The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1893-04-20

Giedming before US
Besides all this, there was a vast guam
tity of solid gold ornaments-nearly 200
massive finger and earrings: rich chains
80 OF these. if l. remenber-S3 very
large and hea-y cruciixes: five gold CEN
sers Of great value: :. prodigious golden
punch bowl. ornainented with richly
chased vine leaves and bacchanalian
figures with two sword handles eX-
quisitely embossed, and many other
smaller articles which cannot recollect.
$50 pounds ;.voirdupois. and in this esti-
mate have not included 1917 superb gold
watches: three Of the number being worth
each $500. if 81 Many of them were
very DID, and as ti.nekeepers valueless,
the works having suffered more or less
from corrosion. but all were richly jew
eled and in cases Of greath worth.
We estimated the entire contents Of
the chest that night at 81, 500,00 and
upon the subsequent disposal Of the
trinlyets and iewels(a few being retained
for our own use) it was found that we
had greatly undervalued the treasure.
When at length we had concluded our
examination and the intense excitement
of the time had in some measure sub
sided, Legrand, who saw that was dy-
ing with Impotence for solution of this
most extraordinary riddle, entered into a
full detail Of all the circumstances con-
nected with it. I.
'You remember" said he, 1.-THE night
when handed you the rough sketch I
had made Of the scarabaus. You recol-
lect also that I became quite vexed at
you for insisting that my drawing re-
sembled deaths head. When you first
made this assertion I thought you were
testing, but afterward called to mind
the peculiar spots on the back Of the in
sect and admitted to myself that your
remark had some little foundation in
fact. Still the sneer at my graphic
| powers irritated me-for / am consid-
cred a good artist-and therefore, when
you handed me the scrap Of parchment
was about to crumple it up and throw
it angrily into the fire."
1.-THE scrap of paper, you mean, :"
said I.
mo; it had much Of the appearance of
paper, and at first supposed it to be
such, but when came to draw upon it
discovered it at once to be piece Of
very thin parchment. It was quite
dirty, you remember. Well, as was in
the very act of crumpling it up my
glance fell upon the sketch at which
you had been looking, and you may i'm
agine my establishment when l per-
ceived in fact the figure of deaths head
just where, it seemed to me, had made
the drawing of the beetle. For moment
I was too much amazed to think with
accuracy. knew that my design was
very different in detail from this-al-
though there was certain similarity in
general outline.
Presently took a candle, and seating
| myself at the other end of the room pro-
ceeded to scrutinize the parchment more
closely. Upon turning it over saw my
own sketch upon the reverse just as
had made it. Ny first idea now was
mere surprise at the really remarkable
similarity of outline at the singular CO
incidence involved in the fact that, I'M
known to me, there should have been a
skull upon the other side of the parch-
ment Immediately beneath my figure Of
the scarabaeus, and that this skull, not
only in outline, but in size, should 80
closely resemble my drawing. say the
singularity Of this coincidence absolute
II stupefed me for q time. This Is the
usual effect Of such condolences. The