Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1865-04-05

they endured her insane caprices, and be-
lieved that time would rectify her de-
rangement At last howoter, a danger
Gus outbreak convinced them that they
could no longer pursue the course which
( their affection had dictated and Cathe-
rine Merivale was placed under my faith
er's care
Her madness now declared itself in .
single strange delusion. She imagined
that her family had been forcibly expelled
from their old home-this very house
and that II was her mission ard destiny to
execute the vengenoo Of Heaven against
the unjust and merci7ess intruder.
During the last few months the poor
lady's health had apparently improved
/ She had become more calm THAI formerly;
and my father and myself both hoped and
/ believed that her cure would ultimately be
effected The restraints ut first imposed
were gradually slackencd, and she ap-
peared still further to benefit by increased
{ freedom
/ 81 am now satisfied that this more mod
crate conduct was the result Of that deep
cunning which not unfrequently attends
madness, and that it was intended to dis
arm our suspicious and facilitate an es-
/ cape Three days ago the poor woman
suddenly disappeared from the asylum;
/ and her flight was accomplished in n man
ner which displayed the most remarkable
ingenuity and foTethou@ht.
/ Until to-day we were on q completely
wrong scent in the pursuit This morn
ing, however, while rejecting on tho spe-
cial nature Of Miss Mcrivalcs delusion, i.
struck ne as highly probable that she
might have fed to Heathfeld By the
help Of an intelligent detective officer I
! have verified my suspicious, and tracked
the poor unatic to this place And now
/ / have only to add that, from the descrip-
/ ton you gave Of your nightly visitations,
! | can not doubt that sho is under this
very roof The comparative emptiness Of
the house, and her thorough knowledge Of
/ the premises, have no doubt facilitated
| her concealment We have both of us
/
/ Providence that the inte nsity of her de-
/ lusion-under which she regards herself
as the avcnginG angel of the Most High
has led her to delay the deed Of blood
! (Which be sure she would have perpetrat-
ell at LAST, and 10 utter, by way of pre-
face pompous threats and prophecies in
token of her imagined divine commits
sion"
On listening to this extraordinary mar
rative my feelings, as may be supposed,
ware those cr mingled pity, horror, relief,
and gratitude All was now clear to mo
as day. The face that had seen was, rs
/ at last realized, Enthusiastically that of
! the Catherine Merivale with whom had
/ played as q child and thas the painful
burden Ct my late oppressive doubt was
wholly removed The poor lunatic hnd
probably arrived ut Heathfcld the same
evening as myself; had watched me to ths
party and back pursued me to my cham
ber-irnagininc me (the luckless vi,itor) to
be the actual owner Of the house, whom
it was her mission to expel or destroy
/
ing and securing the dangerous inmate
Her capture was accomplished by the de-
tcctive officer, who, under the instructions
Of say friend, personatcd with wonderful
skill and co0lncss a second ayencing angel.
and drew the unhappy lunatic from her
place OF concealment by means Of bom-
bastic phrascology, in which the counsel
OF sister-spirit was offered, and coopera-
ton in the act Of vengence assured. Thus
the madwoman's delusion was made to &C
complish her capture.
Once secured, she was treated with tho
tenderest consideration and when sho
had been removed to place Of safety "a
neighboring asylum for the night, my
friend returned to me, and we examined
together the rooms in which she had eI-
patiated
Since the strange reports concerning
me had alone prompted that icy note from
Edilh's father, the facts which confuted
these reports restored me to my previous
position in the prudent parents estima-
ton. Filth, moreover, took to her bed
on r1y account and s5 inclined her papn
for an opening Of negotiations. Ny love
70. the gentle girl enabled ne to detect
ny opportunity and to seize it with avidi-
ty. Ny comfortable private fortune and
fair professional prospects, at length told
favorably upon tho somewhat calculating
old gentleman; SO that when, having
found new chambers | returned to town,
nv troubled tenancy" had yielded mo
two benefits, viz: the subject for story.
and Cunder parental sauetion) the prom'
Of wife q
2 Fraudulent RErCRE =
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