AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY.

New Zealand Herald, Issue 160, 18 May 1864, Page 4

AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY.

[From " Lsi MoinU'" J Aisout six months ago M. C'lodomir Frenois, a rich merchant in the Isle of Mauritius, was found in his house dead, and horribly mutilated. His corpse lay on the ground. His person was quite disfigured by tiro-arms, ami, on the ground, a pistol was found with which the suicide had been perpetrated, 'Ihe following letter was found on the table by his side : "I am ruined. A swinler has robbed me of £25,000 sterling. Dishonor is all that is left for me, and ! cannot survive it. I leave my wiie the care ot distributing to my creditors what property wo have left, and I beg of" God, my friends, and my enemies, to pardon my death. Another moment and I shall be in eternity ! Signed, Cludomir Frenois." Great Was the consternation caused by this event. His widow, a prev to inconsolable gjiel, entered a mvunt of penitents tiv'i months utter the dicadtul death of her husband, leaving to a nephew of her husband, a doctor, the division of what remained ot his stock. H.avi v, r, tho heirs of l-'reuois learned by' letters ivieixW snuu Portsmouth, Kngland, that a tiieti. c-iuaiuuii io his house, had been the eause of iiis dealti —search wa.-i lunie. and it was discovered liiat the date of the robb, ry coincided with the aioappearance of John Moon, i.u < ot house, ot whom 110 more was as yet heaid. time alter the division of the property, John Moon again made his appearance in the inland, and being examined on Hie obji.'ct of liis departure, he maintained that lie ■ had been commissioned by his master to goto iranee for the recovery of certain debts, which were irrecoverable, and that, if Uodomir l'renois had thrown out anv injurious suspicions oil him in liis eorrespon(lenee.'it was to iind a pretext to ju.-tify a deficit of which he alone was the author. However, about fifteen davs ago, Mr. William Burnett, principal creditor of Glodomir Frenois, heard some one knock al his door at 5 o'clock in the morning. It was ooened, and bis servant-maid announced to him that a stranger who had the greatest interest in keeping inroyiiilu, desired to speaic with him in private. J-he Honorable Mr. liuniett arose and went down to the parlour. The stranger, who held in his hand a number of tile Mniniiiij i'o-it, and whose back was turned while reading it, had thrown himself in atl arm-cliaix, as a friend of the family might have done JSir, said Mr. Hurnctt to him", '• what can I do lor youl- - The stranger turned, and sainted him courteously. At the same minute Mr. Uurnett uttered a piercing erv. He recognised his del.it't C'lodomir Frenois, whom lie bad believed dead and mutilated, and at whoftc funeral he had attended. \\ hat passed between the unknown, Burnett, and his servant-maid, upon that morning, remained enveloped in profound secrecy. AVilliam ijurnett was seen to go outse\eial times in :i state of agitation, au*l tliosu who followed him saw him enter the hou.->e oi the magistrates charged with criminal prosecutions. Xext day, at the moment when .John Moon was taking tea under the palm trees in his garden w\lh a lair Circassian, whom lie had purchased a short time previously, the police arrested hini and conveyed iitui to the Stui.o prison. A short time alterwards John Moon appeared before the Criminal Court, charged with rubbery, bu-aeh of confidence, and burglary, cuminitteu in "the house of the late Clodonur Frenois. He smiled with the coiitidenee of a man who has 110- , tiling to iear. The Pre.-ideiit having a>ked if heconj i'essed his crime, he replied that the accusation "was | absurd, that to condemn him certain evi- ' dence was required, ami that neither the ! widow of the deceased nor any other t-mploi/f \ heard of the intended robbery. Ihe President: l 'X)o • you atnim your innocence : ' Moon :%i X would pro- | claim it before the very corpse of the deceased, my i master, if that were necessary/* The President (in ; an agitated voice) ; " Well John Moon, do so, since | such is your wish, and may (Jod have mercy on your I soul." "At this moment a door opened, and C'lodoj mil" Frenois, the suicide, advanced towards the bar, I lixing terrible looks on the accused. A murmur or j horror arose in the Assembly. John Moon tell on his ] knees and confessed the crime. At the same instant Sir Jones West, advocate of the accused, arose and ; demanded pivot ot the identity ot the witness. ! " Ci.nfes>ions extorted by terror," said he, "cannot i be lecogniscd as sincere, and the Judge on the bench ■ ought not to allow himself to be impressed by physij cai and organic resemblances ditiicuit but possible to ■ find. I'elore licensing us as the injured merchant, I pifve that vuu are Mich, and by what accident the i tomb, whicii received y«.u, mutilated by balls, lias j given von up inil of health and strength." Clodomir I Krenuis, the suicide :—" Here is a history of the past. ; It will suilice to establish my identity. When 1 disj covered the robbery committed by tlie prisoner, he ! h;«l lied, and all attempts t» reach Idm were fruitless. | In order not to witness my dishonour 1 resolved to j have done with life. At seven o'clock in the evening, ' 1 wrote the letter which was found on luy table, and ■ I loaded mv pistol. Aiter oilenng a short prayer, 1 | placed tlie weapon on my mouth, and my linger on ; the triii'ii'i.-r, wiien X heard a knocking at my street j d'/or. i hid llie weapon. I went to open the door; a man in, whom 1 recognised as the sexton. He ' hole in his arms a corpse, intended ior my nephew, i the doctor—f><r the tribunal is aware ot the scarcity

of bodies intended ior uissedioii. lie was at iirst troubled ut meeting me. *Isit my nephew who lms asked that irom you r" 1 said, 'No sir, but I uhered it to him when iouud —lor mercy's sake don't of it ; 1 j-hmild lose my situation us sexton.* A thought struck me. 1 gave two pieces of gold to the resurrectionist, telling him that sulliccd, and carried the dead man into my chamber. It was of the same stat ureas nivself. It was Ihe body ofa tinner, abandoned bv his famiiv in the exorcise oi a miserable duty. Oh, remains oi the poor ! [ said, while crossing myself -7— i'orgiw me if I oiler the violence * * * * it is to prevent the ruin ol twenty iamilies. Let me be successful, and J swear 10 thee thy lamily shall be mine, and we shall sleep together in the tomb which thou hast occupied lirst. in the Court.) i then divested myself of n.y elothes, and put on those of the dead man. Then putting my pistol to the lace of the corpse. I discharged the shot which was intended for myself, and aimost the whole oi the face was blown away. It was impossible to recognise the substitution. sensation.) Alter the deed was dune, I put on another suit oi clothes ofa \cry plain kind. I shaved my beard and eyebrows, and morning saw me on board a trench ship sailing towards the Continent. What 1 ioresaw, occurred ; mv unworthy clerk, on the news oi my death, thought himself saved ; he did not know that while he lived iree irom care 111 the island ot tius, 1 discovered the allocation of my funds made by him in France; at least the fraud was detected, and thanks to the rare of my honorable friend, "\\ illiam lJurnett, who received my iirst visit, justice will be satisfied." The Court of .Justice before adjourning, condemned .John Moon to perpetual banishment. A crowd accompanied to then* house .M. Olodomir Krenois and his wife, now relieved from her ecclesiastical vows, amidst a thousand acclamations.