A TRAGIC TALE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1619, 26 July 1887, Page 3

A TRAGIC TALE.

A South African contemporary has tbe following— A citizen buttonholed us yesterday, and made our hair stand on end with the following tale of horror :— ln the district of——. Orange Free State, bb the ehadea of night were falling, a traveller sought and obtained the hospitality of a farmer. After supper, m the course of conversation, the stranger ment'oaed that he waa buying stock, and that he had £500 with him. Whan tbe traveller went to bed his hoßt said that his son would return during the night, and occupy the same room, bo that he need not be disturbed when he entered. Th 3 traveller retired to re6t, but hearing whispers, his suspicions were aroused, and he got under the .bed. After a while the farmer went out-r-presumably to dig the grave of his victim. When he had been away a little limea horsemen arrived at the- homestead, came into the house, entered tho rcom, tnrned into the bed vacated by tbo traveller, and was soon asleap. Then the farmer re-entered the , room with a stealthy etop, and cut his , son's throat from ear to tar. The ( murderer carried off the body (of the traveller, bb he supposed) to rifle and ; bury, and the traveller got up from his j place of concealment and cleared. The . farmer bud told tho pfory about his son, ] bo as to be able to ctrry out his fell | purpose unsuspected^ but the son had < really, returned, and the raarder was turned into a parricide. If this story is ] nottrun, it shows that the Free State L*s 1 some ' mate, inglotious ' Miss Braddons , to boast of. (