Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1850-07-25
THE MURDERER,s CONFESSION.
BY HORACE SMITH.

ApauSeu not 10 qneStlon the DeVlFs SUGGESTION,
But Ger the cliff. headlong the living was thrown,
A scream and plashng. foam and fiash hing,
And the smothering water accomplished his slaugh-
All was silent. and was alone. tier,
With heart. thrilling spasm, glanced down the
There was blood on the wave that closed over
bis head,
And in bubbles his breathas he struggled with death
Rose up to the surface. l shuddered and fled.
With footsteps that staggered and countenance hag-
gard,
Isto'e to my dwelling, bewilder'd, aismay'd,
I'LL whispering steaithy and-''Psha! he was
Thou'rt his heir-no one saw thee-then be not
afraid"
summon'd the neighbors, Ijoined in their labors,
We sought for the missing by day and by night;
We ransacN'd each single heish and diugl.,
Till shoreward we wended, when starkly extended,
His corpse lay before us-O God, what sight
And yet there was nothing for terror or loathing:
The blood had heen washed from his face and his
cloththing,
But by no language, pen, his lse-like, wide open
Eyes can be printed
They stared at me, hared at angriy glared at me,
felt murder -attainted;
Yet my guilty commotion seem'd ruth and devotion
When l shudder'd and tainted.
More dare utter sound when an inquest was found
His death accidental;
Whence then and wherefore, ing nothing to care
These agonles mental? Ifor,
Why grieve and why sicken, frame -wither'd, soul
sicken?
Age-paralyzed, sickly, he must have died quickly,
Each day brought some new i'll; Iguish?
Why leave him to languish and struggle with an.
The deed that relieved him from all that aggriey ed
Was kindly, not cruel. Ihim
In procession extended funeral splendid,
With banner'd displays and escutcheons emilia.
To church slowly pass'd, Izon'd
When dread apparition astounded my vision;
Like an aspen leaf shaking, dun founded and qua.
stood all aghast! IS,ng
From its naird coffin prison, the corpse had arisen
And in all its shroud vesture, with ing ges
And eyeballs that stared at me, ared at me giared
at me,
II pointed-it f'outed its slayers, and shouted
In accents that thrilled me,
ss1hat ruthless diSSemhler, that guilt-stricken
Is the william who kili.d me =, Itrembler.
'Twas fancy's creation-mere hallucnaton-
A lucky deiusion, for again my confusion,
Quits evidence sinister, seem'd to people and
minister
The painful achievement OF grief and bereavement.
Then why these prohations, these self. condemna-
Incessant and fearful? Itions,
Some with impunity snatch opportunity,
Slay-and exult in conceament's Immunity.
Free from forhodirgs ard heartfelt corrot.ings,
They fear no disclosure, no public exposure,
Aud sleeping unhaunted and waking uudaunted,
Live happy and cheerful.
To scape the idea. let me dwel on the real.
La pauper SO lately,
IN abundance possessing 1ife's every blessing,
Fine steeds in my stale, rare wines my table,
Servants dressed gaiiy. choice hangur,s daily.
wife fond and heautifui, children mast dutiful,
I. pau; er 8" lately. live richly aud greatly,
In mansion house stately.
Lfs hlessings?- Oh, liar al, are curse most dire
In the midst Of my reve,s,
HIS eyes ever stare At fare at glare at me.
Before me when treaang my maaors out tspreading
There yawns an aby smal cliff precipice dismal;
Isolation has vanish'd. all silence is banished.
Where'er immew me, his death shrieks pursue
am haunted by devils. Ime,
My wine, clear and ruady tnrbid and bloody;
cannot quaf water-recallirg his slaughter.
NY terror it douhles-'tis bedded with bubbles,
Each filed with his breath.
And every glass in each hhisses-.Assassin!
My curse shall alright thee, haunt. harrow and
in life and in death'' tblight thee,
My daughters, their mother, contend with each
other
Who shall show most affection, be- soothe my de-
Revolving endearments their garments seem cerc.
mentS.
And shudder with loathing at their grave-tain,ed
clothing.
Home. and the mercies,
That to others are dearest, to me are the nearest
And dead lest curses.
When free from this error, thrill with the terror
(fhough horrid to dwell onD
That the wretch whom they cherish NAV shamef,,v
perish;
De publicly gibhcted, branded, exhibited.
AS murderous felon!
O punishment helsh the house Iemhellish
From centre to corner uphraids its adorner.
DOORS lowest crealling sweils into a shrieking;
Aea'nst me each column bears evidence solemn,
Each statues a Nemesis;
They follow, infest me, they strive to arrest me,
Till, in terrified sadness that verges on madness
IruSh from the premises.
Each rnrat sound seeming menace or screaming;
There l. not a bird or beast but Cries-uMurder!
THERE goes the offender!
Dog him. waylay him. encompass him, stay him,
And make him surrender!''
My aower-beds splendid seem eyes blood.distend-
Hrs eyes. ever storing, and faring, and glaring!
turn from them quickly but phantoms more schly
Drive me htther and thither:
wonsd forfeit most gladly wealth stolen so madly,
Quitting grandeur and revery to fly from this dew
But wh'her--oh! whittier? lilry,
Hence. idle deusions! hence fears and confuson 5!
Not single friends severance lessons mems rev.
erence,
No neghbor of rank quits my sumptuous banauets
Without ,auaing their donor;
Throughout the wide country I'm famed for my
All hold me in honor. Ibounty,
Let the dotard and craven by fear he enslaven.
They have vanished! How fast fly these images
When, in fir m self-reliance, Ighastly,
You determine on treating the brains sickly cheat
With scOrn and defiance! ling
Ha! ha! am fearless henceforward, and fearless,
No coinage Of fancy, no dream's necromancy,
Shall sadden and darken-God help me-hist!-
hearken!
'Tis the shrek, soul-apraing, he uttered when
q falling! .t'...e
BY day thus affr,ghted, 'tis worse when benghted;
With the clocks midnight boom from the church
o'er his tomb,
There comes sharp screaming, too fearful for
dreaming;
Bone fingers, unho!y, draw the foot-curtans slow.
ly-
God how they stare at me, fare at me, glare at
Those eyes OF Gorgon! Jme,
Beneath the clothes sinking, with shuddering
shrinking.
mental orgasm and bodily spasm
ConvulSe every organ.
Nerves thousand times stronger could bear it no
longer. @s
Grief,sicknes. .compuncion .dismay in conjunction,
Nights and days ghestpro'ific, more grim and ter
:...N.- al. ~