The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-05-18

TAN0E. 81 TYRANrs rs oBEpIENcE T . 9 Q D. ..-un-..
RAVENNA. oHIo:--- WEDNESDAY. MAY IS. 1859.

T
Mr. Higgins. not raising his look from the fire
bat gazing on. his eyes dilated till the whites
were seen all around them. "A terrible mur
der! wonder what will become of the mur
derers / can farcs the red glowing centre OF
that fire-look and see how infinitely distant it
seems aud how the distance magni6es it into
something awful and unquenchable.'
MY dear sir. you are feverish?s how you
shake and shiverr said Mr.. Davis. thinking
privately that his companion had symptoms of
fever, and that he was wandering.
Oh, nor said Mr.. Higgings 4 am not fe-
verisb. It is the night which is so cold.'-
And for time he talked with Mr. Davis abont
the articles iu the Gentleman's Magazine. for
be was rather reader himself, and could take
more interest in Mr. Davis's pursuits then mos
OF the people at Barford At length it drew
near to ten, and Mr.. Davis rose up to go home
to his lodgings lsas lrii5a
No. Davis don't go. I want voa here -
We will have bottle of port together, and
thai will put Saunders in good humor r
want to tell you about this murder he con-
tinued. dropping hisvoice, and speaking hoarse
and low. She was an old woman and he kill
ed her, sitting reading her hihle BY her own
.6residep He looked at Mr. Davis with a
strange searching gaze. as if trsingto 6nd
some sympathy in the horro which the idea
presented to him.
who do you mean. my dear sir2 What is
this murder you are go full OFF No one has
been murdered here.'
No, you fool! 1 tell you it was in Bathr
said Mr.. Higgins, with sudden passion; and
then calming himself to most velvet smooth
ness of manner he laid his hand ON Mr. Davis's
knee, there. as they sat By the fire. and gent
" deiaining him, began the narration of the
crime he was so full of: but his voice and man
ner were constrained to a stony qnietnde: he
never looked in Mr. Davis's face; onre or twice,
as MIR. Davis remembered afterwards, his grip
frightened like COMPRISING vice.
She lived in small house in quiet old
fashioned street, she and her maid. People
said she was a good old woman bnt for all
that she boarded. and never gave TO the poor
Mr. Davis, it is wicked not to give to the poor
-wicked-wicked is it not2 I always give
to the poor, for once read in the Bible that
Charity eovereth multitude of sins The
wicked old woman never gave. hut boarded
her money, and saved and saved. Some one
heard of it; say she threw temptation in
1 -,,, ,nJ n, ~ I'LL -, n;,b ho, 81, IL
this manor it might be woman. who
knows?- and this persoE-heard also that she
went to church in the morning. and her maid
in the afternoon; and so-while the maid was
still, and the darkness of winter afternoon
coming on-she was noddiug over the Bible
and that mark you! is sin, and one that Ged
will avenge sooner or later; and step came
you of. stood in the room. At first he--noi
At first, it is supposed-for you understand,
all this is mere guess work, it is supposed that
he asked her civi.ly enough to give him her
money or tell where it was; but the ole miser
de6e6 him. and would not ask for mercy and
| give up her keys, even when he threatened her,
but looked on him in the face as if he had
been babylon, God! Mr. Davis, once
dreampt when / was little innocent boy
THAT should commit crime like this, and |
walked up crying; and my mother comforted
me-ihat is the reason tremble so nov, tina,
and the cold for it is very, very cold!
But did he murder the old LADY,? askdd
Mr. Davis, ! beg your pardon, sir, but l am
interested by your story =. n y.9ss-. g..
Yes, he cut her throat; and there she lies
vet in her quiet little parlor, with face npturn
ed aud all ghastly white. in the middle OF a
pool of blood Mr. Davis. this wiue is no bet.
ter than water; l must have some brandyH
Mr.. Davis was borrow struck by the story
which seemedto have fascinated him as muct
as it had done his companion.
Have tn got any clue to the murderer
faaid he. Mr.. Higgins drank down half tum
bier of raw brandy before he answered.
No! no clue whatever They will neve
be able to discover him. and l should no
wonder-Mr. Davis-I shonld not wonder
be repented after all, and did bitter penanct
for his crime; and if so-will there be mercy
for him at the last dav3'
God knows said Mr. Davis with solemnity
1T is an awful story continued he rousisi,
himself; 4 hardly like to leave this warm ligh
room and go out into the darkness after hear
I ing it. But it must be done buttoning ol
!. his great coat can only say hope ant
8 trust they will find out the murderer and han
f him. If you'll take my advice, you'll hav
f your bed warmed, and drink treacle posse
? just the last thing; and, if you'll allow me, +
d send you my answer to Philologus before
D goes up to old Urban D.
s The next morning Mr. Davis went to call o
t Miss Pratt. who was not very well; and by wa
g of being agreeable and entertaining, he relal
ed to her all he heard the night before abou
e the murder iu Bath; and really be made yer
!. pretty connected story out of it. and Interest
e. ed Miss Pratt very much in the fate of the oi
s lady partly because OF similarity in thei
8 situations; for she also boarded money. and ha
8 but one servant, and stopped at home alon
/; on Sunday afternoons to allow her servant /
e goto church
e And when did all this happenP she asked.
g i don't know if MIR. Higgins named th
|. day; and yet ] think it must have been th
e. very last Sunday
:; And to day is Wednesday. Ill news tra'
d els FAST
i Yes, Mr.. Higgins thought it might hay
o been in the London newspaper