The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1889-05-04

bl0nQe, pale, WIN ign Uiuo oyoo anu Sohe
cheeks, she trembled before her spouse as
poor bird trembles that f-s been fascinated
by q serpeant. Besides, she was subject to |
fits. Sometimes she would remain
for DAYS wrapped in q strange slumber so |
closely resembling death that when she was |
first attacked they came near burying her |
alive.
Such were husband and wife. Not having |
any special charge to make against Josias, |
who was active and honest, we never
thought Of discharging him, and attached
but slight importance to the reports that
had gained currency concerning him.
Josias, besides his work in the garden,
had certain tasks assigned him In the house
One Saturday, the day OF the week ne
usually devoted to waxing the floor OF my
library, happened to enter the room sud-
denly, and surprised him standing near
these shelves in the act Of reading this
Bible On hearing me come in he closed II
hastily, but ss the passage seemed to inter-
est him greatly, not before marking the
place with bit of paper he had In his hand,
the very piece you are now looking at and
which has ON 1t an expense account Tor the
first week Of the month Of July. 10.
I said nothing, seeing from his agitation
that he thought he had been indiscreet He
nut the volume back In its place, and as it
was not this one that had been annotated
by the great Frederick, / never thought OF
taking out the mark.
And it Is Just here, Herr Magistrate that
the mystery begins. The next day being
Sunday-take notice Of the date-the cook
not having seen any thing OF the Frau
Josias, and becoming alarmed. went over to
the cottage in the kitchen garden. She
found the unfortunate woman stretched on
her bed, white aad rigid. her eyes wide open
and the pupils dilated.
"A lethargic attack" remarked Josias,
without the least emotion
The advisability Of calling In physician
was suggested, but Josias would not hear
| of it.
s.No, mol haven't any money to throw
AWAY. She'll come to all right, as usual f"
Three days later, whom the body began to
decompose, he at last consented that doc
tor should be sent for. The latter said at
once that the woman was dead, which did
not seem remarkable considering the pre-
carious condition Of Ter health.
A month before-note this fact also-Frau
Josias had fallen heir to quite nice little
sum of money and had ct once willed it 70
her husband.
You will no doubt ask, Herr magistrates
what connection there IL between these
events and the mark in the Bible. Have
patience.
The Counselor stopped moment to en-
Joy the interest manifested by his auditor
in the narrative, and then proceeded:
After the death Of his wife, Josias, ricf
to the amount Of several thousand thalers
left us and set up on his own account in tn
District of F.. We subsequently learnet
that fortune, 90 long waited for, continued Il
smile upon him, and that he had becom
burgomaster of his village.
| He was never seen again at g., an
| never visited the buryinR-ground wher'
the body Of his wife rested.
, In fact, the burying-ground itself 500
disappeared. It was so damp that miasm
arose from it night and day, invading tn
\ neighboring houses, and feeding the war
dering fires that after dusk misled an
, | frighted belated travellers. 1t was first OF
) dered to be closed, and ten years later wa
I altogether obliterated, q new strategic roa
{ having been surveyed across 1t.
In the month Of July, 49,, the mattoc
, was first used, and some bones brought
9 the surface. One morning when tho dif
: gers were about getting to work they M
1 ticed an old beggar woman who had got I'M
r the graveyard through hole in the wal
: and was engaged in picking up the dea
: branches Of trees, or worm eaten piece
= fallen from the wooden crosses that marke
Q the graves Suddenly she sprang backwal
. In alright and gave terrible scream. The
ran up to and questioned her. She coul
!. only succeed in making them understas
: by gestures and few disjointed sentence
that she had seen . skull moving along Il
o ground.
"Look, it moves! ' cried the terror-strick
% woman.
+ Every one started back instinctivel
% True enough, on heap Of human renal
. and stones q skull came bouncing alon
It propelled by some strange energy.
70 One workman was OF the opinion that t
e rector should be notified. Another-a mo
., virile intellect-ran for doctor. was al
Z sent for, and reached the spot as soon as 9
l. physician.
y He first ridiculed the cowardly supers
70 tions of the by-standers, then stopped dow
10 picked up the skull, and inside 1t found
: toad, that having got into the cerebral G.
sr ity through narrow opening, was vair
Dr. trying to get out of its prison.
"You sec" he said, laughing, "the--
~ But he did not finish the sentence
De second discovery checked the words on
lips. and froze the smile ON his face-a 10
ct steel spike, slender - an upholstere
az needle, was imbedded In the occiput, q
in must at some time have passed entir'
so through the BRAIN
ID "Hohl hoh!n he exclaimed. ~ clever
by sassin. that Death instantaneous, no e1
If sion of blood, and. thanks to the hair.
In visible trace. Ny predecessor no doubt
re- tributed it to the rupture Of an aneurisn
he How to ind out the name OF the murde
wv and that Of his victimi
ng In this portion of the cemetery the LAT
nd ers had demolished four graves and thro
. the remains in single heap. The TOT
mt stones were the only means OF identihcat
en- left. One Of them bore the inscription;