Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1905-09-30

They formed q circle around Judge
Bermutier, who was giving his opinion
of q mysterious affair that had hap
pened at Saint-Cloud. For q 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 1t, 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 anu
yibrated, through their curious rear,
which tortured them like a hunger.
One of them, paler than the Others
after a silence, said:
ut is frightful. 1t touches the SUI
pernatural. We shall never know any
thing about it,"
The magistrate turned toward her,
saying:
"It is probable, madame, that we
never shall know anything about it {;
but for the word supernatural when
YOU come to use that, it has no place
here. We are in the presence of a
crime skillfully conceived, very skill
fully executed, and so well enveloped
in 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."
M. 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,' II
would be much better. In any case
the surrounding circumstances in the
affair l will relate to you have at
fected me much.
The Vendetta.
az was Judge of Instruction al
"A
border of beautiful gulf that was sur
rounded on all sides by high noun
tains."
"Yes," echoed the listeners.
"What 1 particularly had to look
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 the
most wonderful subjects of vengeance
that one could dream of, hatred 6
century old, appeased for moment
but never extinguished, abominablt
plots, assassinations becoming massa
cres and almost glorious battles. Fol
two years l heard of nothing but the
price of blood, of the terribly preju
diced Corsican who is bound to aveng'
all injury upon the person Of him wht
is the cause of it, or upon his neares
descendants. l saw old men and IN
fants, relatives, with their threats cut
and my head was full of these stories
"One day we learned that an En-
gIishman had rented for some years :
little villa at the end of the Gulf. Ill
had brought with him q French sery
ant. -,
"Soon everybody was occupied witt
this singular person, who lived alon
in his house, only going out to hun
and fish. He spoke to no one, neve
came to the town, and every mornin
practiced shooting with pistol and
rifle for an hour or two. He was re
puted q dead shot.
"Some legends about him wer
abroad; that he was high personag
fled from his own country for politica
reasons; and that he was concealln
himself after having committed
frightful crime. Some particular
horrible details were even recited.
an my capacity of judge, l wishe
to get some information about thi
man. But it was impossible to lear
anything. He called himself Sir job
Rowell.
II contented myself with watchin
him closely; although, in realit!