Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1850-11-22
The Fatal Secret.
BY DANIEL WEBSTER.


An aged man, without an enemy in
the world, in his own house, and in his
4 own bed, is made the victim of butch
erly murder, for mere pay. Deep sleep
had fallen on the destined victim, and on
all beneath his roof A healthful old
man, TO whom sleep was sweet, the first
sound slumbers of the night held him in
their soft But strong embrace. The as
sassin enters, through the window alrea-
| dy prepared, into an unoccupied apart
ment. With noiseless foot he PAGES the
lonely hall, half lighted by the moon; he
winds up the ascent Of the stairs, and
reaches the door OF the chamber. Of
this, he moves The lock, by safe and con-
tinued pressure. till il turns on its hinges
without noise; and he enters, and beholds
his victim before him. The room was
uncommonly open to the admission of
light. The face of the inaocent sleeper
vas turned fromssthe murderer, and the
beams of the moon, resting on the grey
locks of his aged temple, showed him
where to strike. The fatal blow is Civ
en-! and the victim passes, withouta strug-
gle or motion, from the repose of sleep
to the repose Of death! II is the assas-
sins purpose TO make sure work; and
| he yet plies the dagger, though it was
obvious that life had been destroyed by
the bludgeon. lie even raises his aged
arm, that he may not fail in his aim at
the heart, and replaces it again over the
wounds of the poignard lie feels for
it, and asceriains that it beats no longer!
It is accomplished. The deed is done.
He retreats, retraces his steps to the VIM
dow, passes out through il as he came in,
and escapes. He has done the murder
no eye has seen him, no ear has heard
him. The secret is his own, and it is
safe
All! gentlemen that was a dreadful
mistake. Such secret can be safe no
where. The whole creation OF God
has neither nook or corner where the
guilty can bestow it, and say it is safe.
Not to speak of that eye which glances
through all DISCUSSES, and beholds every
thing as in the splendor of the moon,
such secrets of guilt are never safe from
detection even by men. True it is, gem
orally speaking, that "murder will out. -
True it is, that Providence has SO ordain-
ed. and doth so govern things, that those
who break the law Of heaven, by she'd
ding mans blood, seldom succeed in
avoiding discovery. Especially, in a
case exciting so much attention as this,
discovery mus: come, and will come
sooner or later. A thousand eyes turn
at once to explore every man, every thing,
every circumstance connected with the
time and place; thousand ears catch ev-
cry whisper; thousand excited minds
intensely dwell on the scene, shedding
all their light, and ready to kindle the
slightest circumstance into blaze oil
discovery. Meantime the guilty soul
cannot keep its own secret. 1t is false
TO itself. 1t labors under its guilty pos
session, and knows not what to do with
it. The human heart was not made for
such an inhabitant. 1t finds itself prey
ed on by torment which it dares not
acknowledge to God or man. A vulture
is devouring it, and it can ask no sympa-
thy or assistance, either from heaven or
earth. The secret which the murderer
possesses, soon comes to possess him;
and like the evil spirits Of which we
read, il oyercomes him, and leads him
whilherscever il will. He feels it beat
ing at his heart, rising TO his throat, and
demanding disclosure. He thinks the
whole world sees il in his face, reads it
in his eyes, and almost hears its working
in the silence of his thoughts. 1t has be-
came his master. 1t betrays his discrc-
lion. ii breaks down his courage, it con-
quers his prudence. When suspicious
from without begin to emoarrass him,
the fatal secret struggles with still great
er violence to burst forth. Ii must be
| confessed, ii ,ciH be confessed, there is
no refuge from confession but suicide,
and suicide is confession.