Evening star., 1898-09-03
A TRAGEDY OF OTHER TIMES,
Young Woman Walled Up Alive for
Some Unknown Crime.

1hAuEDH Ot TIMES.
Young Woman Walled Up Alive for
Some Unknown Crime.
| From Household Words
In the year 1895, when Gen. Junot was
governor of Paris, a poor mason inhabiting
| that city was returning one evening from
| his days work through the Champs Elysees
| when he was accosted by three men, whose
features the darkness of the evening pre-
vented him from distinguishing.
They asked him if ne willing to come
| with them forthwith, for the purpose of
executing work in masonry which 1t was
necessary should be completed before the
morning. He expressed his readiness to do
| so, provided he was well paid for it. They
| then promised him twenty-five napoleons
as his reward on condition that he would
consent TO nave his eyes blinded, and would
come with them without an lnstant's delay
Inc mason acceded to the proposal, and a
handkerchief was bound over his eyes The
men snen led MIN along at quick pace for
some time. At length they stopped ana
told him he was now to get into carriage
Having placed him in it, and got in them
selves, the carriage drove off with rapidity
For considerable space of time they roll
ed over the stones, but afterward left them
and appeared to be passing along a cross
| road. About an hours drive brought them
to the end of their journey. The carriage
idileu anu lllt- mason was taken out OF Ii.
He was then led through various passag
and up and down starcases, probably for
the purpose of rendering it the more diff
cult for him upon any future occasion to
trace his way.
When the bandage was taken from his
eyes he found himself in a room Illuminated
with many wax candles, ana hung with
black cloth The floor the wall and the
ceiling were alike covered with these
mournful hangings; and no part of the
apartment was without. them, except enc
large niche in the wall, near which were
placed stones and mortar and the neceS-
sary implements for making use of them.
Ihe mason was astonished and alarmed al
all he saw. He turned around IL seek an
explanation, but found himself entirely
alone.
He had full leisure to examine the funeral
ornaments by which he was surrounded;
but at length he heard a noise and a por-
ton of the hanging being lifted up, discov-
cred door, which was thrown open.
Through this entered a number of men in
black cloaks, whose faces were concealed
by masks. They entered, dragging with
them g beautiful young woman whose dis
heveled hair, sire aiming eyes and disordered
dress proved at the same time her misery
and the compulsion under which she was
suffering.
As soon as she was in the room she sank
on her knees before her masked conductors
and 1mplored them in the most moving
manner to have pity on her, bat they only
replied by shaking their heads. She par
tiCularly addressed herself to one of them
who. from, his gray hairs appeared 20 be
older than the rest. She embraced his
knees. and with sobs and cries besought
his mercy. To these supplications no an
swer was given, but upon signal made
she was dragged forward, and, in spite OF
her screams and resistance, was forced into
the niche, where she was bound with
cords.
The grayhaired mask then desired the
mason to begin his task, and to wall her
!,
what he had seen. and affected beyond
measure with the imploring lamentations
of the lady, who besouSht him not to be an
accessory to so foul a murder, refused TO
pre- ceed Upon this the masks began to
threaten him. The mason fell on his knees
and entreated to be permitted TO depart.
But the masks drew their swords from be-
meath their cloaks, and told him, with i'm
precautions, that if he continued to refuse
to perform what he had promised, instant
death should be his portion, while, on the
other hand, if he obeyed, his reward should
be doubled.
nenced unwillingly his horrible task, but
stopped from time to time and requested to
be permitted to desist. The masks. how
ever. stood over him the whole time with
their swords drawn and obliged him to
proceed, until at length. while the shreks
OF the victim became every instant more
dreadfully piercing, as the wall rose upon
her which was to shut her out from life,
was Theoretically sealed with solid ma
sonry.
The mason threw down his trowel more
dead than alive. The gray-haired mask put
fifty napoleons into his hand. His eyes
were again covered and he hurried
from the room in which the terrible
scene had taken place. AS his arrival,
he was carried up and down through var
ious passages, and then put into a car
riuSe. The carriage whirled along as
rapidly as before, and after the stated per-
iod the mason found himself with his eyes
uncovered on the spot in the Champs Ely
sees where he had first been met, and
alone.
The night was now far advanced, or
rather the morning was approaching. The
man was stunned and bewidered with
what he had witnessed but after a short
time, he recovered the use of his intellect
so far as to determine to go forthwith to
the governor of Paris. Having with diff
Guilty got admission to Junot, his tale was
at first disbelieved, but the fifty napoleons
which he produced, and still more, the un-
varying accuracy with which he related
the different circumstances of that dreadful
night, at length gained him entire credit.
The police employed themselves very dill
gently for some weeks in tracing the scene
of the crime, and the perpetrators of it.
various houses. within a certain distance
of the capital were searched and the walls
OF the rooms were inspected to see if any
marks of fresh stonework could be dis
covered. The principal house agents of
diiS, the ielteTS-Out OF carriages ana
horses. the guards at the barrieres etc.
were examined in the hopes of finding some
clue, but entirely without success.
rms mysterious murder remained and
still remains, unexplained and unpublished;
but conjecture imagined it to have been an
act of family vengeance. According TO this
solution, the masks were the father and
brothers of the unfortunate lady, who was
considered in some way or other 10 have
dishonored her race. They were also sup
posed to have been strangers from some
distant part of the country, who had come
to the neighborhood of Paris for the pur-
pose of completing this vtndictive act, and
had gone away again after its perparra-
ton.
Injections of Perfumes
From the London Chronicle