AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE.

Patea Mail, Volume 1, Issue 10, 15 May 1875, Page 3

AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE.

A trial which represents the administration of justice in Bulharia in a curious aspect, has taken place at Missivrin, tcr- ‘ ruinating, contrary to public expectation, in the acquittal of the pri.-oners, two brothers, who were accused of tlic murder of their uncle, a rich Odessa merchant. The old man having retired from active life and wound up his business, returned from Odessa some years ago and settled down in Missivria, his native town. Here he gave much in charity to the poor, and behaved bamlsoudy to ids nephews, with whom he lived, and whom he helped out of poverty into a respectable position in local trade. Three years ago the old man suddenly disappeared. No serious inquiry, -however, was made to ascertain what had become of him. His nephews made, liberal donations to the churches, and inherited the old man’s wealth. One day in the early part of this year, an old woman asked for a n audience of the cadi, and on being admitted to him made a . deposition as follows ;—“ It was a dark, stormy night,"’ she said, “the wind had several times blown in my window sash, putting out my lamp, and causing the embers of my fire to fly about my room. Suddenly, amidst the howling of the storm, I heard a shriek, then a moan. . Strange sounds folk-wed, which seemed to come from the house of rny neighbour, the Odessa merchant. I crossed myself, and drank a little rnki to keep up my courage, and I remembered there was a

crack in the wall ?*f my closet through which I could see into the house of my ‘neighbour, the merchant. Thitlmr I

went, and applied my eye to the crevice in the mud wall, and this is what I saw. Two men were pressing down a pillow upon the face of another man, whom they kept prostrate, and-a woman was holding a light. The old man—l recognised him—was very strftng, for he overthrow his nephcAvs, although bis throat vrns. cut, and blood gushed from the wound. He would have escaped, but the women struck him in his face with a chair. His head was bent backwards, as though he conhl not keep it in its phfee on account of thc%ash across his throat, Still his eyes flashed lire. Ho staggered towards the window ; but there he was again struck down by his nephews. Then they sawed jaway at his throat* til! the head wassepa-

Xrfr:. r r.i'<: .."vv"- w-' vated from the trunk.” The accuser "went on to say that she threatened the murderers with a disclosure of the crime which she had witnessed, but that they promised her “ hush money,” that, as she was poor, she agree;! to hoid her tongue, and that she washed the blood from the floor of the room where the old man had been put to tie - fh. The “hush urn-my” had not b?n pa ; hj a"u, as * om* -tarv’ng, she •Jetevmr'od to wake k"own her story. The s-ory was lold in March or April, bnt no proceedings were taken until August. The accused parties were then arrested, and confined in the Zapicth “ Oda.” The old women, too, was put in prison, and was flogged, and hallsmothered between rnatresses night after night, until the trial ended, and the persons whom the '"vox populi’ still stigmatises as murderers were declared innocent.