Rensselaer Republican, Volume 15, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 February 1883 — A TERRIBLE FATE. [ARTICLE]

A TERRIBLE FATE.

Waverly Magazine. About the middle of November, in the year 18—, in the middle of the day, a sledge drawn by a horse dashed through, a small village in Russia, and stopped in the courtyard of one of the largest houses. The horse had evidently run away, and the sole oooupant of the sledge was clearly unable to guide it in the least. In less than a minute a great many of the villagers, who had been attracted by the clattering of the inmates of the house, rouseAtr the appearance of the sledge in surrounded the young woman.* It was evident she was powerless to distinguish anyone around her. There was just a faint sign of life, and that was all; bnt to the majority of the bystanders •he looked far more dead than alive. She was carried into the house and restoratives were administered. She had hardly recovered consciousness, when questions of every sort and kind were put to her from all sides. She was asked who she was; where she came from; where she was going; who was pursuing her; and how the horse had run away. The room in which she was placed was full of villagers who had come in to satisfy their very natural curiosity. Among the most excited of the questioners was a serf about twenty years old who held in his hand the hatohet with which he had been felling wood when the sleigh dashed through the quiet village. The beauty and painful grief of the woman seemed to have made rather aneffeot upon the young serf. He was certainly more anxious than the rest to hear her story, and was very prominent in his attentions, and put himself forward in endeavoring to offer her Consolation. At last the objeot of all this excitement had so far recovered as to be enabled to yield to the entreaties of those who surrounded her, in a broken voice and amid general silence she spoke as follows: —

“I had heard that an old relation of mine, who lives in a neighboring village, was dangerously ill, and I determined to set oat to see if I could be of any assistance. Early this morning I harnessed our horse to the little sledge and set •out.” “Alone?” asked the young serf, point- . edly, still swinging the hatchet in his hand The bystanders well understood the the meaning of the question, and the same word seemed involuntarily to escape from their lips. “Alone?” It may be as well here to give a short explanation, which will acoount in some way for the exclamation. When the Russian troops which had conquered Finland; under the command of Gen. Buveyden, were leturning home again, they were followed by oountless troops of bears and wolves who raged and quarreled over the bodies of those who from time to time died from oold and faigue, and howled for the soraps left behind by the conquering army. The province which the army passed through was infested by these fierce animals long after its departure, and they soon became 4he terror of the humble peasantry who lived in that district. They were not •content with devouring the domestic dogs and cats that came in their way, but fiercely attacked any human creature that crossed their path. It became impossible to travel in safety at any hour of the ■day uponeven a frequented road with- ' out a strong escort. Any one who neglected these necessary precautions paid the penalty of his carelessness by a hide•otu death. In the oourse of the preceding winter forty human beings in this district. had fallen a prey either to the ahribbaipr bears. “Alone,” answered the woman in a etcMpf unnatural voice, half choked with aobs; “unhappily for me I was not •lone!' Why, in heaven’s name did I risk Such, a jourpey? Don’t compel me I beg relate the horrors I have gone

through, and all the miseries of this awful morning.”* “What has happened to you? Who. went with your still asked many of those who surrounded the woman and whose attention aud curiosity werfc nOw thoroughly aroused. . “Miserable woman that I am,” answershe, “I took with ,me my three little children, the eldest of whom was sbftut five years old, the youngest a little darling only six months.” A n exclamation of horror ran through the circle of bystanderi, and each one at last seemed to guess the heinous truth. And then amid a more awful silence than before, the young woman went on with her story. “It was a lovely morning, the road in tolerably good order, and the old horse trotted merrily along. My two little boya played as my feet, and the little one slept on my bosom. I was in high spirits, and happy at the thought that I was able to get away, and so, perhaps, be of service to my poor old relative. My happiness, however, was not of very long duration. About an hour after our departure from the village, the thought struck me how daring and venturesome it was to travel alone with my little ones through a vast desert of snow, cut off from aid, and far away from any human habitation. Then for the first time I began to remember all the dreadful accidents that had befallen lonely travelers in our neighborhood, and almost made up my mind to turn back again.

“This fear grew upon me, and it increased more than ever when I perceived that the track in the snow had beoome so narrow that all chance of turning back in safety was cut off. On I was obliged to go, whether I would or not. My terror increased, but I dared not let the children know that I apprehended any danger. I listened anxiously, and magnified the slightest sound that I heard. The track got narrower and narrower, and at last as we were parsing a little belt of fir trees, I heard distinctly behind me an awful sound. I knew well what it was. In an instant I turned round and saw we were being pursued by a pack of hungry wolves. Now that the danger was imminent, my courage seemed to get stronger. I madly la3hed the horse and he started off at a wild, excited gallop. “It was too late. Two of the largest wolves, with red, glaring eyes, and iiideous open jaws,were already at the horse's flanks, and raced me along the snow-cov-ered track. On the horse’s life depended my life and that of my children. If he died we are all lost Cost what it might, the horse’s life must be saved I thought. A horrible thought flashed across me, and instead of repelling it, I accepted it by an inspiration from Heaven. Then and there, in cold blood I made up my mind and calculated the awful consequences of my plan. At this instant my second boy, a child about three years old, clung to me and oried piteously. The boy’s sobs seemed to ex-

cite the animal more than ever, and they gained on the horse. “Without knowing what I was doing, aud with. almostjan involuntary movement, I seized the shrinking child by the hair and dropped him behind the sledge. I saw him sink into the soft snow; there was one wild cry,then the wolves stopped short where the boy had fallen. All this passed in less than an instant. For a minute I thought we were saved, but it was not so. The little one’s cries had hardly died away in the distanoe when two more wolves appeared at the side of the sledge. The awful sacrifice I had made had been useless, and We were in as much danger as ever. The same fiendish thought -took possession of me, and again my mind was made up. I looked first at the little darling nestling closely to my breast, and then I turned to my eldest boy, who was pale with fear and olutohed nervously the folds of my dress.

“ *Oh, mother,’ he whispered, ‘I will be good! I wont ory really, I won’t ory once! Oh, mother, don’t throw me into the snow!’ “There was a heavy mist before my eyes, and I hardly reoollect what I did. Will God have mercy on me? If you only knew what I suffered then! My little daughter nestled oloser than ever to my breast. She must be saved I thought. Must I say what happened? You can guess. My eldest boy died as did his brother had died before him. Must you hear the test? T was almost mad now; the roaring of the wolves, the horse the last cries of my children, the awful thought of seeing my baby torn from my arms, the dread of death- all mingled into a terrible nightmare. I could not move hand or foot; my eyes were fixed, and still I clasped my babe to my bosom. I dared not look behind me; bat at last I heard a terrible yell in my ear, and for a seoond I felt something on my shoulder. Why did I not faint? “Mechanically I .turned my head. I saw a wolf with open jaws clinging by his daws to the baok of the sledge. He made a half spring at me, missed his hold, and fell baok into the snow. Three times he

made a fresh sprang, three times ha missed his hold. The fourth time he got his daws on the sledge again, and there for a few seconds he hung. There was only one chance, to dash him bock before he get a firm hold. His claws stock deep into my fingers, as by main force I triad to wrench them from the sledge. It was a desperate struggle, and I had almost succeeded, when my baby fell from my arms. From that moment to the time I first heard the sound of human voices, I can remember nothing. The reins had long fallen from my hands. I knew the horse was galloping on; but I can recollect no more. 1 have no conception whore we have been or how I got here. “The woman covered her face with her hands, and burst into tears. There was an awful silence in the room, broken every now and then by the hysterical sobs of many of the women and girls who stood round. The men trembled and looked steadily on the ground, hut did not say a word. At last a white-haired woman began to speak some words of oonsolation in a low, trembling voice. Immediately the young serf, who had his hat ihet still in his hand, strode torward the miserable woman. He was deadly pale, and trembled in e-ery limb; the expression in his face had changed suddenly. He glared fiercely at the young woman, and at the old peasant, who' was vainly trying to console her. “Be still, mother!” he thundered out; “the wretched woman deserves none of our pity.” Then he turned to her. “Unhappy and most miserable woman! Is it possible that you have done all that has been related? You are a mother, you tell us, and yet you have killed your children one by one. Not one would you spare, not even the boy who prayed to you on his knees, or the baby child who smiled opon your breast To save your own life you have sacrificed theirs, for you had not the oourage to die with them. Woman! you do not deserve the name. You are unworthy to live. Prepare—”

There was a wild shriek in the room, and the woman fell at his,feet In an instant the peasants guessed the mad purpose of the young sort Two of the strongest rushed forward to stop his hand. They were too late. A wild, awful light glittered in the young man’s eye, and with almost supernatural strength he dashed the peasants baok. The hatchet whistled through the air, and in an instant the unhappy woman was dead at his feel * * * * * * * Three months after the terrible scene related above, the serf was brought up before the highest criminal court, and charged with wilful mnrder.There was no need to prolong the trial. He was found guilty of murder, and condemned to die. But eventually, by the direct command of the Emperor, the sentence of the court was reversed, and the young serf was committed to ten year’s servitude in Siberia.