The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-05-31
the WlInERED HAND.
Being q Lawyers Story Of a Terrible
v0nRoaOCe.

Being q lawvyer's Story Of a Terrible
Vengeance.
There was quite q crowd around
Mr.. Bermutier, the great criminal law
yer. as he discussed the mysterious
Saint Cloud affair. For a month this
inexplicable crime was the sensation
of Paris. Nobody could make any
thing out of it.
Mr.. Bermutier, with his back to the
Fireplace, arrayed proofs and cited
different opinions, but drew no con
clusion.
Several ladies had risen and drawn
near him, and remained standing, with
their eyes fixed upon the smoothly
shaven mouth of the attorney, whenct
tell such weighty words. The women
shivered, chilled by their inquisitivt
fright. by that Unsuitable hunger 70,
the dreadful, which haunts their souls
One OF them, paler than the rest, ex
elaimed:
ut is frightful. 1t approaches the
supernatural. It will never be clear
ed up"
The great lawyer turned toward
her:
eyes, it will probably always re-
main mystery" he said. but the
word supernatural, that you used, is
hardly called for. The matter we are
discussing is a cleverIy devised: clever.
'y executed crime, so enveloped in
darkness that we can not dissent angle
the impenetrable network OF circum.
stances that surrounds it. But con.
less that l was once called upon to
follow a. case which really seemed to
have some hint of the fantast tic about
it. We were, in fac;, compelled to
give it up for want OF data on which,
to proceed"
All the women cried with one voice:
ooh, tell us about it!'
Mr.. Bermutier smiled gravely, as a
great criminal lawyer should smile,
and continued:
lido not myself admit that there can
be any such thing as superhumar
agency. should substitute the word
.inexplicable' for Supernatural
''In the story am going to tell, it
was the surrounding or preparatory
circumstances that impressed me. The
facts were as follows: At the time ]
speak OF, ! was examining magistrate
at Ajaccio. My business was princi.
pally the prosecution Of cases OF ven.
1etta. In Corsica, as We all know,
this sort offamily vengeance has given
rise to superbIy dramatic. highly
heroic incidents. For two years
heard OF little beside the avenger o!
blood-the Corsican code that reveng
es murder on the person who com.
mits it, or his descendants and rela.
tives. had seen old men, children,
and distant COUSINS massacred; my
head was filled with such doings.
IL heard one day that an English
man had rented n villa on the gulf for
several years. He had French ser
want, engaged at Marseilles, on his
way to Ajaccio. Soon the whole place
was taking an interest in this odd in
dividual, who lived alone, and only
went out to shoot or fish. He spoke
to nobody, never came to town. and
practiced shooting at q mark every
morning for an hour or two.
"Stories began to be told about
him. 1t was said that he was a man
OF high birth, who had fed his country
for political reasons; then rumor rar
that he was hiding on account O.
some dreadful crime lie had commit
ted, OF which specially horrible details
were given.
AS examining magistrate, l desired
to obtain some trustworthy informa
ton about the man, but could learn
nothing. He gave Sir John Rowell as
his name.
II had him watched, but nothin,
suspicious about him Was reported.
"Still rs gossip about HIM grew
more general and more extraordina
ry,I determined to see him for myself
and took to bunting in the neighbor
hood of his estate.
''The occasion presented itself upor
my killing partridge under the En-
glishman's very nose one day. My
dog b1 ought me the bird. which a,
once presented to Sir john Rowell
apoloSizlng for my intrusion. lie was
a large man with red hair and beard
tai! and strong, a placid polished Her
cules. He had none OF the so.calle'
British stiffness, and thanked me il.
French, but with the decided accent
of the other side of the Channel
Within the month we had chatted to
gether five or six times.
AT last, one evening as 1passed his
gate, saw him smoking a pipe, sit
ting astride a chair in his garden.
bowed, and he asked me to come IL
and drink a glass of beer. l did MOI
wait to be urged He received M,
with the scrupulous courtesy Of tn
English, and began to praise Franco
and Corsica.