Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-09-23
mistaken Identity

Jutianu. lie was n man OF eAcelleut
moral character, generous, hospitable
and diligent in the performance of
his sacred duties; but he was a man of
constitutionally violent temper-a
scourge to his household and humil-
iation to himself.
dren--a daughter, who kept house
for him, and son, holding an officers
commission in the amy.
At Ingvorstrup, 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 rejected by both parent and
child.
Morten Burns had poor brother
named Niels, who was shiftless and
lazy fellow, and withal quarrelsome.
Soren Qvist, needing farm hand,
hired this scapegrace brother of the
man who hated him. Nlels Burns
was constantly provoking the pastor S
naturally irritable temper by his in
dolence and impudence.
Their relations as master and SER
want eliminated in the mysterious
disappearance which is the basis of a
celebrated tragedy. Niels had been
sent to dig q piece of ground in the
pastors garden; but the pastor found
him not digging, but leisurely resting
on his spade and cracking nuts which
he had plucked
The pastor scolded him angrily.
The man retorted that it was no bust
ness of his to dig in the garden, at
which Soren struck him twice in the
face, and the man, throwing down the
spade, retaliated. Thereupon the old
pastor lost all self-control, and. Selling
the spade, he dealt the farm hand sew
eral blows with it.
Niels Burns fell to the earth like
one dead, but when his master, in
great alarm, raised him up, he broke
away, leaped through the garden
hedge, and made off into the neighbor
ing wood. From that time he was
seen no more.
Before long 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 insinua-
tions passed from mouth to mouth,
and as the farmland had disappeared
the suspicion began to grow that the
pastor had guilty knowledge of his
end
Finally Morten Burns appeared be-
fore the District Magistrate with
three witnesses and charged the pas
tor with the murder of his brother.
Karsten and her daughter Else, who
had been witnesses Of the final strug-
gle between the clergyman and the
farm hand.
The third witness was cottager
named Larsen. On the night of the
day following Niels Burns's disappear
ance he was returning home very late
from Tolstrup, and was passing along
the footpath which fanked the pastor
garden, when he heard the sound of
some one digging.
Seeing that it was clear moonlight,
he determined to find out who it was
that was working in the garden at that
late hour. He slipped off his wooden
shoes, climbed up the hedge and part
ed the tops of the hazel bushes. Then
he saw the pastor, in green dressing
gown and with white nightcap on
his head, busted in levelling the earth
with spade; but more than this he
did not see, for the pastor turned sud
denly around, as if some sound had
struck his ear, and Larsen, being
afraid of detection, let himself down
and ran away.
Thereupon the PASTORS garden was
searched under the direction of the
Magistrate. 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 was asked to point out
the place where he had seen the pastor
digging in the moonlight He pointed
TO heap of cabbage stalks and refuse.
They had not dug long when one of
them cried out: Heaven preserve
usi' and as all present crowded to look
n hat was visible above the earth.
"That is Niels's hat, cried Morten.
81 know it well. Here is security
we shall find him. Dig awayl" he
shouted with fierce energy, and was
almost as eagerly obeyed.
Soon an arm appeared and in few
minutes the entire corpse was disin-
tered. There seemed to be no doubt
that it was the missing man. The
face could not be recognized, for the
features had been destroyed by blows:
but all his clothes, even unto his shirt
with his name on it, were identified
by his fellow servants.
There was no alternative but to ar
rest the pastor on the spot. He most
willingly surrendered himself, merely
protesting his innocence. appear
ances are against me-, he said; "surely
this must be the work of Satan and
his ministry; but He still lives who
will at his pleasure make my inno-
cence manifest. Take me to prison.
In solitude and in chains i will await
what He in His wisdom shall decree"
The pastor was arrested and taken
70 Jail. Next day the preliminary
judicial examination was held. Two
farm servants and dairy maid, all in
the employ of the accused pastor,
testified that on the day Of the murder
they had been sitting near the open
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