Soon the whole place was taking
IN interest in this odd individual, who
Eved alone, and only went out to shoot
Or fish. He spoke to nobody, never came
10 town, and practiccd shooting at a
mark every morning for an hour or two
'Stories began to be told about him.
1t was said that he was q man of high
birth, who had fled his country for po-
ftical reasons; the rumor ran that he
was in hiding on account of some dread
1ul crime he had committed, of which
specially horrible details were given.
GAS examining magistrate, I desired
10 obtain some trustworthy information
about the man, but l could learn moth
ing. He gave Sir. John Rowc!l as his
name.
81 had him watched, but nothing sus-
Yicious about him was reported.
''Still rs gossip about him grew more
general and more cXtrao. dinary, deter
mined to see him for myself and took to
hunting in the neighborhood of his es.
t1te.
The occasion presented itself upon
ny killing partridge under the Eng
hshman's very nose one day. My dog
brought me the bird, which | at once
presented 10 Sir John Rowell, apologize
ing for my intrusion. He was a large
nan with red hair and beard, tall and
strong, aplacid, polished Hercules. He
Had none of the so-called British stiff
ness, and thanked me in French, but
With the decided accent of the other side
Of the Channel. Within the month we
had chattel together five or six times.
''At last, one evening as Ipassed his
gate, saw him smoking a pipe, sitting
sstride chair in his ga,den. bowed,
and he asked me to come in. I did not
vait to be urged. He re, eivcd me with
she scrupulous courtesy of the English,
and began to praise France and Corsica.
"Then, with the greatest precaution,
masking my curiosity under the form of
= deep interest in him, I asked few
questions about his life and his plans.
He answered with unembarrassed frank
ness, told me he had traveled a good
deal, in Africa, the Indies, and in
Ameri a. He added, laughing:
" oh, yes! Pve had great many ad-
ventures
Il began to speak of hunting, and he
gave nc the most singular details of
Aippopotamus hunting, tiger and ele.
phant hunting, and even gorilla hunting.
IL remarked that such animals were
dangerous game.
'He smiled: 'Oh, no! man is the
worst Then he laughed outright, a
big Englishman's laugh. I've hunted
men good deal, too, he said Then he
spoke of weapons, and invited me into
his house to show me different kinds of
guns.
"His parlor was hung with black silk,
embroidered with gold. Great yellow
flowers sprawled over the sombre ma
terial, as brilliant as fire. He announced
that it was japanese stuff.
"But in the middle of the largest
panel a strange thing caught my eye.
On a square of red vSivet Mere was a