Description

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The recent case, so strange a parallel to that of 1753, was this: In Cheshire lived ayoung woman whose business in life was that of a daily governess. One Sunday herfamily went to church in the morning, but she set off to skate, by herself, on alonely pond. She was never seen of or heard of again till, in the dusk of thefollowing Thursday, her hat was found outside of the door of her father's farmyard.Her friend discovered her further off in a most miserable condition, weak, emaciated, and with her skull fractured. Her explanation was that a man had seizedher on the ice, or as she left it, had dragged her across the fields, and had shut herup in a house, from which she escaped, crawled to her father's home, and, whenshe found herself unable to go further, tossed her hat towards the farm door.Neither such a man as she described, nor the house in which she had beenimprisoned, was ever found. The girl's character was excellent, nothing pointed toher condition being the result d'une orgie chevel e; but the neighbours, of course, made insinuations, and a lady of my acquaintance, who visited the girl's mother, found herself almost alone in placing a charitable construction on the adventure.