Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-01-02
JUDGMENT Of THE DEAD
BY kOiOman Mikszrath.

door.
81 am sick anS weary" groaned the
broken old man. They told me you
We're jew. Good, kind gentleman,
have you no place where l can stay and
rest awhileY" He could scarcely speak.
His limbs shook, his face was liyid,
and his eyes rolled horribly.
go into the stable, my good man."
said Nathan, "and rest there as long
as you please. The horses will warm
you" So the old man went to the sta
bic, and there he sank into a sleep so
profound that they could not wake him
in the morning. There were no tears
at his death; but, on the other hand,
there was no rejoicing, such as often
occurs VIXEN tears flow most freely.
By dying so abruptly he caused some
Inconvenience, both to Nathan Weiss,
in whose stable he had drawn his last
breath, and to the Jewish congrega-
tion whose pious duty it was to give
him proper burial. Before he could be
buried many preliminary formalties
had to be observed, for a dead Jew
is person of Importance. No matter
how poor, wretched and despised he
may have been while living, he must
be washed from head to foot, combed
and brushed and clad in new garments,
so that he may make a respectable ap-
pearance at his own funeral. Now, out
of the ceremony of washing grew the
singular story l have to tell.
Nobody knew the dead mans name
nor whence he came nor whittier he
was going. But when the washing
began one of his fingers was found to
be bandaged as if it had been wound
ed. The bandage was removed, and
under it was found a tightly folded
strip of paper which bore these words
in Hebrew: Il am dead. In my pocket
are 800 guilders." 1t was very evident
that he was dead, but the 800 guilders
were not so apparent. Every pocket
was searched, but never a note or a
coin came to light. The elders held n
meeting over the body, and vehement
suspicious of Nathan Weiss were free
ly expressed. They went to him and
asked:
"Where are the 500 guilders?'
But Nathan swore by heaven and
earth that he had laid neither hands
nor eyes on the money. The elders pro-
ceeded with their pious duties and laid
out the corpse decently and covered it
with black pail. Then they put their
heads together again and debated what
should be done. 1t would be a fine
thing if they could find the money, for
1t would pay for the funeral and leave
a neat little sum for the congregation
besides.
Should they take the matter into
court? To what purpose? If Nathan
chose to lie out of it, they could do
nothing.
What have we to do with courts?"
said Simon Schwarz. Let us decide
the matter ourselves with wisdom and
cunning, like King Solomon"
They all agreed not to go to court, for
they knew that all the terrors of the
law would not wiring the secret from
the breast of any of their number who
might chance to share it and that Ma
than, if he We're really guilty, would
not be fool enough to confess. They
therefore begged old Simon Schwarz,
the wisest among them, to act as judge,
with plenary power to use any means
of getting at the truth that he might
deem eXpedient. Simon thought over
it all day, and in the evening he went
to Nathan and said:
Hear, Nathan. You must go, with
two witnesses to the death chamber,
take the dead mans hand in yours and
say, ON my honor and conscience |
solemnly swear that | have not stolen
your 800 guilders.'
All the elders assented to this ar
rangement, although the earmarks of
its superlative wisdom were not clearly
apparent. Nathan himself was espe-
cially pleased with the verdict, for he
thought it gave him an opportunity to
clear himself of all suspicion. At the
appointed midnight-Nathan and
the witnesses entered the death cham
ber The black pail covered the face
and form of the old man, all but one
yellow, wrinkled hand, which hung
down at the side of the bier Two flick.
ering candles threw an uncanny light
over the scene. Nathan approached
the bier and grasped the pendent hand
How cold it was! He shuddered and
j., shivered, but retained the hand in his
while his trembling voice uttered the
words:
Good old man, on my honor and
conscience l solemnly swear that
have not stolen your 800 guilders."
The next instant Nathan uttered Il
frightful shrek. The dead mans hand
had contracted and held his fast in n
grip of steel!
Pardon! Pityw he murmured. "Have
mercy, Jehovah! l did steal the mon
ey, but | will restore it. Not guilder
shall be lacking. 1t is hidden under
the bake trough"
aha, you scoundrel" cried the dead
man Gmpersonated by Simon Schwarz),
casting off the pail and springing to
his feet.
80 l got the truth out of you, did l =?