The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1889-03-09
home. Slanderous tongues later on re.
ported that the packet contained
1On OOn

OU,UUU TuOIfs. $50 !
HOfaN the stories which uny father
old relating To Vassili b.. one scene
indeIibIy impressed on my
childish imaginntiuD. l seem 10 have
becu p,eseht, so frequently have III
heard he inc dent narrated by the res
liable with. So who WAS pre- sent AT the
scene. VassiIi IvanOvi'ch was already
advanced in years when an illness
seized him, and in few days over
came his remaining strength. Que
morning the manorial church bells
appraised the serfs that their master was
no more. You may Imagine that this
knell sounded to them like the most
Joyous TeDeum. The peasants from
all the neighboring villages hurriedfy
followed in the steps Of tue prizes; tol
verify with their Own eyes the glad
tidings. They Invaded ths mansion.
The deceased seigneur was placed in
The large hall, more terrible than ever
with the power of death stamped ON
his features he lay on the table sur>
rounded by lighted tapers. His reia-
tives, who had been summoDed from
81. Petersburg, had not yet arrived,
and his guard had shEunk away to
some hiding-piace, In dread of repri-
GALS Onsthe part of the seris. The priest
closed the eyes Of the dead man, read
the prayers for the dead and took his
departure, leaving, according to Gus.
tom, his clerk 10 chant psalms over the
body until the morrow.
s'But the peasants did not leave
with their pastor. They could not fire
IL lo0ktpg at their dead enemy. They
listened at first in silence to the suppl
cations Of the clerk, who was mutter-
ing In corner VI the hall his set phra-
SEES of praise and Judgment. But they
soon became bolder in their rejoicing,
and their noisy clamor drowned the
verses of the psaimisf. One young
scamp offered to 60 and get some bran-
dy, and fetched Jugs full of the liquid,
of W hich they drank freely, with the
usual result. My father and 4 few
other neighbors vainly endeavored TO
peasants could restrain themselves no
longer, aud danced In q circle around
the corpse, overwhelming the deceased
with insult and defiance. Those who
were most reckless pulled him by the
mustache and dragged handfuls of hair
from his head. The youth who fetch
ed the drink emptied the glass con-
training the holy water, filed 1t with
spirits and forced 1t between the lips of
the dead man, crying cut: Drink
the health of your poor, dear serfs, you
doggy All at once the glass fell from
his hands and wss dashed TO pieces 90
the ground. The man sprang back
ward pale with fear.
"Tbe, eyes which the priest had but
just closed opened again and looked
round on those present witha diaboli-
cal glare, as il endowed with superpat-
ural vision. In an instant all became
silent aud mottonless; each individual
remained petrifled on the spot where
he had encountered the terrible CLAM e,
the greater number having fallen on
their knees. Nothing was heard but
the sing song drawl Of the clerk, who
was reading; Il shall rise; shalt
overtake those who offend me; shall
reduce them TO dust aud as he
went on the seigneur slowly rose to a
sitting posture. After his eyes his lips
opened. To tho terrified peasants 1t
seemed that the voice which came
from those lips must be from hell. II
was, however, the usual votce of the
master. 1t said in commanding
tone: 'Epstap, you who have insuited
me, come here; and you, Pacome, who
touched my head, and you, Micba,
who pulled my mustache (naming
each one Of those who had laid hand
on him and correctly mentioning each
misdeed), tomorrow you will be hang
ed; the others will be horsewhipped.
Here, my men, bring some rope and
bind them.'
.'The old major domo went 10 find
the soldiery, and until they arrived no
Que thought of moving, resisting or
fleeing. When they entered the mas.
ter was standing up surveying the
kneeling crowd. He pointed out those
who were to be bound. Then taking
a ruble from his vest pocket he threw
1t at the clerk with this caution: "Be
off quick, you old fool! II you ever
come back on such an errand again
before ! myself order you to do 90, you
will be horsewhipped like tue Others
The next morning the principal cul
prits were swinging from gibbets in
slhe garden of terror
"B. afterward stoid my father that
during this attack of catelepsy his
mental faculties had not failed him an
instant; he had recognized each voice
and noted every incident up to the
moment the paralysis ceased. But
when the doctor of the district tried to