The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1905-09-13
1TheANengingHand "A
ICAY ByGyde Maupossmt. Y

They formed a circle around Judge
Bermutier, who was giving his opinion
of mysterious affair that had hap
pened at Saint-Cloud. For a month
this inexplicable crime had been the
talk of Paris.
M. 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-shayen face OF
the magistrate. They shiyered and
yibrated, through their curious fear,
which tortured them like a hunger.
One of them, paler than the others,
after a silence, said:
1T is frightful. It touches the SUI
Eernatural. 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 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 we'll enveloped
in mystery that we can not separate
the battling circumstances which sur
round it. Still, once in my life, / 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 /, at least, believed there
was anything superhuman in the adj
venture. 1 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,' it
would be much better. In any case,
the surrounding circumstances in the
affair l will relate to you have af-
fected me much.
The Vendetta.
sT was Judge of instruction at
Aiaccio, a little town lying on, the
border of beautiful gulf that was sur
rounded on all sides by high NOM
tains."
eyes," echoed the listeners.
''What / particularly had to look
after there was the affairs of the ven
delta. Some of them were remark
able; as dramatic as possible, fero-
cious and heroic. We found there the
most wonderful subjects of vengeance
that one could dream of, hatred
century old, appeased for a moment,
but never extinguished, abominable
plots, assassinations becoming massa-
ores and almost glorious battles. For
two years l heard of nothing but the
price of blood, of the terribly preju-
diced Corsican who is bound to avenge
all injury upon the person of him who
is the cause of it, or upon his nearest
descendants. I saw old men and in
fants relatives, with their Threats cut,
and my head was full of these stories.
zone day we learned that an En-
glishman had rented for some years
little villa at the end Of the Gulf. He
had brought with him a French serv-
ant.
'Soon everybody was occupied with
this singular person, who lived alone
in his house, only going out to hunt
and fish. He spoke to no one, never
came to the town, and every morning
practiced shooting with pistol and a
rifle for an hour or two. He was re-
puted a dead shot.
'Some legends about him were
abroad; that he was a high parsonage
fed from his own country for political
reasons; and that he was concealing
himself after having committed a
frightful crime. Some particularly
horrible details were even recited.
I'm my capacity Of judge, wished
to get some information about this
man. But it was impossible to learn
anything. He called himself Sir John
Rowell
Il contented myself with watching
him closely; although, in reality,