The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-10-30
A CELEBRATED CASE.


village church OF Vellby, In Jutland. He
was man Of excellent moral character
generous, hospitable and diligent In the
performance of his sacred duties, but he
was man of constitutionally violent tenn
per--a soourge to his household and hu-
initiation TO himself
He was e. widower, with two children
daughter. who kept house for him, and
n son, holding an officers commission In
the army.
At Ingvorstrup, q village not far from
Vellby, dwelt a cattle farmer, Morten
Burns, who was in Ill repute with his
neighbors. The man paid court to the
pastors daughter, but his suit was reject.
cd by both parent and child.
Morten Burns had poor brother named
Niols, who was shiftless and lazy fellow
and, wlthal, quarrelsome. Soren QSist,
needing q farmland, hired this scapegrace
brother Of the man who hated him. Niels
Burns was constantly provoking the pas
tors naturally irritable temper by his in
dolence and impudence.
Their relations as master and servant
eliminated In the mysterious disappear
ance which is the basis Of celebrated
tragedy Niels had been sent to dig pieco
of ground In the pastors garden, but the
pastor found him not digging, but leisure
ly resting on his spade and cracking nuts
which he had plucked.
The pastor scolded him angrily. The
man retorted that IL was no business of
his TO dig In the garden, at which Soron
struck him twice In the face, and the man,
throwing down the spade. retalatod.
Tbereupon the old pastor lost all self con
troll, and, seizing the spade, he dealt the
farmland several blows with 1t.
Nipla Rurne foil IN the earth lika opo
dead, but when his master, In great alarm.
raised him up he broke away, leaped
through the garden hedge and mndo off
into the neighboring wood. From that
time he was seen no more.
Before lorg Morten Burns, the rich
brother OF the missing farmland, was
limiting around the village that the parson
had killed Niels and hidden his body.
These rumors and insinuations passed
from mouth to mouth, and as the farm
hand had disappeared the suspicion began
to grow that tho pastor had guilty knowl-
edge OF his end.
Finally Mortcp Burns appeared before
the district magistrate with three witnesses
and charged the pastor with the murder Of
his brother Two Of these were widow
named Karsten and her daughter Else, who
had been witnesses of the final struggle
between tho clergyman and the farmland.
The third witness was cottager named
Larsen. On tho night OF the day following
Niels Burns disappearance he was return
ing home very late from Tolstrnp and was
passing along the footpath which flanked
the pastors garden when he heard the
sound Of some one digging.
Seeing that 10 was clear moonlight he
determined TO flnd out who IL was that was
working I'm tho garden at that late hour.
He slipped OF his wooden shoes, climbed
mp tho hedge and parted the tops of the
hazel bushes. Then he saw the pastor, in
green dressing gown and with white
nightcap on bis head, busted I'm leveling
the earth with spade, but more than this
he did not see, for the pastor turned sud
denly around, as IL some sound had struck
his ear, and Larsen being afraid Of detec-
tion, let himself down and ran away.
Tbereupon tho pastors garden was
searched under the direction of the magis-
trate. The pastor welcomed the searching
party and called his farm servants to aid.
He was confident that they would find
nothing To confirm the accusation against
him. The man Larsen WINS asked to point
out the place where he had seen the pastor
digging Ia tho moonlight He pointed to
a heap OF cabbage stalks and refuse.
them cried cut, Heaven preserve usl"
And Az all present crowded to look, a hat
was visible above tho earth.
THAT is Niels' hat" cried Morten. 81
know IL well. Here is a security we shall
find him. Dig away" he shouted with
energy, and was almost as eagerly obeyed.
Soon an arm appeared, and In "A few
minutes tho entire corpse was disinterred.
There seemed 10 bo no doubt that it WAS
the missing man. The face could not be
recognized, for the features had been de-
stroyed by blows, but all his clothes, even
unto his shirt. with his name on 1t, were
identified by his fellow servants
There was no alternative but to arrest
tho pastor on the spot. He most willing
Iy surrendered himself, merely protesting
his innocence. appearances are against
me-" he said Surely this must be the
work Of satan and his ministry, but ho
still lives who will at his pleasure make
my innocence manifest Take me TO pris.
on. In solitude and In chains i will
await what he in his wisdom shall decree"
The pastor was arrested and taken to
Jail. Next day the preliminary judicial
examination was held. Two fagm servants
snd dairyinnid, all In the employ Of the
accused pnstor, testified that on tho day Of
open window In the servants. room ard
had heard the pastor and the man Niels
quarreling until they came to blows.
They added that they had twice before
heard the pastor threaten Niels with his
life The darymaid derosed that on the
night when Larsen saw the pastor in the
garden she was lying awake in bcd and
heard the door leading from the passage
into the garden oreak, and that when she
rose and peeped out she saw the pastor i'm
his dressing gown and nightcup 90 out
into the garden. What ho did there sho
saw not, but about an hour nftcrward she
again heard the creaking of the door
When asked what he had TO say In his
defense, the pastor replied solomnly 80
help me God, will say nothing but the
truth. / struck deceased with the spade,
but not otherwise than that he was able
to run away from me and out of the gar.
den What became OF him nfterwUrd or
how no came to bo buried In my garden,
/ know not.