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

They formed a circle around Judge
Bermutier, who was giving his opinion
of a mysterious affair that had hap
pened at Saint-Cloud. For month
this inexplicable crime had been the
talk of Paris.
Nj. Bermutier, the dominant figure
of the group, standing with his back
TO the fireplace, talked about it, dis
cussed the various opinions, but came
to no definite conclusions about the
matter.
Many women had risen and come
nearer, remaining standing, with eyes
fixed upon the smooth-shaven face of
the magistrate. They shivered and
yibrated, through their curious fear,
which tortured them like hunger.
One Of them, paler than the others,
after q silence, said:
ut is frightful. 1t touches the su-
pernatural. We shall never know any
thing about it."
The magistrate turned toward her,
saying:
1T is probable, madame, that we
never shall know anything about 1T /;
but for the word supernatural when
you come to use that, it has no place
here. We are in the presence of q
crime skillfully conceived, very skill
fully executed, and so well enveloped
IL mystery that we can not separate
the battling circumstances which sur
round it, Still, once in my life, L had
to follow an affair which seemed truly
to be mixed up with something very
unusual. However, it was necessary to
give it up, as there was no means OF
explaining it."
Many of the ladies called out at the
same time, so quickly that their voices
sounded as one:
'Oh! tell us about it"
NJ. Bermutier smiled gravely, as
Judges should, and replied:
You must not suppose, for an In
slant, that l, at least, believed there
was anything superhuman in the adj
venture. l believe only in normal
causes. And, if in place of using the
word supernatural to express what
we can not comprehend, we should
simply use the word 'inexplicable,' Il
would be much better. In any case
the surrounding circumstances in The
affair l will relate to you have al
fected me much.
The Vendetta.
'T was Judge of Instruction a
Aiaccio, a little town lying on TIT
border of a beautiful gulf that was sur
rounded on all sides by high noun
tains."
"Yes," echoed the listeners.
"What 1 particularly had to lool
after there was the affairs of the ven
delta. Some of them were remark
able; as dramatic as possible, Zero
cious and heroic. We found there TIL
most wonderful subjects of vengeance
that one could dream of, hatred
century old, appeased for a moment
but never extinguished, abominabl
plots. assassinations becoming massa
cres and almost glorious battles. TO
two years / heard of nothing but tn
price of blood, of the terribly preJu
diced Corsican who is bound to aveng
all injury upon the person of him WI
is the cause of it, or upon his neares
descendants. l saw old men and III
fants, relatives, with their Threats cu'
and my head was full of these stories
zone day we learned that an Ell
glishman had rented for some years
little villa at the end of the Gulf. IL
had brought with him French ser'
ant. :,
"Soon everybody was occupied Wit
this singular person, who lived alon
in his house, only going out TO huI
and fish. He spoke to no one, neve
came to the town, and every morn1n
practiced shooting with a pistol and
rifle for an hour or two. lie was II
puted a dead shot.
"Some legends about him WEI
abroad; that he was a high personag
fled from his own country for polite;
reasons; and that he was concealir
- himself after having committed
frightful crime. Some particular
horrible details were even recited.
"In my capacity of judge, L wishe
to get some information about tn
man. But it was impossible to lear
anything. He called himself Sir JOB
Rowell.
81 contented myself with watchir
him closely; although, in realit