The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-11-15
"He acas far from being drowned aphen
feScIel' -

HE aoas far from being droDned ao1en
rescued"
the port, dead of stab in the throat,
just as the man was killed A cabin
carving knife lies in the port close be-
side her head, with label made fast to
the handle of it,
IA number of people had asf smbled
on deck by this time, alarmed by the
backing Of the yard and the lowering
of the boat. They were gathered about
me as Istood in the gangway, and when
Mr.. Lever had spoken strange groan
Of horror went up into the silence Of
the sails. said: See to this young
man. He'll prove the murderer in both
cases. And thus speaking ran into
the steerage.
81 found the doctor and the steward
in the murdered woman's cabin. By
the bright fame Of a freshly lighted
lamp saw the figure Of the girl in her
bunk as laid there by the doctor. bar
barously stabbed in the throat and stone
dead In silence the doctor handed me.
just such another knife as Ravogli had
been slain with, and upon label affixed
to the handle ran the same old grim
and bloody legend, Mon 81 scampa
dalla vendetta dun Dio ettraggiato.'
"The mystery of this diabolical bust
ness was cleared up when we discovered
that the woman's dress which the mate
had found in the mizzen channels be-
longed to the young fellow, that in
short he had been masquerading as q
woman throughout the voyage, having
shipped under the name of Clara Month.
He had sailed with his scheme of MUIR
der in his brain. and one didn't need a
confession from him to understand how
he had contrived the assassinations now
it was understood that the strange dark,
staring, fiery eyed girl had on several
occasions taken notice of was nervous,
sinewy youth, who ON removing his
woman's clothes in the ihizzen chan
nels could go about his murderous work
as lightly attired as tight rope dancer.
He was far from being drowned
when rescued, and when brought to was
locked up in cabin. Visited him sew
e1al times, but never could get him to
answer or even to lift his eyes. He sat
black faced, sullen, mute, all day long,
never refusing food, but dumb as fig
urehead until one day it occurred to me
to ask cuddy passenger, Roman
who had travelled much in Italy and
who spoke several continental Lam
guages, to look in upon the scoundrel
and see what he could make of him.
How he managed / don't know. The
first visit was good for nothing. The
prisoner, however, sent next day for the
gentleman, and in the course of few
visits he confessed, che ship then being
within fortnight Of her destination.
Ellis name was Dominica Orlandini.
! The woman he had murdered was his
sister. Her name was Month, and she
had deserted her husband and child to
elope with Giuseppe Ravogli. Dominica
swore by his God that he would wipe
out the dishonor his sister had done his
family by Strengthening both fugitives,
and, ascertaining the name Of their ship
and their destination, he clothed him
self as a woman and for weeks masquer-
AIDED to perfection in full interior
He had prepared his murderous labels
ashore ready for the handles of the
knives which he confessed he had
stolen out of the galley. He said he did
not intend to commit suicide, but had
fallen overheard while in the act of
wriggling from the open port where his
murdered sister lay to the mizzen chan
nels, where he meant to reclothe HIM
self.
II handed the villain over to the po-
lice on the ships arrival at Adelaide,
and they sent him to England, where
he was tried and hanged on the return
Of our own ship, with her freight of
evidence against him. The fellows
vengeance, it was proved, was not of SO
heroic and romantic quality and tex
ture as his confession to the Roman
Catholic passenger suggested, for it was
shown that Ravogli and Giulia had rob-
bed Dominica of ESQ, the fruits of a
very attentive parsimony in the ice and
sweetmeat business. 1t is true, said
the old skipper, standing up, "that
there is many hulk still afloat charged
with tragic and stirring memories. This
is but one Of score which the old
Families will murmur to any man who
shall lay an ear for such voice as she
speaks with against her heart.
THE END