Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-11-08
THE CONFESSION.
Pound among the papers of deceased Prussian
Judge

This is my last night and standing as do
on the brink Of eternity, / will ill ND the few
hours that intervene before my execution takes
place, in writing down the history of my pro
gress In crime, and how, step by step, reached
this dungeon. May il be accepted as an act of
stonenent on my part, and at the same time
serve as q warning to others,
was q forward child, of q sullen suspicious
character, and / afterwards became a rough
soldier during couple Of campaigns, at the
close OF which, peace having succeeded war,
left ths service to farm a small estate which nv
wife had inherited. Soon after my return from
the army, my brother sickenedr and died. He
was an open-hearted, noble fellow far better
looking than myself and universally beloved
All who ever sought my acquaintance, whether
at home or abroad, from being his friends, sell
dom took kindly to me, and generally observed
the first time they saw me, that never were two
brothers more unlike, both in person and man
ners.
We had married two sisters; and this circum-
stance, which ought to have been an additional
bond between US, only contributed to estrange
us still more. His wife saw through NV cbsr-
acter but too well, and L always felt. whenever
gave way to bad impulse of envy or hatred
In her presence, as if she read my thoughts like
an open book. 1t was a relief to me when the
coolness betweea US ended in an open rupture
and still greater relief when heard of her
death, while was with my regiment abroad.
II now seems to me as though / had PRESENT.
ment Of the dreadful tragedy thar was IN tska
place! dreaded her, and she seemed to pursue
me-ay. even now L see her reproachful ewes
upon me, and freezing up nv blood She died
shortly after giving birth to a child. When nav
orother In turn fellll, and his life was despaired
OF, ne summoned my wife to his bedside, and
lntrusted has little orphan, boy four years old
10 ner protecting care. lie bequeathed all his
property to him, stating in bis will that should
the child die, his fortune should deyoIye ON NV
e.. ha
afectlonate kindness Then, after exchanging
Few fraternal words with me- and ragrettinS
our long estrangement, he fell back exhausted
awoke.
As we had no children and the two sisters had
always been very united, my wife loved this
boy as II he had been her own He was pas
sionsteiy fond OF her, but being the true pic
ture OF his mother, both in mi nd and person.
could never, somehow, take kindly to me. /
Sannot M any particular period at which l
nIst became aware of this kind of antipathy ON
his part, butt soon began to feel uneasy when
ever ne was present As often as / awoke ont
OF train OF gloomy thoughts, there was that
enllo staring at me, not merely with the in
CURING gaze OF childhood, but with the pierc-
Ius Iooh, 50 Iuii OF meaning that used TO annoy
Inc so in his mother. 1t was not merely an
empty fancy OF mine, attributable to his strong
hkeness to his deceased parent for 1 never
could stare him down, let me look a. fierce as
might He was evidently afraid of me, in
spite OF which he seemed to have imbibed a he
reditary contempt for me.
L may deceive myself-and vet 7 do not think
tnat Intended at that period to do him auy
harm Ii might, perhaps, occur to me how ai-
yantageous it would be for US TO inherit the
boy property and might secretly wish him
70 us sun, L DO not think had the least idea
oil taxing away biz life. The idea came very
slowly, At hrst, and merely in the dim and dis
tsht outline which we set q vision Of an i'm
penang earthquake, or the day of the Last
Judgment-then it approached nearer and still
nearer, and began to lose q portion of it's hor-
ror and improbability, and after assnming a
more definite shape, IL became the constant
theme Of my specuIstions When these fouI
Pnantoms crossed my brain, could not bear
tnat the boy should perceive was staring at
MIN yet oy kind VI fascination, could not
neiP gazing On his fragile form and thinking
how easy the work Of destruction would he 2
Sometimes l watched him in his sleep, but Of
tener Ill from the garden, as erouched behind
the bushes, glaring, like tiger On his prev. into
tne parior, where he sat learning his lesson on
low stool, beside my wife's knee
lose 70 our country house lay deep pool,
Out IL was not visible from our window I spent
several days in carving rou gh model of a bost
Win my PensnLfe; and when il was complete,
Purposeiy left il in the child's way 4 then hid
myself near the pool in q spot that he must pass
oy' IN case ne came 10 see the little toy aaoat
On .Ie sster. But he came neither on that
nor the following day. Still felt certain he
was In my tolls, for had heard him pirate
ABOUT MS toy, which be had even taken to bed
win nlm waited patiently and on the third
day L could see him from my hiding place
come running along jOyously, with his silken
locks streaming in the wind, and singing-pOor
cahd-a merry tune, though he would scarcely
lisp the words. L stole behind him, beneath
some bushes that grew near the bank and the
EVIL Une knows how 1, strong, grown man.
tremoled IN every limb as l followed the foot
steps OF this little child, while he approached
the waters brink. was close behind him.
crouehlng on my knees and was raisino NV
hand 10 push him in, when he saw nv shallow
In the water, and turned round.
Ills mothers spirit CLEANED forth from his
eyes 4he sun now burst forth from behind a
clouo, turning the water into a sheet of moItaD
gold. Everything sparkled as If all notura
mad eyes L don'I know what the bow said
thougn so young he did not fawu upon me nor
Try 70 sooth me; all that recollect was that
be screamed out, not that he loved me. but
that ne would try to love me ;" and then he
ran back to the house as fast as he could
Tbe next time / saw him nv sword was :,
my hand, and he was laying stiff and cold at
my ieet- took him III in my arms and laid
him gently in thIcket. My wife was not AT
nome mat day, nor was she 10 return until the
noiro"I our bedroom window, the only one
on this side Of the house, being but few fact
from the ground, resolved to get through il
in the middle Of the night, and bury INV vic.
tim IN the garden. / had not the slightest
iiea, at that moment, that | had frustrated n v
own scheme: and that when the POOL would b,
dragged and no body forthcoming, the property
must remain in abeyance as meant tn SON.
confirm the belief that the child was lost q, had
been stolen. For the present, all my thoughts
were centred on the necessity of hiding clue
TO my crime. 0N0
What endured when the servants came and
the messengers dispatched in aI1 5;rs.,;ans
returned to inform me their search had been in
VAIN, no words can possibly describe That
same night buried him But now the worst
remained to be done; and that was to face NV
Wne, ana give her hopes that the child would
such show Of sincerity, As believe. that no
suspicion rested upon me. The next thing /
dld vas to seat myself at the bedroom win.
dow, from whence could watch. Ali dsy long