The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1863-06-25
n discovery %

I
From this ridiculous rhodomontade, per-
lceived that my pleasant eccentric travelling
fconpanior was raving maniac what was
| I to do? | could not move hand or foot, or
/ even speak. and the mailman was arranging
ON +be scat in front of me collection Of bright
e+aal instruments which he took from the
| r,abooanv hox which [ have mentioned be-
fore Was there any hope for me? | tried
to remember how long it was after we left
M---before l.went asleep, as | thought if we
rot to F-the maniac would be discovered,
and I should be relieved from the horrible
death which now seemed imminent but as
| had been doing for some time before | went
regularly off to sleep, found that could not
| in the least remember wl1at time had passed
After some time spent in preparing his in
struments, my prosecutor began to prepare
me by unbuttoning my waistcoat and barring
my breast At length, everything seemed to
| be to his satisfaction, and he took up a sharp,
| keen-b laded knife. | shall never forget my
! sensations when saw that little glittering
, instrument, SO soon to be died with my blood.
! | felt cold shudder run all through my body,
and longed to close my eyes but they SEEM
| ed TO keep open by sort Of horrible fascina-
ton. After trying the edge Of the knife and
preparing a cloth, and giving one iinal look
| to his instruments, my eccentric friend press
ed his finger close above my heart and said
This is how I am going to manage it, my
friend; am going to cut circle in the flesh
about the heart, with this knife it will not
hurt much, as I shall only just cut through
the skin, and the knife is exceedingly sharp
/ shall then proceed to dig deeper with this
instrument, and finally extract the heart with
this -
The reader may imagine my sensations du-
ing this cold blooded recital, for am utterly
unable to describe them but when the sharp
steel frst4piereed my flesh, andeigfelt the
warm blood flowing out, all my past life seem
ed to pass before my mind in moment Of
time only to make my desire Of still living,
and the horror of an ignominious death ten
fold. Hi III tt.EtEt q &
/ Slowly the sharp knife plowod in my flesh,
| making my blood freeze in my veins and my
eyebaIs burn and feel ready to hurst from
their sockets, and nowI felt my reason grad
ually leaving me; the strain upon my nerves
was too mdch--that they must give way /;
but I considered that, if they did. my only
hope would be gone; for if moved | should
| be cholIed with the rope round my neck.
Slowly the sharp steel, impelled bya steady
hand, continued its deadly course !; and now
the circle was nearly accomplished, when |
felt that the speed of the train was being
gradually diminished A ray of hope illum-
mated my breast. looked into my conpan-
ions eyes to see if he too noticed that we were
nearing e.; but he was too intent on his
horrible work -15sJ 1892 H#-s
At length heileaned back, and said
''Ihere.now, only-about an inch more, and
! 'shall commence the deep cutting ?" q
Only about an inch! And the station was
yet some way off. Only about an inch My
life hung upon the merest thread.
It was not long that the experimenter adj
'ni'ed his diaboIical work, he soon fell to it
again; but saw the lights of F--Station
| flash past the windows If the carriage.
saw a strange arm seze my tormentor; |
heard loud and appalling cry like that of a
! haitlel Wild beast, and became insensibie,
For weeks after this lay between life and
death, in brain fever. brought on by the
intense excitement and fear of those twenty
minutes ---, - --~ $50
| afterwards learned that my pleasant com
| pani0n had been doctor and surgeon, but
| that when he was young man and just mar
fried, having performed an operation on his
wife to remove a cancer, of which she after
wards died, he went ont of his mind, and had
ever since been attempting to escape in order
| that he lnight perform the dreadful expert
mcut which so nearly resulted in my death.