The Sun.
London, England, 1865-07-19 00:00:00

THE ATLANTIC CABLE.

The following telegram has been received by
Reuter's Telegram Company (Limited) from A. R.
Glass, Esq., managing director of the Telegraph
Construction and Maintenance Company (Limited),
July 19 :

VALENTIA, July 19.
The Great Eastern and Caroline have arrived
here all well. The former goes to Bantry to-day,
whilst the latter is laying the shore end, and this
will be accomplished on Friday or Saturday if the
we ather moderates.

The Terrible and the Sphynx are also off here

A Poisoner's Confession.

The following is the main portion of the conies_
sion of Lindbach, the Swedish clergyman, who was
recently condemned to death for murdering several
of his parishioners by putting arsenic into the com-
munion wine :

I comprehend "the pastor's" duty as a father's. I
ordered notice to be given me every Sunday by appointed
persons of where any poor sick person was to be found.
After such inquiries I went round with food and medicine,
and became witness of much misery and hopelessness.
When one stands beside an incurably sick and dreadfully
pained fellow-creature,
eno wishes, of all his heart, that he
might be released from his heartrending misery. By those
hungry, cold, incurables in Silbodahl I have often
stood, moved by the deepest pity, and thought, " Were I
in such a miserable plight I would bless him who hastened
the end of my pain, and God would forgive that merciful
one." With every renewed visit to these poor people I
was strengthened in this idea. I prepared separate wine,
as help in trouble, when this, my misdirected charity,
should urge me to it. I thought, also, what none can
deny, that very few human beings pass to the other world
in tho course of nature, i.e., when the powers of soul and
body are worn out by ago. Some external cause occurs,
which God, though he does not advance it, yet does
not prevent, in virtue of the freedom ho granted,
the understanding he gave. How many in the prime
of life, in their full vigour, are their own murderers,
involuntarily, yet through misuse of their under-
standing. How many have fallen out of the hands of the
most skilful physician into the grave. The patient's state-
ment is not always properly comprehended (yet the state-
ment determines the prescription, and the prescription de-
termines life or death) without God's either helping or
hindering, and neither doctor nor patient are thought to
have any share in the death. How many an illness
which in the beginning might easily have been cured
has, through delay in seeking help, precipitated its
victim into the grave. From these incontrovertible
facts, and the many such examples which I have partly
heard described, partly witnessed myself, I have come
to the conclusion and belief that science as well aa
ignorance often bears the most decisive part, and that
pious faith is often wrong in saying "the hour had
come." I therefore believed that the merciful God would
not condemn me if I shortened the sufferings of a miserable
fellow-creature. This action is certainly to outward
I
appearance against all law, but in reality rests upon
grounds of compassion. Mbefore whom I shall
finally answeti, knows this,
and
God,wit deep contrition I feel
towards the dead persons
e sinful compassion I exercsed
myself worthy of the sore punishment of the civil law for
inthi
the case. Respecting Lysen, men will likely reject my
assertion of mercy and call it selfishness in its grossest
form, but those who knew his dreadful sufferings and our
written agreements will admit my motives of pity.
My guilt is groat, my enemies acted right in their
earnest investigations. To their consciences, however, I
put the question, " Was it zeal in service, or zeal in
persecution which directed your course ?" Hate, tho
world's demon, is a murderer, and wants even the pool.
comfort of having meant well by its crime. Who is most
responsible—he who against the law frees one from misery,
or he who, under protection of the law, precipitates one
into misery ? Cilod alone will judge ! How I have sinned
is confessed before God and man ; and now, my persecu-
tors, I pray you, be merciful as our Heavenly Father is !
Let your false imputations now cease, and spare my
blameless relatives the heartrending scream of that hate.
You have enough—my crime confessed, my house de-
stroyed, my grave opened. Farewell ! farewell, Carlstadt !
That day I was ordained your pastor, I was ordained to
death. 0 God! have mercy upon me !