Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1904-07-14
Jean Teterault's Secret
IOriginal.1

lOriginal1
Jean Teterault was a Canadian
Frenchman who by saving his pennies
had acquired considerable means Jean
not only observed proper economy;
he descended to parsimony.
One night Jean was lying awake
thinking of some way to add to his
holdings. His bed was so placed that
he could look out of back window to-
ward hill in the rear of his house.
He was surprised to see light just
beneath the hilltop moving about
among a clump of trees.
That's very strange remarked
Jean to himself. What can any one
be doing there?"
Jean suddenly formed q resolution
to go and find out what it meant; SO,
jumping out Of bed, he hastily donned
his clothes and, going out of the back
door. climbed the hill. When he came
near enough he stopped and watched.
But he was too late to discern what
had occurred. A man and woman
were just leaving the place. The man
held up lantern to remove its lamp
and blow out the light, and as he did
SO Jean caught glimpse of his face
and that of the woman as we'll. They
were Mr.. and Mrs. Pierre Brazeau,
whom he knew we'll by sight and repu-
tation, wealthy young couple whose
country place was not far distant. AS
soon as the light was extinguished
Jean could hear them moving away
through the bushes toward road, and
few moments later he heard the
closing of carriage door and wheels
creaking on the stones.
Jean went home and to bed, but the
next morning he reascended the hill to
the place where he had seen the cou
pie, and there, in secluded spot in the
center of thick bushes, he came upon q
space four feet long and two feet wide
where the earth had been dug up and
the cavity refilled.
jeans first impulse was to remove
the earth and see who or what was
buried there, but neighbor whose
property adjoined the place came
along and prevented.
"Have you heard Of the good fortune
Of the great people living below, the
Brazeaus?" asked the man.
''No. What is it?"
1.-THE only child Of Brazeau's elder
brother who inherited the most of
their fathers estate. is dead, and Pr
ere Brazeau will now be twice as rich
as formerly"
Jean made no reply to this announce
ment, but he did great deal Of think
ing. 1t was plain to him that the little
those next of kin and buried at the
dead of night, when no eye except
Jean Teteraults was looking. Here
was an opportunity if properly fol-
lowed up for a large accession to his
own fortune.
After much elaboration he decided
not to run any risk in tampering with
the grave. What he did was to write
Pierre Brazeau a note informing him
that he knew Of the secret burial To
this he received no reply. Then he
wrote another note stating that he con-
ceived it to be his duty to inform the
authorities. To this reply came offer
ing him large sum of money to keep
his mouth shut. Jean was delighted,
but the sum offered was not large
enough. He replied that his conscience
would not admit of such thing.
More correspondence followed, and at
last Jean consented to meet Mr.. Bra
zeau at the place Of the grave to re-
ceive q sum far greater than he could
have hoped as the price Of silence.
On the appointed night Jean went up
the hill with light heart. He pro-
posed as soon as he had received the
hush money to go to France and live
to the end of his days in that sunny
land. On approaching the place he
heard cough, which guided him
Pierre Brazeau, who was standing be-
side the grave. Jean had no sooner
Joined him than Brazeau gave whi~-
tie, and Immediately several persons
bearing dark lanterns came forward
from opposite directions. Jean was
thunderstruck.
"Mr. Magistrate" said Brazeau to
one of them, II have desired your pres
ence here to make confession and show
you the evidence Of crime But for
this good man it might never have been
known"
He motioned to one Of the men who
bore a spade, and he began to dig.
Presently the spade struck wood, and
an oblong box was removed. The Id
was unscrewed, and when it was lifted
off the box there lay the body of a
poodle with pink ribbon around it's
neck and the name "Daisy" inscribed
on Its collar.
"Mr. Magistrate" said Brazeau, 81
am murderer. My wife's pet dog
showed symptoms of hydrophobia and
I nniS0ned If Mrs Rrazoa11 and L co