The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1861-02-14

who killed your DARING ana 04C CharlOtte S
come TO help you" Il
d" Your -ss-.zzsze
Like enough in seme things" said the old
woman steadily " You've no more pleasure in
life, 40 more have you We one object, mines
the same, only my reasons the best Find out
what you may, you cant bring back the dead /;
but wear Cain black brand, and that's an
ugIymask to die in ; I won't if / can help it,
Charles stood looking at her with an amaze
ment he did not care to hide; something In the
woman S altered manner impressed him favora
bly, despite himself His thoughts held rapid
council If the hag were guilty, and were really
prey to that fearful form of mania which could
alone account for such cruel crimes, lie bad no
fear for hinself,an might evenly examination
and ANALYSIS, obtain some clew to her alleged
practices. Ii she were innocent, she might al
ford him important aid in his investigation
Some attendant he absolutely required. In fine,
he accedad TO her proposal, an directed her to
take up her residence in the house as before.
feeling he could not define determined
Charles to sleep that night in the Angel-cham-
Der II was there that Mary had experienced
5he first mysterious yisitahon-there, on his
bosom, breathed her last gentle sigh,
As he lay down, though with little hope of
rest, be could not resist uttering fcr"ent
prayer Hint the terrible influence might reveal
itsef to him. also. no matter with what peril &C
conpauied, so that he might but anaiyze its
igarttd nature and guaeo is destroying power
Ills desire wss fulfilled; it must have been
about Two o'clock when Charles awoke with
staIt,Under tho impression that hand had been
upon his face Bat such hand Ii could
have belonged TO no living human thing
Horrible "a ii eecms, it ike that of apatrid
corpse His mouth, his nose, his eyes, ms
! throat, We're choked and smarting with some
fearful efluvis. his pulse went irregularly, his
very soul sickeDed within him.
I Annesley was man of cool, intrepid na-
/ ture and Of the strongest nerves. Despite his
| confusion, he rose and wrestled with the Ter
ror, as if it were living foe that had nearly
mastered hir-a moment and the victory was
/ won. Slowly and reluctantly, as though baf-
fed in its assault, the horrible fear, whose pres
ence ne almost fell, relaxed its hold and Quilted
him.
/ Charles instinctiyeIy staggered forward as in
pursuit, reached the window, and throwing it
up, gaze forth into the calm, cold night.
Whence, whence, 0 Homor?' he gasped.
The next moment, with countenance deadly
white ne reclosed the window, and returned to
| bis bed
4 In that instant. the Horror, the Ghost, had
revealed itself to him, as he had desired.
| But Charles would have further proof and
witnesses too.
!
cat some portion of the breakfast he found com
iortably prepared for him in the library, Charles
summoned old Charlotte to conference.
He began by tracing as minuteiy as possible
the history Of later illnesses and deaths. begin
ming with the death of his mother, which event
occurred during his absence abroad In this
! lie received most material assistance from Mr..
Aawry, for whom ho sent during the morning,
ard who, after overcoming his astonishmment
at finding Old Charlotte a member of the coun-
| Gil, entered with ali zeal into the inquiry.
The result proved that the same extraOrdiDa-
ry symptoms had been evolved i'll every case
namely severe nervous, semi cataleptic attacks,
prostration of strength, mental depression, decay
Of the vital powers, aud death-Mawry declar-
ing himself utterly unable to account either far
the origin Of the dis ase or for the rapidity and
certainty with which, once conceived, it hurried
the victims to their end.
On receiving he information he had gather
cd Annesley was struck with one singular fea-
ture in the case, the prediction evinced by
every patient in turn for the Angel chamber II
seemed q fatal fancy for, certainly, WI atever
soothing influence it might exercise on the
minds of the invalids, was not reflected in their
bodies. On the cor trary, every one became
rapidly worse and the mysterious Terror though
its recurrence grew more and more frequent,
seemed gradually o lose its intensity, in pro-
! portion as the physical health declined, until it
/ left the last days Of The sufferer wholly uudis-
turbed.
- Noag," said Charles, as with a deep sigh
/ he raised his pale face from his hands, after n
minutes meditation, " come with me- and
will show you the Horror in the House.
He walked, followed by the others, straight
/ to TIE Angel-room There ii shone, with its
regal couch, It's superb mirrors, its glowing cab
I NETS It's purple curtains. Charles threw up
! the window, admitting the soft fresh breeze.
Does this, he asked, :" look like pest-
lence palace-a house Of pain and death z"
He struck upon enc Of the giided panels az
! he spoke it returned hollow sound, like an
echo of the last word, " DEATH
The next moment Charles caught up poker
from the fire place and dashed in the panel.
Stoop down" he said to Mawry.
The latter did so; but started back in horror,
as sicksning, loathsome odor peryaded the
apartment, as from newly opened grave.
There indeed lap the secret Of the Horror
Gut Of that panel crept the unseen destroyer
that sucked away the BREATH the life, ofno less
shan FIVE victims.
The Angelchamber had originally been in
tended as luxurious bathroom, and pipe had
been, prepared, the other extremity Of which
had vent in the sloping bank Of the adjacent
cemetery, long since become one mass of cor
rupting human clay. Thus this fatal conduit,
Itself decayed, winding among broken vaults
and Wondering mausoeums, gathered up the
noxious calculations, and poured them into the
golden room. BY what atmospheric changes
or movements in the earth, the amount of mi
asma thus transmitted was governed and mod
flied, cannot Of course be known but that the
poison varied greatly in quantity and strength
was sufficiently proved by the fact that atten
ton was never attracted to the vitiatiated at
mosphere of the spacious and seemingly wei
ventilated room.
The panel which conclealed The mouth of the
! pipe was low down, exactly on a level with the
head Of one sleeping in the Angelbed, anC
| probably distant from it but three or four feet
| An almost imperceptible crevice in the thin pan
Ell must have projected that baneful breath int
the seepers face as certainly and as it proved
) az fatally as the Juice OF crushed hebernon,
dropped FROM the phial Of the Danish regiclde
No marvel that the end was rapid. To turn tht
face to that wall was indeed to bid adieu to life
its hopes, its troubles, and its cares.
: Those most remarkable symptoms have hat