Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1866-01-03
WHOLE NUMBER 522.

became crazy, and I spoiled my work.
Yes! I injured the skins, by sticking
in the knife to the right and left; so
they put me out of doors. Then [
wished to get employment among the
butchers; they turned up their noses,
as bootmaker does at a cobbler.-
Seeing this, and my rage to butcher
passing away with my sixteenth year,
| began to look for my bread in an
other manner. [ did not find it very
soon, and then | tasted. Finally, 1
got employment in the quarrieS of
Mont Rouge; but at the end of two
years, | was almost used up in play
Ing the squirrel in the large wheel by
which we drew up the stones, at twen-
ty sous day. [ was tall and strong,
and | enlisted in regiment: they ask
ed me my name, my age, and for my
papers. My name ? Albino; my age /?
see my beard; my papers here is
the certificate of my master quarry
man. AS | made a first rate grena-
dier, | was enrolled. with your
strength, your courage, and your mania
to butcher, if there had been war in
those times, you might have become an
officer, said Rodolphe. Thunder! to
whom do you say it? To butcher an
Englishman or a Prussian would have
given different kind Of pleasure than
to kill an old horse. But there was
the difficulty; there was no war, and
there was no discipline. An appren-
tice may fetch a blow to his master We
ry well if he is the weakest, he takes
it; if he is the strongest, he gives it;
they turn him out Of doors, or send him
to .jail-nothing more But in the
service it is quite another thing. One
day my sergeant gave me blow in the
side of the head to make me obey more
quickly; he was right, for | was play
ing the truant: that made me mad, and
l kicked him; he pushed and [ push
ed he took me by the throat, and [
gave him a blow with my fist They
fell upon me; then my madness took
possession of me, my blood flew to my
eyes, and | saw red. [ had my knife
in my hand, for was in the kitchen,
and-and-I began to stab as at the
slaughter house | killed the sergeant,
| wounded two soldiers; real butche-
ryl eleven blows of the knife to the
three yes, eleven-blood-blood as
in the slaughter house,
The brigand let his head fall on his
breast, and remained for some time
with fixed and haggard look. What
are you thinking about, Chourineur p
asked Rodolphe, with an air Of inter-
est.
Nothing, nothing he answered,
roughly, and then went on with his
usual indifference. 4 was seized, iudg-
ed, and condemned to death You
escaped? !? No; but [ was sent for Is
years to the galleys instead of being
executed. | had forgotten to tell you,
that while belonged to the regiment
we were in garrison at Melun, where [
saved two comrades from drowning in
the Marne. Another time-you will
laugh, and say | am amphibious both
fortire and water; preSeryer of men
and women--another time, being in
garrison at Rouen. a fire broke out
among houses all of wood it burned
I like box of matches. | belonged to
the ire service we arrived at the fire
they told me that there was an old wo-
man who could not get out, and would
be burned. Iran thither. Thunder
/ how hot it was 1t made me remem-
Der the lime kiln of my early days !;
finally, [ saved the old creature. Nv
lawyer twisted his tongue so much, and
made such a talk, that my punishment
was changed, SO that, instead Of going
to the scaffold, | had fifteen years at
the galleys. When found that sho d
not be killed, my first idea was to jump
at the throat OF my attorney and choke
him! Can you understand that, my
mastery
Did you regret that your sentence
was committed p Yes! to those who
play with a knife, let the knife be Civ
en-; it is just. To those who steal,
irons on their legs. Each one his lot !:
but to make you live after you have as
sASsinated? hold! The judges don't
know what an effect that has at first
You have telt remorse, then, Chou
rineur
'Remorse p? no; for l served my time,
said the savage. But formerly there
was hardlya night that | did not see
the sergeant and soldier whom [ struck
pass before me in kind of nightmare
that is to say, not alone,not one, two, or
three, but by tens, hundreds, thousands,
waiting their turn in kind of slaugh-
ter house, like the horses that | had
butchered at Montfaucon. Then
would see red, and begin to strike, to
butcher these men like the horses for
merly; but the more | stabbed the SOL
dierS. the more they came back, and in
, dying they looked at me with eyes so
sOft-so soft, that | cursed myself for
, killing them: but could not stop N.Y.
self, And this was not all. | never
had brother, yet it seemed that all
these people that | assassinated were
my brothers; brothers whom [ could
have gone through fire to save. At
length, when | could stand it no longer,
awoke, drenched with cold sweat
a sweat as cold as frozen snow
That was an ugly dream, Chouri-
neurp
I 'Oh, yes. Well, when | first went
to the galleys, every night | had it
that dream! 1t was enough to make
one mad, so | tried to kill myself; once
by swallowing verdegris, and another
time | tried to hang myself IN my
!, chains. But am as strong as a bull:
atx1 -. i = -.,..- ,,,, do mo fixs~.,t fbat;-