The Stroud Star. (Stroud, Okla.), Vol. 5, No. 34, Ed. 1 Friday, October 24, 1902 Page: 10 of 16
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MoitH I Uilm.
If«a <*« *I<4M (Ml **♦» pit
kl» "
U •• l«*’ Vm k»«w !*• r*nl
chaptiii »ii.
* Yu*»f 0«r«il*e*'y,M b* *e«d, f
ka««* kMUd ihr wufii* .»f ihr Count 41
|Htr4l»» hi! 4|iM r**nl*«*b*« Ik*
f<*n b*llev* |t*“
"Vi«, | br||<*« i* II u U wbl*
prr <4 Malice I,
* Aa4 I* iay •* « «hl>'h »••*»
vuk in perform b*for* jr*«i 4lr i>*
mak* reparation for «•»■* *r* os ibst
Ui brra d«n* «n inn«r«ni wtnf
' Yee-ye* L*« lt*nry Thor Ian* br
brought brfnrr mr I will 4«* him ju*
li «*. that I. lun, may wrrivr j*i il»«*
I rum God.”
Tip monk ul down to lb<* writing
labia, and laklna a i»*n. U*Mit writ*
lac oo some of th* official paper of
tha prefetto.
Having finished. Iha monk brlil In
hla handa taro paper*. Onn of tl»e*«*
ha began to read aloud to the Count
di Pordino.
It ran thus:
•'Tha Confession of tlu* Count di*
Pordino. on hla dying bad, before*
Maligni. the Profotto of Cagliari, and
the assembled monka aud soldiers of]
hla household:
'*1. the Count dl Pordino. do ronfrnt,
and do swear before God that the run
fession is true: that my nephew. Hen
ry Thorlane. the owner of the Villa1
Thorlano and Its estate. Is Innocent
of the crime of conspiracy against:
the prefetto, with which crime I
charged him. for the solo purpose of
putting him in prison and receiving
at tho hands of the prefetto my
nephew’s estate as my reward.
“And it Is my fear of future pun-
lament that Impels me to make tula
true confession and withhold none
of the truth, that justice may now ho
done to ray nephew, Honry Thorlane.
whom I have wronged.’’
“Is this correct, count?” asked'
Brother Michael, when he had fin-
ished.
“Yes,” whiepered the count.
“Then sign.”
Brother Michael dipped a pen In Ink
and placed it in the grasp of the dying
mar. Feebly hl3 fingers moved over
the paper and scrawled his signature.
Then Brother Michael turned to the
prefetto and read the other paper.
This was an official document, restor-
ing Henry Thorlane to all rights of
citizenship, restoring to him his val-
uable estate and removing aii taint
and disgrace from his name.
This was signed by the prefetto, and
the official seal was placed upon it.
“Bring Henry Thorlane before me,
that I may beg of him forgiveness!”
gasped the prefetto.
"Wait. There is one thing more to
he done in an official capacity,” said
the monk. “Your excellency, you re-
call the incidents of the night on
which your brother was murdered?”
The prefetto signified that he did.
“A young man who had entered here
to rescue Nita Earlotti from your
brother—a young man who had no en-
mity towrrd Pacho Maligni himself,
but who was acting in obedience to
tho request of a friend who was lost
at sea—was seized, and. with no other
evidence against him, was sentenced
to imprisonment for life for the
crime. Your excellency, that young
man escaped, hut he is here.” Obedi-
ent to his signal. I stood before the
prefetto. “He is the Jew' who came
.with me to give you warning of the
attack that was to be made tonight.
We have evidence, your excellency,
that will convict another of the
crime, and it but remains to seize the
real murderer and place him in prison.
And this young man. who is innocent
of any crime against the state, needs
but your signature to make him few
•eld th*
I
~|i i* inn
»•«•# if/’
KM*vw I di«* I dm,” nxr
mured the "W Mbi»« f*
main and****
TV monk iisis and tbw
urn** m vw a pap*? dxvianng mm
into* «*ai uf tbr < rim* at murder, and
ur4««iM lb* rvtnutii fr*»m IV bunk*
in «b* H*pmtimmp* at Jmiio* at all
rhsrgw* IMIWI w« ftirbard Wilber
ion. of New York
Tb»» ike pref«iu» signet, m4 again
Ibe gl«al official «r»| ««* used
' Now Id see Henry Thorlane.”
n*|e4 the prefellu-
“Yuu abalir
Tbeee word* came from ihr tn»ok.
but not in the 40ft. prleullike voire I
had beard Ww They ran# In deep
rbe»i lone*, with a »iemne*a ibaf
atari ted me and every one el«o in the
rtMim Brother Michael removed the
goggle* from hi* eye*, and threw aside
hi* monkish garb. fitanding erect, he
seemed taller, and hla smooth-shaven
head was squarely set upon shoulders
of massive mold.
“Behold me! ! am Henry Thor*
lane!”
“Thorlane!” gasped the prefetto.
“Thorlane!” murmured Hie Count
di Pordino.
"It is true! He is llenry Thorlane!”
cxclulmed several of the soldiers,
among whom was the • apialn t\J the
guard.
Hut what of me? I stood trembling,
paralyzed In every limb. I tried to cry
out in an excess of joy. hut my tongue
refused obedience to my will and
clove to the roof of my month. Those
massive shoulders! That well-poised
head! That thunderous voice! To
thus* around me. the undisguised
monk was Henry Thorlane. To me—
I recognized him In spite of the
shaven head and lip shorn of its mus-
tache—he was Maubikeck the Lion-
Taraer.
He saw my emotion. He stepped
to my side and grasped my hand.
“Friend Wllberton,” he said, “I see
yon recognize me. You are surprised
and speechless. Yes. it is I. Maubi-
keck. now', thank God, once more in
possession of my own, and enabled to
bear my own name—Henry Thorlane."
"Maubikeck!" I managed to gasp.
"I—1 thought you were lost at sea.”
“No,” he replied, smiling. "You see
I was not. But all that can be ex-
plained later. Nov/ I must see ray
darling. Where is she?”
"In her room.”
I led him away from the room. As
we turned to go there was a gasp, a
murmur, and a cry of terror behind us.
“They are dead!” said a physician.
“The prefetto and Count di Pordino
have gone to their last accounts.”
In the hall we met Mutterelli, who
wore the same placid smile of satis-
faction that always characterized him.
‘Ah, signor,” he said, laughing. ”I>
see you have made the acquaintance
of my old friend and playmate, Henry
Thorlane.”
“He is my hero Maubikeck,” I re-
plied. “We go to see Nita Barlotti.
How is she?”
“Fully recovered,” said Mutterelli,,
“and waiting to see Signor Wllberton
of New York and Henry Thorlane of
Cagliari.”
“You have told her?” asked Thor-
lane.
Mutterelli bowed, and Thorlane
rushed away. I changed my mind
about accompanying him. and leaving
him to enjoy the bliss of the reunion
alone with Nita. I retraced my steps
and went hack to the library with the
imperturbable Mutterelli.
CHAPTER XIII.
This chapter is of the nature of an
Interjection. It contains, without any
reference to the chain of eventa in
which I was an actor, the story of
Henry Thorlane. This I gleaned from
him in bits during the few days im-
mediately following the death of Ma-
il sni, the prefetto, and the Count di
, ivfdta*
fk# at TWUw wbnb Me*
I ||fvtl| had uaM pm* rue**n»»ag IV
f sever i>4 |ppv*a«wi *4 *••-»
r«pi mm naipwr aad th* ***•
Imimi at hi* «•*»••*♦ *•* MV* H*»
hl4 be*-* insrreraM I* lb* «***»♦•
. I»«y at Th* iftaisi* TV truth •**
| ibi4 Y hurts** dutieg hw ds»« at
livpy, bad, a* y*ii*r*iii bad ip
fan»»l m* hOPP an upv «im*pi at
lV m**»b* at Tb~ itaibi* ll’ii bin
•until > »»• mtH 4»m***<I Io* «rd th*
| 4||(|f« Ml M't «|>lfc*l IV *Up*tt*»r
* i*f iv* but <n9Mi*i ih****
; ntnitV i»ra»'*lr«'» h* tedleved mi
I# . or nip* and «b*» b* believed, war*
in I *-**»•* *i*b Ibr pr*f*»«0 sad IV
(’•tMiii dl fordin'* ia iVir *-iiortb»n
and brigandage in ibt* h* bad found
a secret friend in no l«»* a
than th* «M{*»nur of th* w»na*t**ry
bim**IL «bu, ibiHitu a g***»d man. va»
i **«k and unable t« cop**
with the combination for evil which
lie kr*» *»l»i«l.
lie did. however, develop enough
backbone lo help hi* trieud Thorlane,
and aoon after the im|iriiu*nm**nt of
ihe Knallahman. ike superior succeed-
•d. in some way. In maklrg the pro-
feiio believe that the prisoner would
be more secure In solitary confinement
In the monastery. The prefetto readily
assented. and Thorlane was removed
from the Torre »|e!| Klcfante to the
monnstery.
From the monastery he was assist-
ed to escape by the superior, who con-
tinually reported to the prefetto the
security and snfety of his prisoner.
Thorlane lived for a time In the
marble grotto, and one day he met.
while hunting mouflon. disguised be-
yond recognition, his old comrade and
university companion. Mutterelli. to
whom he made himself known. Mut-
tered! helped him to escape from Sar-
dinia. with the four mountain lions
who had been his companions in the
grotto, and with these he resolved to
seek his fortune in America, until he
had amassed enough money to enable
him to legally and successfully com-
bat the charges against hint and re-
gain his confiscated estates.
He reached America successfully
and exhibited his lions in a small way,
adopting the name Maubikeck as be-
ing one not likely to lead to identifica-
tion.
Then Pacho Maligni. the brother of
the man against whose life he was ac-
cused of conspiring, began operations
collecting the materials for his circus.
Pacho Maligni, although he may have
known of the change of ownership of
tho Villa di Thorlano, keeping abreast
of the affairs in Sardina, he did not
know Maubikeck, and the lion-tamer
resolved to link his fortunes to those
of the Sardinian, with the hope that
in some way the connection might
lead to some discoveries that would
be advantageous to himself.
At the rehearsals he met and loved
Nita Barlotti, and she returned his
love. To her he told all the story of
his misfortunes, and found in the
beautiful trapeze girl a ready sym-
pathizer.
What occurred in New Yqrk to stir
and start afresh the adventures of
my remarkable friend has already
been set forth in these pages.
When Thorlane, or, as I knew him,
Maubikeck, was left behind on the
sinking Queen, he did not go tamely
to a heroic death, as I supposed, but
resolutely set to work to save his he-
roic life. He managed, by the aid of
two others, to get a raft together be-
fore the ship went down. This was
furnished with a sail and supplied
with food. Upon it they launched
themselves upon the waves.
They were fortunately driven to the
Azores, where, after a stay of a week
or so, they were taken on board a
sailing vessel which was bound for
Lisbon, and which had stopped at the
Azores for water. From Lisbon he
came to Italy, and at Genoa sought
his old friend Mutterelli, whom he felt
he could trust implicitly. Being In-
formed that Mutterelli was in Cagliari
with Signor Wllberton of New York.
Thorlane made all preparation tp e»
tmr lit* nsM|lr)f »Vfr HI* HI* Md Ml*
««ty *«*• mat *«!• «ad iV 4•* ka mm
mrn ».*4Bd«d kf IV vftMUd** Ma
j |ni 4a# »a UagUa'i II* had turnad
Mmirfdil aad ih*** i*« ai war* am-
tried iai*« a *«m rwmparr Hn* r*
•*ll* at amuh mm hm%m *ws
Mali*#rill MB* a MM>«ab*f at • **Tf*«
>ir4*r la HaJy aad dardiai* lai** wfctra
hr iaillal*d "IlftHlIrf Mir bar I and II
• a* ibr auibmiy mu atrmb*f»Mp
I4t« butt ib«i raabird ibr putaHv*
H»«jMb lo “*ap*l ihr band «d Copal dl
twdiao to aiibdra* )m*i ah*a ih*y
hr Id %i«io#y in ih*ir «ra*p
ThurUftr a* Hfoihrf MbhaH. to*
• *im« ib* ii**i »d ib« *up*rtor at iha
N»»*na*i*ry. and ln<w ihai vaaiaga
ground pri* rr«|r«l io put iaio opera
Ihut all ib* wlr** and mai hiaery of hla
aaw-r*i skill to bring to a *ii*'t'*a*fnt
i*rminaiion hi# dang*rou» mitaiM
And no* ihai a* ha«* •«*# how
• rii hr rarrit-d ..... hi* porpoax. how
4iradfa*f hr «aa m hi* lova aad la
hi* friendship, and how skillfully ha
it Id th* work h* had on nand. I Irava
(I lo ih* rradrr io justify th* love and
admiration (hat Nita Karloiil and I
fell toward bis man. wnose noblliy
of soul and sterling worth are worthy
of a more filling tribute than ran be
1 conveyed in my feeble and Inadequate
| laugusK**.
CHAPTER XIV.
As I said in th** foregoing chapter,
I th* days immediately following the
• death of the prefetto and tho Count dl
Pordino were exciting one*.
A new prefetto was appointed by
the king, and he proved to bo a gen-
i eroiiH and Intellectual man, at whoso
hands we received the kindest treat-
ment.
The villa of Mnlignl remained In his
family, and the new prefetto resided
at the prefottura in the old castle in
Cagliari, with his wife, a charming
woman, and his daughters, accom-
plished young ladies about the age of
Nita.
Here Nita remained as his guest
during the remainder of our stay in
Sardinia, while Mutterelli and I took
up our abode at the splendid but neg-
lected Villa <li Thorlano, as the guest
of Thorlane.
Under the new prefetto all my be-
longings were restored to me, and I
was once more in possession of the
letter of Antonio Sigmotta, and the
locket and pin that had belonged to
the infant Alice Graviscourt.
The importance of these was greatly
augmented by another document
which contained the statement of
Dambo, duly attested by the new pre-
fetto, and the import of which will be
duly disclosed.
I made Nita Barlotti fully acquaint-
ed with the significance of these
things: and our impatience to be off
to America to finish our work was
generously met by the new prefetto,
who aided us in every way, and final-
ly saw us depart from Cagliari with
many expression of regret.
Thorlane wished to have the mar-
riage of Nita and himself solemnized
before leaving, but she archly bade
him be patient, for there was plenty
of time; and she preferred to know
the truth concerning herself before
she became his wife.
To our united voices, Thorlane
laughingly yielded, and placing his
estate in competent hands, to be cared
for until his return for final adjust-
ment, he announced himself as ready
to start.
So wc took a steamer to Genoa,
where I made good my promises to tho
faithful Mutterelli. and placed to his
account fifty thousand lire, equal to
about ten thousand dollars.
(To be continued.) [ ~ _ 1
Defies Father Time.
Ireland’s Vice Chancellor, the Rt
Hon. Hedges Eyre Chatterton, age
eighty-three years, has just got mar-
ried. He has held his office since
1867 and appears In a new wig every
£ime It is reported that he means In
retire on the ground of old age.
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The Stroud Star. (Stroud, Okla.), Vol. 5, No. 34, Ed. 1 Friday, October 24, 1902, newspaper, October 24, 1902; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc405724/m1/10/: accessed April 24, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.