The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-12-01
BOOKMARK AND BIBLE.

said the privy councillor to the public prose
cutor of the district, who was just CON
GLIDING social call, "that you have given
| US in the management of this case new
proof of those powers of induction and de-
duction which are such essential gifts fol
a man in your position. If that apparent
ly insignificant detail had escaped youE
penetrating mind, no doubt the guilty one
would have escaped discovery. That re-
minds me of another incident of similar
nature, perhaps even more strikingly alb
normal, and which dates back to the early
years of my career as an officer Of the law.
1t was my luck then to unearth a MUIR
derer by means of clew so tenuous and
so fortuitousiy thrown in my way that /
sometimes think the whole affair little less
than miraculous. l do not mention it as a
proof of my whilom oleverness, but simply
as startling example of what hazard
providence, yeu may call it-can do to fur
Their the ends of Justice"
''This preamble" said the prosecutor,
''excites my curiosity to the highest de-
gree. l do hope, Herr Geheimrath, that
you will find it convenient to give me all
the facts in this surprising case"
Indeed l will, Herr Justizrath," was
the courteous answer; "but to do so at
once we shall have to transfer our quarters
to my library. You are fond of rare books,
know, and am not without a few inter
esting and valuable specimens of the print
er's art. You will quickly find out that
this visit to my beloved shelves has not
taken us away from the subject l have
just introduced. On the contrary, it will
lead US to it quite naturally"
81 am at yeur orders, Herr Geheimrath. I"
The two important dignitaries then with
drew to the next apartment, a lofty room
lined with penderous works by standard
authors up to the beams of the oaken cell
ing.
Every collector of books or curios runs
into some favorite groove or hobby. Priyy
Councillor Otto Grotius' special mania
was the collecting of Bibles, and he had
been able to satisfy it to such an extent
that his treasure included many rare edi-
tions missing from the shelves of the
world famed university library of Got
tingen. He displayed his rare volumes for
the prosecutor to properly admire them
one by one. After the venerable Bible,
with images, issued IN 1856 from the presses
of enberg and Faust, came the first edi-
ton of Luther's Bible, the polyglot Bible
printed by Plantin, of Antwerp, the Bible
of Aldus Manutius, and many Others of no
mean merit or rarity. Finally the privy
councillor, noticing look of polite impa-
thence in his companions eyes, seized
couple of volumes of very modern and
shabby aspect, and said, with a merry
twinkle in bis eyes:
my dear Justizrath, reserved this, one
of the gems of my library, for the climax
of my descriptive exhibition"
"What! this Seventeenth century re-
print, of no earthly beauty and value, one
of the gems of your library"
Indeed it is, my friend, and there is a
double reason for it. First, this work was
given TO my father by the great Frederic
himself The Prussian hero had deigned
to scribble along the margins of the sec
Ond volume sundry comments, perhaps
less respectfully than witty, just such
comments as one would expect from Vol
taires particular friend. But this is not
all. See here, Herr Justizrath, do you no.
tice between the pages of the first volume
this piece of paper, rendered yellow by
age and doubtless intended as a book
mark? Nothing in the world could induce
me to remove this paper from the place it
now occupies, for it furnished me with the
key of that mysterious event l was men
tioning to you few moments ago"
81 understand" said the public prose-
cutor. settling down in his chair, 'your
tale is about TO begin" And it did in the
following words:
"ln the spring of u.s. I married and
Frau Geheimrathin, my regretted wife,
brought me as portion OF her dowry the
small estate of S., which we decided to
adopt as our permanent abode, and it hap
pened to be situated just half way between
the capital and II. Z. II. the grand dukes
summer residence You have been kind
enough to admire many time its garden
laid out in the old French style, its hedges
of yoke elm trees, its quantity clipped yew
trees, and its marble deities clad in the
latest operatic garb. OF course, you have
never been brought any farther than the
pleasure grounds, and have not been made
acquainted with our very useful if unpoet-
ical vegetable garden. l wish now you
had glimpse at it, as you would have no.
ticed at the same time small house at the
farther end-and genuine haunted house
IL AO lcASS 80 eupcAsllNACOS AciQ
laborers have dubbed it for years.
1T does not look sinister, though, but
has the commonplace aspect of a deserted
one story cottage, straw covered and moss
eaten, the front almost hidden behind
creeping jssuin, honeysuekle and Bengal
roses. The windows are paneiess. the FIRE
place is choked with debris, the crumbling
partitions 81 W their bare lattice work;
saltpeter aud moisture reign supreme The
only use this sn.sll house Is put 70 is to
shelter q few towerpots and gardeners
tools; no one among my servants would
consent TO make it his home, and at night
You oouli nos zet any Of them nearer thaA
fifty feet from il.
Now ct me tell you that when we SET
tied AZ 5 tbis cottage was used as q
dwelling place By tue head gardener snd
his wife
This gardeners name was Jcsi2s; he
had served as a Poue5anian cuirAssier, and
had been some tine IN my fAther-in-iaw's
service. We left him in possession OF beth
employment and hone. Should live a
Thousand years / could never drive JosiAs'
picture ont OF my memory. The man WIS
about fifty al the tine, OF commanding
presence and powerful aspect, with mus
cles like steel and = square. determined