THE MARBLE BRIDE

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14658, 27 January 1912, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE MARBLE BRIDE

\ SS&ANGE aitriUJER HBAMA,

» COXFESSION.

A Wirder irial which cpenvd a* | Dantzi? recently brines to unit a siory jike the plot or" u. criminal . romance'; Among the inha&iisijts oi , the Utt'.e> seas -'' e town of Zoppot wua ;an elderlv widow °f nobis linkage, Von by name. Lke niaay otlier Uerm? n Is&xs of aristocratic birth but red'. circumstances, siia sought to incre^- 6 er i n =°me by keeping a boardirS noua9 for holiday v.sitcrs, and in t: 1 - 5 enterprise she waa helped by her dalg^ tor j Stephanie, a young woman of i? years. The girl, , however, did not viHingly associate either with the guests who went and came nndei her mother's roof, or with the yount, P 3 ->p'e of tho district. Perhaps her pride was nettled by the contrast !?tween her family traditions and the humdrum • vocation of a seaside boarfcighouse- . keener. Possibly it was mafimuniai .' ambvtion. springing from a consciousness of her pale beauty, that \ss tho cause of her reserve. At any rs'B die kept aloof from the society of Zoppt. both. permanent and migratory, ad was always a solitary Sgure when sh» | took her afternoon" walk along the j promenade by the sea. j A PALE BEArTY. I A luxuriance of attire not common : in those parts, of Prussia showed, however, that sue was no: -indifferent to . the opinions of others., and helped to ! concentrate pubic attention upon her. i-y rer-son of her i-allor and her reputed frigidity, sbe was popularly ; Known as tha marble bride. One dav j.siie iiu lunger walked alone, but had u -. male companion, with whom she was t now Ircqueniiy seen. He was a man . -.veil en in the forties, the deep tan of : '.viicse rough and unhigratiaiing features w.ns all the more r.otiwable nvhen ecv oil by the pallid complexion of tho iady at his s'xte. Tho persona'.itv of The stranger, who had succeeded in brisking through tho crust of icy ri serve with which the marble bride had enveloped hersalf, was soon the ger.-.-ral top:c of eer.vcrsoti:m in c!;o i:>v.n. riy degress it ic-«kfd out that ! hj? was Johannes Gaffke, a uatVe of i th"se part-«, barn in a neighbouring villa-it* who had left his home at- ths age of ]o, and after thirty years of nomadic life had returned to settle down and enjov in quiotude the for- ; tune which he had amassed durinc his , wanderings. Such, at any rate, waS i the story which he had told to FraM i La;.-owski. and soon it become known '■ that he was the accepted suitor of tho . unapproachable beauty. Preparations : for the union were hurried on, and ;t w-:.-' arranged that th? pair. should ba married from oi;o of the principal , ho'uols of Berlin at the end of January last But mi the 10th of that month I Frau v.ns fo'.md dead at tha foot of the. staircase -of her house. The circumstances pointed to accident, and the doctor who was called in certified that tho lady had mot her death by failing downstairs. It was only after the funeral had taken piaee that rumour suirycsted that she had been the victim of foul piay. It was whispered that the widow had for years been sedulously hoarding In order to secure n brilliant match for hex da-.irhtor, and had all along op» rK.X'd fix; idea of her marrying Gaffke, who. in spite of his reputed wealth, wa< a man of rousrh manners and obscure origin. High words had been hoard to between the widow and 1.".'?- 'Oil-i'l-hnv r-' ;-. (;•_• :;i:a; ;:■'■ si:-r..Vi:>« now multiplied ra:>-':v. I'iils to be s'eced '.y Fran Laszewski "had baen negotiated liv Hnffke. and it was sliown that the iitinaiuiv, :.;.» :hi-m -.vere : fafee. It w::s oreued that be had every interest '■n gettiiiK her out of the w'av cefrre 'be nrosentation of the bills Y.">Tfcja3 V, fnrsrerv. M h'M =o n, w l, -n.-r't* :::i;. ; !!u c-viil.-nce :i:-.-iu:inl;iterl that the- <■ ■■•! •.•.•.->.-. At first he :r.. : bh-ir'il" d»nit'd all wAt but under -r, ---x : ,,i:;.i-t'vi. !-, b--ke down and made a - arlial r--iuV<.:««. FATAL BLOW. .\» !::•:_ h<- :'.:'ii:i:tud w.i, that tha v --*-:<•' :■: d i.-.ovote-J Jii::i by ahusivo v- •'._;. a:.d t::at in a moment of blind .!<.:„:■:- !iv had struck hrr a fatal blow, j1"..--. ':• r.iuluuly denied that he had ::.\ . ,'-!.';:;:j::.s ~;' the nolice ihewed that h.e *!>.■, he had told of his v ■■;.;,.;: hud very blender foundation. i_i:c :cra :„--.i:.- : :;y found in his possess::.:; v.,-< i,., t m:-re than £3-3 r i. In tho vii;i:--c oi hs ..-h-.qu.cre-: carerr he had played, many roks. In parts of the world lie lir.d bci.-!i in turn sa.lor, icaiter, farmer., merchant. ■There arc also said to be reasons lor believim that he was at one tinye a>-i ve'y i-o.:k erred in the white slave trafriv "n Argentina. Indeed, it 'a ' sn.L'L;<sted that his motive in the marriage project was to possess himself of the widow's saving* and then his accomplices :n that country. At the proceedings the auditorium was crowded by women from all grades of society", who appeared to bo particularly interested in the accused's peisonalitv. Rnffke, wr.cs» Gerninn wis iPf>rf"-rscd with Enp'ish words, ■■idiniit d, in reiily to the presiding jnd>i£-'s oucstions, t!>at he killed the widow •nth a l : fe-pre=erver mnde f cane loaded with lead, and we-'ghinK s!b. lie .stated that in the dusk he wi-to; 1; ihe deceased for her daughter, aid pinched her olayfolly on the arm, whereui; -n she shouted "at him. "Go away, you old ourang-ontanc." and bit his nnoer. Tits so infuriaird him that he struck out at her blindly.