Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1905-09-09

other things and admired the guns.
Nevertheless, l noticed three loaded
reyolyers on the pieces of furniture, as
if this man lived in constant dread OF
attack. :,
II went to see Sir John Rowell
many times after that; then for some
time did not go. We had become ac-
customed to his presence; he had De
come Indifferent to us.
Killed in the Night.
"a whole year slipped away. Then,
one morning, toward the end of No
yember. my servant awoke me with
the announcement that Sir John Rowell
had been assassinated in the night.
"a half hour later l entered the
Englishman's house, with the central
commissary and the captain Of police.
The servant, lost in despair, was weep
ing at the door. / suspected him at
first. but afterward found that he was
innocent.
"The guilty one was never found.
"Upon entering Sir Johns drawing
room. l perceived his herculean body
stretched out upon its back-dead-in
the middle Of the room. His waist
coat was torn, sleeve was hanging,
and it was evident that terrible
struggle had taken place.
"The Englishman had been stran-
gled! His frightfully black and
swollen face seemed to express an aw-
full fear; he held something between
his set teeth; and his neck, pierced
with five holes, apparently with q
pointed iron, was covered with blood.
"a doctor joined us. He examined
closely the prints of fingers in the
!, Gesh and pronounced these strange
words:
"'One would think he had beer
strangled by skeleton
, "a SILVER ran down my spine and
, cast my eyes to the place on the wal
!, where 1 had seen the horrible torn-oh
hand. 1t was gone! The chain was
broken and dangling.
, "Then l bent over the dead man ant
Z found in his mouth q piece of one o.
the fingers Of the missing hand, Gu
l off. or rather sawed off by the English
i. mans teeth, exactly at the second joint
: 'Then they tried to collect evidence
2 They could find nothing. No door hat
been forced, no window opened, o.
piece of furniture moved. The TIVE
!, watch-dogs on the premises had no
: been aroused.
"Here. in a few words. is the depc
l sition Of the servant:
1 'For month his master had seemed
l agitated. He had received many letter
!, which he had burned Immediately
5 Often, taking whip, he had struc
!, in fury, this dried hand, fastened L
r the wall.
e "IIe had retired late and shut him
' self in with care. He always carries
4 arms Often in the night he talke
] out loudly, as though fighting wit
D some one. On that night, however
3 there had been no noise, and it wa
Ionly on coming to open the window
that the servant had found Sir jon
/ assassinated.
zone night three months after tn
:. crime, l had frightful nightmare.
n seemed to me that saw that hand
p that horrible hand, running like
t scorpion along my curtains and m
It walls. Three times l awoke in al
fright; three times 1 fell asleep an
h again saw that hideous relic gallopin
e about my room, moving its fingers lik
d paws.
It "The next day they brought it
s me, found in the cemetery upon til
( tomb where Sir John Rowell was IL
l. terred-for they had not been able
find his family. The index finger wa
n missing.
"This, ladies, is my story. l kno
Ii no more about it,"
The ladies were terrified, pale an
n shivering One of them cried:
d "But that is not the end, for thel
was no explanation! We can not slec
e. if you do not tell us what was YOU
idea or the reason of it all"
lie The magistrate smiled with severit
and answered:
,: "Oh! certainly ladies'; but it wi
IN spoil all your terrible dreams. L sir
ply think that the legitimate pr
/ prietor of the hand was not dead al
1T that he came for it with the one TIT
remained to him. But / was nev'
a. able to find out how he did it. 1t w;
Of one kind Of revenge"