St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-02-14
A WILD NIGHT.
A Cruel Murder and How 1t Was
Avenged by woman.

A Cruel Murder and How 1t Was
Avenged by woman.
Philadelphia Times.
The southern coast of Georgia is
bordered by a network of islands sepa-
rated by innumerable sounds and in
lets. and here, in olden times, slaves
fleeing from their masters found safe
refuge.
Cumberland island, the largest, is
about twelve miles long and four vide
The vegetation is Observation-Disclosures Or
ange groves are luXuriant and the cab
bage palms grow in long avenues
mingled with huge live oaks hoary with
Spanish moss. The island was, in 1879,
divided into two plantations-the north
ern one belonging to Mr.. Farren and
the other to the brothers Jean and MI
chel Juneau They were the sons of
a French Creole, who had made for
tune in slave trading, smuggling and,
no doubt, worse. Jean, the elder, was
not held in high esteem by the neigh
bors, while Michel was murderous
ruffian, who seldom visits the main
land without engaging in brawl.
With their nearest neighbor, Farren,
the brothers had family feud arising
out of lawsuit about slave, and it
came about in this way: Old Juneau
had bought woman at st. Augustine.
the offspring of a Bamburra girl and
Creek Indian She was very coHely,
and he sold her to a Spaniard named
Damas had never paid his note. They
note. She had a daughter by Damas.
He became embarrassed and sold the
two to Mr.. Farren. The Juneaus
lot no 10 ~ fY-o1 n &C
Damas had never paid his note. They
went to law about the matter and We're
defeated. Meanwhile the Damas child
had grown into rare beauty, and Far
ren's nephew, Tom Donaldson, was very
much in love with her. but his uncle,
an austere Presbyterian, forbid any re-
lation between the two, and Donald
son was about making up his mind to
run away, taking the girl with him,
when his career came to a tragic end.
Michel Juneau and Tom Donaldson
were bitter enemies. They had a
fight at the race track at Darien, and
Michel was SO badly hurt that his
life was in danger. Much to the re-
gret of decent people he got well, but
was less often seen away from his
own plantation.
One evening Tom Donaldson was
crossing Cumberland sound on his way
to the island in a boat with four negro
oarsmen. He was seated in the bow,
and when within forty yards of shore
two shots were fired in quick success
sion. Donaldson made a grasp of his
pistol, but was dead when the boat
reached shore.
That night strong party of armed
men, headed by Farren, raided the Ju-
Michel had gone out in the sloop-fsh-
ing down the coast, but this did not
prevent him landing and crossing the
island and committing the murder. Had
the party laid hands on him he would
have been lynched, but he got away
and was seen no more in that neighbor-
hood for some years.
Mr.. Farren cid not long survive his
nephew. His affairs were found to be
involved land in the end all his property
was brought to the hammer, and, by
paying what was then a great price,
Jean Juneau became the owner of the
old woman Damas and her daughter
Cynthia, then nineteen years old. Her
beauty was undeniable, but Farren's
overSeer reported that she had the tenn
per of a demon and from her influence
over her own people was a danger to
the peace Of the plantation.
But Juneau was much struck by her
grace and beauty and took her home
Beyond doubt she had been in love with
her old masters nephew and was re-
solved to avenge his death. Juneau had
an elder sister, Marie, who managed
his household, and she took charge of
Cynthia. Miss Marie was pleased to
find her charge obedient and modest
and giving no evidence Of an evil tenn
per How strong must have been the
girls purpose of vengeance when she
could thus control her fierce and unre-
strained nature!
Juneau's passions grew more in
famed under the girls quiet coquetry,
and finally, against the circumstances
of his sister, he placed his slave at the
head CT his table and made her mistress
of his household
Inside OF three months her influence
was complete. Juneau sent to Sav;t1:-
nah for expensive furniture and began
q career of Wasteful extravasance.
Suddenly his sister died, and the
shrewd physician who attended, her
shock his head and limited that the
symptoms We're those of poison well
known to the voUdoo, but he vas well
pad, and thereafter held his tongue
Proud Of his acquisition, Juneau IN
vrted his friends from the maitland to
dinner parties-these were mostly
Ianters of French and Spaa s,ll de-
scent. He was not popular with the
Americans, and the few that did come
were of low caste. In nearly every ill
stance. ,hese reunion; ended in btawi.;,
anu finally a pu~ !ar3IS 3:f::r:ly III
i:icli t.ne man was killed and five
wu:'i cd almost ID G"llh ALL the
guests could all recall that when in
famed by drink the woman would, by
her coquetries and fattering attentions,
arouse the passions of the guests and
create trouble.
In the meantime Juneau was running
himself to crafty his mistress
boundless caprices, which he in effect
made no effort to restrain. Many OF
his most valuable hands died nys-
teriously, dropping dead in the field or
at their quarters, and the doctor said
without hesitation that they had been
poisoned.
The Yankee overseer reported this to
his employer, and urged a thorough in
vestigation, and a few days after ac-
cepted a ju]ep made by Miss Cynthia
herself. 1t was no sooner down than