The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1889-11-15

apparently used Tor hoth crimes,
Wilhelm SchleSsingor had been leaning
against the table with face OF ashy pale
ness As the inspector ceased speaking, he
looked up eNcitedly.
"What did YOU Sayr he cried. "Non
Schlcscl attack Straussl The two dearest
friends in the collegei | slay my old master !
IL is magic, | say; it's charml There is a
spell upon usi ltis-Ah, have itl IL IL
that hatchet-that thrice accurscd hatchetm
aud he pointed convulSvoly az the weapon
which inspector Baumgarten still held in his
hand
The inspector smiled contemptuouSy
Restrain yourself, mein Herr" he said.
you do but make your case worse 10y such
wild excuses for the wicked deed Magic
aud charms are not known IN the legal vo-
cabulary, as my friend Wnke will assure
YOU
Il know not" remarked his suh-inspector,
Struggling his broad shoulders There are
many strange things In the world Who
knows but thatn----
"WhutC roarcd Inspector Baumgarten
turiously. "Nou would undertake 60 con.
tradict mel You would set up your opinionl
Nou would he the champion OF those ac-
cursed murderorsl Fool, miserable fool, your
hour has comc" and rushing al the astound
ell Wnkel, he dealt blow at him with the
silver hatchet which would certainly have
Justified his last assertion had IL not boon
that In his fury, lac overlooked the lowncss
OF the raftcrs above his head The blade of
the hatchot struck one of these, and no
manned there quivering, while the handle
was spliutorcd into a thousand pieces.
"Nhnt have doner gaspcd Baumgarten,
falling back into his chair "Nhat have |
doner
"Nou have proved Herr Schlcssingors
words to bc correct, said Won Schlcgc, step
ping forward, for the astouishcd policemen
had let so their grasp OF him. Against roa-
son, science and everything else though it be-
there II "A charm at work But, s,, what il
thatr
Right In the center OF tho room was lying
Il thin, brown cylinder Of parchment. Ono
glance nt the fragments OF the handle Of the
weapon showed that II had been hollow. This
roll Of paper had apparently been hidden
away inside the metal case thus formed hnv.
Ing been introduced through small hole al.
tcrward soldcrod up Won Schlcgcl opened
the document The writing upon IL was al
most illegihle from ngo but as far as they
could mako out u stood thus, In medimyal
German.
This weapon was used by Max Won Erlich-
iugcn for the murder uf johanna Bodcck
Therefore do |, Johann Bodcck, nccurso IL 10y
the power which has been bcquonthod to mo
a. one Of the council of the Rosy Cross May
IL deal 90 others the grief 1t has dealt to met
May every hand that gtasps 1t be bcrcddcncd Ia
n friends boodi
Ever evil, never good.
Rcddcncd with loved ones blood"
There was dend silence Ia the room when
Won Schlcgcl had finished spelling out this
strange document.
"No such proof is needed, old friend - said
Strauss. "At the very moment you struck
at me forgayo you. ! well know that If tho
poor professor were In the room lao would say
NJ much 10 Herr Schlcssingor."
"Gentlemen," remarked tho Inspector
standing mp aud rcsuming his official tones
this affair, strange ns 10 IL, must DO trcntod
according 30 the rule and precedent. Sub
Inspector Ninhol, ns your superior officer
command you 10 arrest me upon charge Of
murdorously assaulting you. You will com
NIT me to prison for the night, together with
Herr Won Schlegcl aud Herr Wilhelm Schlos
singer We shall take our trial ot the com
Ing sitting Of the Judges. In the meantime
take care Of that piece Of evidence pointing
30 tho piece Of pnrchment-"nnd,w while am
away, devote your time and energy 10 utiliz
ing the cow you have obtained In discovering
who IL was who slew Herr Schiller, the BO
hcmnn jew"
The ono missing link IN tho chain Of owl
denco was soon supplied. On tho 2sth Of
December tho wife Of Rciumnul, tho jnnitor,
coming into the bedroom after "A short nb.
sonce, found her husband hanging lifocas
ft..r Iff iFt fI,. 10, tt. tuI. IL.
note In which he confessed 90 the murder of
Schiller the jew, adding that tho doconsed
had been his oldes, friend, aud TINT ho had
slain him without premeditnton, Ia obedience
10 uncomfortable impulse. Hemorso aud
grief had driven him 10 SELF destruction, and
he ended his confession by commenting bis
soul 10 tho mercy Of heaven.
Tho trial which onsucd was ono Of the
strnngcst which over occurred in tho whole
history Of jurisprudouco. IL wns Ia vain
that the prosecuting counsel urged tho Inn.
probability ~ the explanation offered. Tho
chain Of facts wns too strong and tho prison.
ers were unanimously acquitted. This Ml.
yer batChct, remarked the judge ia bis sum
ming up, "has hung untouched upon tho wall
Ia the mansion ~ the Graf Won Schulling Tor
nearly two hundpod years. Tho shocking
manner in which he met bis death at the
hands II his fhvorite house steward " sin
fresh In your recollection. II has come out in
evidence that few days before the murder
the steward had Overhhulcd tho oh weapons
aud cleaned them. In doing this ho must
have touched the handle II this hntchct Ira.
mediately nftcrwnrd ho slow bis master,
whom hc had served fnithfuly for twenty
years invite your most careful consIdcra-
ton, gentlemen of the jury, 10 this chain ~
facts, knowing that you will find verdict
according % your cOuscienccs, without fear
or favor"
Perhaps the most interesting piece Of eyi
dence was this ~ Dr. Lhngemauu, tho emil
nent mcdicO-jurisc
IL am not sure, gentlemen, that there h
need 81 fall back upon necrOmnucy or the
black art fJr an explanation II what has nc
Cured What / sny Is merely "A Hypothesis,
without proof of any sort, but In a ca5o ~
extraordinary every suggestion uny Do ~
value Tho ROsicruciaus, % whom nllusiOn
Ia made In this paper, were tho most profound
chemists u tho early middle agcs aud in.
cluded the principal alchemists, whose names
have descended to uA Much n chemistry has
advanced, there arc some points IN which tho
ancients we're ahend n us, and In none more
W than In the manufacture u pOisOns ~
subtle and deadly action. This man, Bodeck,
as one of the elders of the KOsicrucians, pos
sessed, no doubt, Tho recipe of many such
mixtures, Some of which, like the aqua tofana
of the Medicis, would poison by penetrating
through the pores of tho skin. IL Is conceiy-
able that the handle Of this silver hotchst has
been anointed BY SOrne preparation which Is
a diifuablo poison, having the effect upon tho
human body ~ bringing on sudden and ncuts
attacks n hOmicidal mania In such attacks
II Il well known that the madmanb rage 10