The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-31

Z emily Illuminated during the night " e
I did not ridicule the Kafirs as you Eng
I hshmen likely would have done, because,
although we may not understand our Bible
+ so well, yet We believe IL as firmly as
I YOU and besides. in this wild and strange
land. we have seen with our own eyes
[ many very strange signs and tokens
some from God. others from the devil
The feeling grew in the district that
I something wrong had occurred, and
wild but truthful young BOer named VOL
huter agreed 10 reside for week or so
l IN Mosterts house. We equipped him
with necessar.es. provisions. blankets, etc,
and one fine morning he galloped boldly
enough on TO the place, determined to dis
cover the secret II possible. But the very
next morning WOlhuter walked into our
house, just as we were sitting down TO
breakfast, looking as pale as corpse.
All the FIRE and dash had gone from him,
and he could tell nothing until he had
had a meal and some brandy to help his
dreadfully nerveless condition. He told
US of terrible night and Of a dreadful
vision; and added that he would not spend
another night under the roof for all the
diamonds Of Kimberley. Soon the news
spread like a grass fire, and such SEN
s2tion was caused that the authorities
took the matter up, and ultimately to the
establishment OF the people in the neigh
| borhood, Nrouw Mostert was brought from
a F-AtdSH III the rec STATE. one ndu DttAA
IVlng there for some time, under an as
stunned name. and it was only after care
ful inquiries that the police were able to
trace her. After arrest she quickly con-
fessed that she had murdered Mostert,
but laid a great share Of the blame upon
Red RoOyen. He pursuaded her to kill
the old man, so that they could go away
and get married. Grossly infatuated with
Rooyen. she committed the horrible crime
with an ak, the man helping her to dis
pose of the corpse. They took all the Ill
fated Mostert's money, sold the stock for
anything they could get and went away
together. In a few weeks her paramOur
left her suddenly. taking with him nearly
all the cash; and she did not know where
he was If she had known she would
long before have gone and killed him;
his end should have been as bad as that
Of her husband. The woman reported the
siclzening story here with a calmness that
eXasperated the people TO such a degree
that If they could only have got at her
she would certainly have been lynched,
There was nothing OF remorse. or grief,
or repentance observable; and she pro-
nounced the death sentence on herself. as
II were, as callously as though she was
talking of dog or pig Thus does the AL
mighty allow the hearts OF the evil to har-
den. OF course the wretched creature was
condemned to be hanged. She relapsed
iiAtO a. hlill Dl SluDOEt spoke TO no one re-
fused the ministrations Of the pastor, de-
clined food. and succeeded in cheating the
gibbet in fearful manner. on the morn
ing fixed for her execution the sullen,
wretched creature was found dead in her
cell, her head battered In as though with
blows from an AK, and with frightful
gashes over her face. The old women and
the more credulous of the men sagely
shook their heads and whispered about
punishment from the other world. How
ever, from the appearance of the walls
of the cell, which were of stone, rough
and jagged, II was evident that she had
smashed her head and face against the
abutments until iife left her. Thus did
this terrible woman escape the gallows.
''Of Red Rooyen, as said before, moth
ing has ever been heard, and to the present
he has eluded human justice. He is doubt
less somewhere in South Africa under
another name. and perhaps, although
given over to wickedness, is being made
to act as an emissary of God, who will
bring him to justice in his own good time
As everybody in this part knows the evil
history of Nierfontein. nobody is inclined
TO buy it, though It is magnificent farm,
rich in wood, water, and valuable min
erals, and the government would sell it
at any reasonable price For my part
would not have the place as a gift and all
the people in the district are of my
mind. So you know all about Nierfontein
and why the accursed place Is so seldom
disturbed by the steps of either man or
beast.
John had listened with deep interest to
this tragic story, which seemed strangely
confirm bis vision; but he said little to
the Boer at he time. He continued work
ing on the farm-"Little Canaan" it was
called-for some weeks. and as it became
known that he had spent a night at the
haunted bOmGgtaaA T0hn hpcnrna n oh
1ect of public curiosity. This he turned
to account and was much in request at
the different farm houses in the neigh
borhood. In due course he had sufii-
cient capital to commence trading, and in
little over a year he found himself pos
essed of enough to acquire Vierfontein.
He had thoroughly satisfied himself of its
auriferous riches; and knew that once he
got the title deeds he could safely await
the inevitable rush.
Some little excitement was aroused in
the neighborhood when it became known
that John had become the owner of the
former home OF the Mosterts, but so MANI
/ important events were taking place that
curiosity soon abated. Prospectors were
soon on the place. and before many
months had elapsed it was announced
that they had struck 1t rich" The main
reef was found to run within a few yards
of the old homestead, and much to the
PRISE VI the pTOSptClOIS, SAcdNdQOIS d
few feet from the surface disclosed the
skeleton of man whose skull had appa-
rently been badly fractured prior to in
torment.
In less than six months after his pur-
chase John was bought out by a syndi-
cate, and received 250,O0o pounds for his
rights.
1t was with a curious feeling. he says,
that he revisited the previously disrepu-
table farm, before his return to England.
Machinery and buildings had been cree
ted on the site of the tragedy. and
crowd of stalwart miners and Kaffir la
borers were actively pursuing their occu-
patton.
The existence of the main and smaller
reefs was proven, and If we may Judge by
the reports of the first crushing on the
Golden Rock property II may safely be
assumed that another Bonanza is AIDED to
the South African gold glories.
John came home at the end of last year,
and 1t was from his own lips that heard
this strange story.
A GATHERING CITY.
But All That ScfntiIlntes Is Not Gem
nine Metal.