Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1854-07-05
Criminal StOrp.
Humorous Charcoal Sketches,
Drapa for he Spirit cfthe Age,
ny MAJOR ORIGINAL.
THE 0'EI ANAGAN

riosity to kHOU every bodys secrets anu
business was intolcrable, and the p~ropensi-
~ sometimes led her into curious ad-
ventures.
What we arc about to relate of the widow
happened when our old and tried friend,
DIR. Phlebotomy, was attending his first
course Of Medical Lectures, and irshall be
for the main part in his own words. Here
follows the sketch
You know, Major, that / have told you
fifty times that boarded with the Widow
0'Flanagan at the corner of Rice Street
and Tenth Avenue. She was a good land
lady, but an awful woman, and her four
daughters were chips Of the old block
Not a pocket of any garment left in our
room could remain unsearched, not an
available letter left unread, not q word of
conversation pass between us without one
Of the five softly breathing at the kcy-holes
Of our door telling US that We were caves
dropped. 1t was an intolcrable vexation,
and if we could have raised the necessary
funds 10 pay up our boarding arrearages
we should have left her without ceremony,
but our indulgent Pas had not made us
the necessary rcmittances, so the evil had
to be endured. We resolved to break her of
her morid curiosity, and we well knew
from our little smattering of Medical lore
. that a desperate remedy would be required
for hers was a desperate disease. But to
try we determined.
The Boarding House was a large frame,
with a flight Of steps on the outside, reach
ing from the sidewalk TO the second story.
This was a c0npenience more for the family
than the boardcrs, as they could ascend
to their rooms without disturbing the fam
lily by late arrivals at night. The door at
the head Of this flight was at all times safe
ly bolted by a dead latch which could be
raised with the "%nightkey" from without,
and each Of the boarders carried one of
these Indispensable along with his other
pocket treasures. The lectures were in
full blast and we were busily engaged until
a late hour every night at the dissecting
rooms, prosecuting the sublime investiga-
tons Of Anatomy. The "subject' we
we're engaged upon was one of the most
frightful aud hideous specimens of decay
ing mortality that my eyes ever beheld.-
He had been a hardened wretch in crime,
had run his race, died in prison and by
some strange metamorphosis o~fevents we be-
came the legal possessors of his bones and
muscles. A glimpse of his CHASTITY coun,
tenance was enough to give a pirate the In
flexible nightmare. He was an Albino
or white negro. With his horrid face W.
determined to terrify the curiosity-stricke
widow O'Flanagan into womauly propriety
With our sharp scalpels we soon Stripe,
the face with all its horrid aPPendages froI
old apron 80 as to give the distorted fe;
lures a natural prominence, we then care
fully enveloped the whole in a number {
papers and secured one after another wit
mysterious knots and ligatures, so that tn
curiosity of the widow should be excited I
TIE highest pitch before she reached til
kernel. At our usual hour we returne
home carrying the ghostly fright along wit
US with many q shudder as we passe
through dark places along the Streets
The inveterate searcher had been befol
us; for with all her care in restoring thing
Just as she found them, evidences Of h,
spoilation were left behind. Maledictiol
were vented against her, and a swe,
chuckle ran around the room that the ne!
night should be our trump.
The next night came. It was a col
snowy, disagreeable night as ever happene
At the tea table We held a conversatiC
among ourselves in the presence Of Il
widow upon the disagreeable state Of Il
weather and how unpleasant it would be
walk to the college that night, but our co
clusion was that duty stood before t
Wedther, so VIZ must 60 to the College. Y
went to our room and laid the mysterio
package upon our centre. table, a Tempt
bait for the widow. We made a grC
noise as We went down the outside ste
that night to assure the old lady that
were really gone, and that our premi
were vacant and soliciting her cxploratit
We went no farther than Blecker's II
however, aud stopped at a celebrated r.
%taurant and after smoking a cigar W. c.
cluded that by that time the searcher '
fully engaged in investigating the conter
of our pockets and boxes. We hurr
home and erept softly up the stairs to
door which we bad left ajar anxious to v
ness the deRoument. We were not deceiv
in our calculations as regards time
was there.
She had the package in her hand stu,
ing the character of the knots and ligatul
sothat when she was done examining its G
tents she might restore it to its original
pearance. She stood with her back to
door and we stood in almost breathless
lence, watching her movements. Now
began to unite and unrol the wrapper
another and another was removed until
came to the oil silk. a CLEAN of sa
faction shot over her cheek as she saw
was coming to the long sought for. III
she stood. Her spectacles crowded u
her eyes and almost buried in her thin n
her long neck elongated as she bent
the bundle now lying on the table,
withered lips parted, showing a n at
dance Of big gums and old snags-the
bodiment Of all curious old women in
hour Of a gratifying curiosity. The
roll was unbound-our hearts throbbed
leaped-I shall never forget the express
Of the old lady's co~untonance as the no
spectre looked up from its CHASTITY W
eyes from the table.
She was q woman Of iron nerve she
not faint or scream as we had hoped,
she stood there bent over it as if she W
gaze upon it forever.
We we're mortified to think our well
scheme had failed. We rushed into
presence, determined to express our il