Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 02.pdf/540

 495 that the child had been carried off by wolves; and liberal rewards, emanating from the Jews themselves, were offered to any person who might succeed in recovering a portion of the remains or attire of the infant, sufficient to establish his identity. Within a day or two of the announcement of the rewards, the child's little shirt was discovered, hang ing on a bush at the distance of three feet from the ground, in a dense part of the wood, about a quarter of a league from Glatigny. Nor was this all. A woman living at Katonfai, a little village not far from Glatigny, affirmed on oath that she one day encoun tered on the road three Jews of Metz, whose names she did not know. These men en tered into conversation with her, appearing anxious to learn what was thought and said in the neighborhood with respect to the missing child; and on her replying that even if he had been devoured by beasts, some portions of his dress might yet be found, one of the strangers eagerly assented, remarking, with significant emphasis, that the head at least might be forthcoming. The observation seemed prophetic. Two days later, — that is, on the 26th of No vember, 1669, — four swineherds, passing through the wood, came upon the head of a child with the neck and part of the shoulders, two little frocks (one within the other), one woollen sock, and a little red bonnet, — none of the articles of dress being either torn or discolored with blood! Thereupon the Parliament directed a com missioner to repair to Glatigny, and report upon the discovery. In the presence of this officer, Lemoine at once identified his child's dress. As for the head, so much was it mangled and disfigured, that the little fea tures were no longer recognizable by mortal eyes. The flesh, notwithstanding, was singu larly firm and fresh, and the blood in the veins seemed scarcely dried. The swine herd described the manner in which the articles had been found; and one of them boldly affirmed that it was impossible the

child had been mangled by beasts, since, not to mention that the clothes were whole and unstained, he had observed that when a wolf attacked a sheep or any other domestic animal, it invariably preyed upon the head first. Two master-surgeons, after minute exami nation, gave it as their opinion that the child had lived and breathed much within the period (two months and a day) that had elapsed since his disappearance. The accused, in refuting the testimony that sought to fix his identity, returned to his alibi, and averring parenthetically that he had worn no mantle on the day of the supposed abduction, stated, as before, that he had arrived at his own dwelling at Boulay by four o'clock in the afternoon. These two statements we're contradicted, singularly enough, by two of his own wit nesses, who asserted that on the 25 th of September he had passed them, as though coming from Metz, at about half an hour before sunset (this, being about the equinox, would make it between half-past five and six); that he was mounted on a white horse, wore a mantle, was alone, and appeared so much agitated that he permitted his horse to wander from the road, to which they (the witnesses) reconducted him. Certain neighbors of one Gideon Levi, a Jew residing at Hex, — one league from Glatigny and three from Metz, — deposed that ever since the loss of the child, Jews of Metz were perpetually visiting Levi's house, sometimes in parties of three and four, even five and six, — and this at all hours of the day and night. One swore to having seen Gideon Levi quit his house and go into the wood, carrying on his back a hotte (scuttle); and another declared that Gideon had advised him to join in the search for the remains, and even indicated the direction in which they would probably be discovered. Upon this evidence Gideon was apprehended and interrogated. He denied all knowledge of the crime; and admitted that, by the direction of the Jews of Metz,