The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-03-09
MURDER WILL OUT.
The Private Counselor's Story of
the Mark in tho Bible.

t'Of verify, Herr Magistrate" said the
Private Counselor. "you have just given a
striking proof of the possession of those
powers of induction and deduction that
characterize the born judicial investigator.
If this enthusiastically small detail, so
easily overlooked by a mind less keen, had
escaped your attention, there is little doubt
that the culprit would have remained for
ever undetected. But who knows? Since
we are on this subject, could tell you a
strange story, stranger even than the one
you have just related, in which l CHANGED
to play role that it is your duty to assume
officially. |, too, once discovered a culprit,
and under circumstances so extraordinary,
iby means of clue so slender and mproba-
Fble, that the more l think of it the
more the whole affair seems to me like a
genuine miracle. l don't refer to it to exalt
myself, for l should have discovered moth
ling without the direct interposition of
Chance-or, Providence, if you prefer the
term
''Your preamble replied the Magistrate,
"'has already greatly excited my curiosity.
i hope you will relate the incident.n
'Willingly. But let US first adjourn to
the library. know you are an admirer of
rare tones, and l must show you mine.
Don't be afraid that they will take me away
from my tale; on the contrary, they will
lead us directly to it, and in the most natural
manner possible"
The two naen passed from the dining room
where the above conversation had taken
place into al well-filled library-four walls
of shelves Bristlirg with formidable folios.
Every collector of books has his speciality,
and that of Private Counselor Otto Grotius
was Bibles. He boosted of being the pos
SCISSOR of several editions not owned by the
richest theological library in Germany-that
of Georgia Augusta" in the ancient uni
versity of Gottingen. The Magistrate, anx-
ious to get to the story, did not, perhaps,
admire as they deserved to be admired, the
venerable illustrated edition of the Holy
Scriptures issued about 1856 by Gutenberg
and Faust; Luther's first Bible; the polygott
edition of Plantn; that of Aldus Manucius,
and many others. At last the Private Coun-
selor took from his shelves two shabby,
though modern-looki volumes, and said
with a sarcastic smile:
II have kept these for ehe last; they are
the bright. particular jewels of my collec-
ton"
"Whata Call this cheap reprint of the
last century a jewell"
"Just so, my dear guest and for double
reason. In the first place, the edition was
g1vento my father by the great Frederick
himself, who has condescended to ornament
one of the two volumes with marginal
notes, more witty, indeed, than reverential,
rs might be expected from the illustrious
friend of Voltaire. In the second place
and to this, Herr Magistrate, let me call
your especial observation-disclosures the other
volume bears between it's leaves as q mark
this bit of yellow paper, commonplace look
ing enough, by itself, but with which moth
ing would induce me to part, since it gave
me the clue to the terrible and mysterious
tragedy to which have referred.''
"This time,' interrupted the Magistrate,
~Itrust you will not keep me longer in sus-
pense"
The Private Counselor sat down and thus
began:
In the spring of 49, married, and the
Frau Private Counselor, my beloved depart
ed wife, brought me as her dowry this little
estate of S., which we readily chose as
our home, seeing that it is equally distant
from the capital and the summer residence
OF his highness, the Grand Duke. You have
been kind enough to admire our old garden,
laid cut after French models, with its box
/ bordered walks, ito yews trimmed pyramid
wise, and it's marble deities pretentiously
clothed in operatic costumes; but 1 have
not ventured to lead you further a-field to
show you the useful after the beautiful
the commonplace vegetable garden after
the ornamental parks now regret it, for
it is probable that you have never Seen n
haunted house, and Icould have shown you
one there, or, at least, one reputed to he
such.
There is nothing ferBieding in the aspect
Of this insignificant structure where my
valet assures me that he meets souls in
pain 1t is one-stery cottage whose
matched roof is starred with stone-crop,
and whose front is entirely hidden by
houey-suckle, Jasmine aTd Bengal roses. If
one happens Ito enter one sees that the win
dows are no longer glazed, that the fire.
place is filed with fallen plaster, that the
inside partitions are 80 worn as to show
the lath, and that the walls are crumbling
under the combiDed action of Mildew and
saltpeter. This queer structure has for a
long time only been used as, Q convenient
storage place for lpCtted plants ana garden
implements. None of my servants would
consent to live in it. or even to go gear it
after nightfall.
When we moved to s. this cottage was
occupied by the gardener and his wife.
His name was Josias He was an old
Pomeranian cuirSssier whom my father
in-law had taken into his service, and
whom we retained ia ours. Should / live a
thousand years. Josias' features would
never fade from my memory. He was
about fifty, tall, with q strong muscular
body, and with what is called square"
head. His heavy eyebrows met. making Il
straight line across his face. He w,re no