The De Soto County news. [volume] (Arcadia, Fla.) 1898-1924, 1905-11-03

A Gentle Servant
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colonel was large, florid man who
well illustrated the English procllvity
for not being able to learn from others
His father had been small tradesmnn
in London who in some way had put a
member OF the cabinet under obligation
to him and the obligation was repaid
by commission for the son. Nearly
all the young mans brother officers
were gentlemen born, and many OF
them younger sons Of mobiles. Colin.
wood was snubbed for twenty years,
and as soon as he was promoted to the
command Of a regiment commenced a
systematic snubbing Of every officer
beneath him in rank excepting those
connected with the nobility.
The colonel was especially hard on
his servants. He seemed to consider
any servant as a necessary evil ana
native Indian servant as a worm of tho
dust Among those who attended him
were an freshman named Mallory and
a native named Haroutune. Mallory
treated all natives as his master treat
different from both the colonel and the
Irishman. He was as gentle as Il WON
an. He was married to soft eyed
young Indian, and they had three chill.
dren, on whom they both dotted. They
were very frugal, their one supreme
object being TO accumulate something
! for their little ones.
One day Colonel Colinwood missed a
! valuable diamond that he had bought,
expecting to make a display with II
when he returned to England The on.
| ly two persons who had access to tho
room where 1t was kept were Mallory
and Haroutune. The colonel, who had
perfect confidence I'm Mallory, had Hn-
rcutune arrested, and the courts in the
neighborhood were 80 afraid of the au.
! tocratic soldier that he had little trou-
BILE In having the Indian convicted.
Haroutune was sent to prison to serve
term of fifteen years.
Not long after the loss of the dia-
mond Mallory left the coloners service
to return TO the British isles. Eight
/ years later Collnwood. having been In.
| living "in clover" Setting detectives
| on his track, the colonel uncarthcd the
| fact that he had disposed Of valuable
| diamond, and his prosperity dated
| from the sale. Collnwood finding IL to
| his interest to accept the remainder Of
/ the thcfs fund on condition that he
would not prosecute, made the cOmpro.
/ mise
| A few years after this the colonel re.
| turned to India with a wife and two
| little children. He debated the matter
as to what he should do In making
| amends to Haroutune and decided that
to say anything about the mistake
| would place him in an unpleasant posi-.
| ton. Haroutune now had Abut a few
| years to serve. Besides, he was moth.
/ ing but a low caste native, and prls.
on was as good a place for him As any
| where else. So the colonel concluded
TO do nothing in the way OF Justice
Meanwhile Haroutune was anguish
| ing In prison. He was so gentle in his
manner that one of the prison officials
| took him into his service. This gave
the poor fellow great deal Of liberty.
Not long before his term expired
snake charmer gaze an exhibition at
the prison, and Haroutune saw him
| perform. Among other things, the
snake charmer would place a bird In
the same apartment with a snake. On
its masters order the snake would
steal up to the bird and strange It.
One day when Colonel COllnwood
was at dinner with some friends he
remarked that the time for the expira-
| ton Of the man who had stolen his
| diamond must have arrived. Some Of
| the party said that the natives were
| prone to take revenge for punishment
and II behoOved the colonel 10 be ON
/ his guard. Colinwood declared that IL
he were inclined to fear any Indian he
certainly would not fear Haroutune,
who was more woman than man. Had
the colonel realized that the prisoner,
who had served fifteen years for an
offense Of which he knew himself to
be innocent; that he had come out Of
prison TO find his wife and children.
having been deprived Of his support,
had succumbed and were all dead
had the colonel known this he might
have feared that even worm will
turn. Mrs. COlinwood did not share
her husbands want Of faith in Indian
revenge and shuddered.
The very next day Elsie Coinwood
was found dead In the garden. The
children were permitted to play there,
since the place was surrounded by a
high wall. The little brother who made
the discovery said that he had seen a
snake pass from a tree on to the gar
Cen wall There was no mark on the
body, though the throat gave evidence
OF strangulation.
A month later the boy was found
dead In his bed with no more marks on
him than had been found on his sister.