Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-04-11
A TERRIBLE VENGEANCE.

There was quite a 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, whence
tell such weighty words. The women
shivered, chilled by their inquisitive
fright. by that Unsuitable hunger for
the dreadful, which haunts their souls.
One OF them, paler than the rest, ex-
claimed:
at is friahtful. 1t Approaches the
supernatural. 1t will never be clear
ed up"
The great lawyer turned toward
her:
ayes, 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 cleverly devised, clever
ly executed crime, so enveloped in
darkness that we can not disentangle
the impenetrable network OF circum-
stances that surrounds it. But con-
Tess that was once called upon to
follow a case which really seemed to
have some hint of the fantas tic about
it. We were, in fac5, 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 q
great criminal lawyer should smile,
and continued:
"Idonot myself admit that there can
be any such thing as superhuman
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.
delta. In Corsica, as we all know,
this sort offamil y vengeance has given
rise to superbly 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 villa on the gulf for
several years. He had q 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 ont to shoot or fish. He spoke
to nobody, never came to town, and
morning for an hour or two.
"Storles began to be told about
him. 1t was said that he was q man
OF high birth, who had fled his country
for political reasons; then rumor ran
that he was hiding on account of
some dreadful crime he had commit
ted, OF which specially horrible details
were given.
GAS examining magistrate, desired
TO obtain some trustworthy informa-
tion about the man, but could learn
nothing. He gave Sir John Rowell as
his name.
II had him watched, but nothing
suspicious about him was reported.
''Still as gossip about HIM grew
more general and more extraordina-
ry,I determined to see him for myself.
and took to hunting In the neighbor.
hood OF his estate.
THE occasion presented itself upon
my killing partridge under the En-
glishman's very nose one day. My
dog brought me the bird. which ! at
once presented - Sir John Rowell.
apologizlng for my intrusion. He was
large man with red hair and beard,
tall and strong. a placid polished Her.
cules. He had none OF the so-called
British stiffness, and thanked me in
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 Ipassed his
gate, saw him smoking a pine, sit
ting astride chair in his garden. 1
bowed, and he asked me to como in
and drink a glass of beer. did not
wait to be urged. He received me
with the scrupulous courtesy OF the
English. and began to praise France
and Corsica.
Then with the greatest precaution,
masking my curiosity under the form
of deep interest in him. asked a few
questions about his life and his plans.
He answered with unembarrassed
frankness, told me he had travelled
great deal, in Africa. the Indies, and
No America. He added, laughing: