North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1867-04-10
gelert gtory.
AMADMAN'S CONFEs SION.

4
| of the incurahle cannot penetrate the deep
walls of the C, lis in which their despair is
immured even the guardians Of the es-
tab'ishmrnt are asleep. Without, what
! S lence Tue immemOfial trees hung pen
dulous and molionl' S.; the last railway
with its monster eve of light, has thunder
ed by. The neighboring city seem like one
| vast mausolrum. over which the silent stars
are keeping watch ard ward, and weeping
silvery dew like angels tears. Only crime
and despair are slerpless.
To nv task. They allow me lamp
They are not afraid that the MADMAN will
fire his living tomb, AID perish in The ru-
ins. Wise men of Science. Cunning
callers of the human heart, yonr aecreeS
are infallible. am mad. But perhaps
some eager individual, whose eyes shall rest
upon these pages will pronounce different
sentence prrhaps he may be able TO dis
tinguish CRIME from MADNESS.
A vision of my youth Comes over me-a
happy boyhood, a Tree embowered home,
bahbling brooks. fertile laws-a fathers
bltsSing--a morher's kiss that was both JOY
and b!e<sing--a brother's brave and tender
| iriend-hp first love, that dearest, sweet
est, hottest charm OF all
Oh, God, that those things were and are
not 1t Is agony TO recall them.
Pass, too, the brief ely>an period Of
welded love. Julia sleeps ell in her
woodland grave. | was false to her mem
DRY.
Ifmy boyhood were happy, my manhood
was a meIa rch"lv oEe. A morbid temp.r-
am~nt, fostered by indulgence. dropped
| poison even in the cup of bliss. | loved
and hated with intensity.
To my W d3wed home CAM, after the
death of my wife my fair cousin Amy and
my young brother No man Both were
orphans ike myself. ANY was glorious
Young creature--my ani'hesls in every
respect. She WAS ligh' hearted, | was
melancholy; she was beautiful, | ilI-favor
ed she Mas Young, | past the middle age
of life, arrived al that period when philns-
ophers falsely tell us that the pulse bat~
moderately, the blood flows trmperately.
and the heart is tranq il Fools tue tI"rce
passions OF the soul belong not to the peri
I'D uf lourh or early maChood. But let
my story illustrate nv position.
| Amy flied my home with mirth and
music. She rose with thr lark, and carol
I'd gaily the livrloug dav, TIL like a Child
tired OF her play. she sank from very cx
haus,ion on her pure and peaceful couch
Norman was her playmate. In earl Y man
hood he retained the buOyant and e aStic
spirit of his youth His was one of thos"
natures which never grow oil. Have you
ever noricrd one of those aged men. WHOSE
fresh cheeks aud bright eyes and ardent
sympathy with all that is youthful and An
| imated. belle the chronicle of time? Such
might have been the age of Norman, had
not but am anticipating.
Between my cold and exhausted nature.
aud Amy's warm, fresh heart, yOn might
have supposed there would have hecn no
union. Yet >he loved me warmly and well
10, cd me As friend and father. | re-
turned her pure and innocent affection
with fierce passion. !ongel to possess
her. TIE memory of her | had lost was
but as breath on the surface of a steel
mirror, which heat displaces and obliter-
ates
was not long in perc living the exact
| Atate Of her feelings towards me, and with
that knowledge came the instantaneous
conviction of her fondnrss tor nv brother,
So we'll calculated to inspire young girls
| love. watched them with the keen and
angry eye ofjealousv. followed them
in their walks. played the eavrs dr"pper,
and caught up thu words f their innocent
convers ition, endeavOring to turn them TO
their disadvantage. BY degrees came to
| hate Norman; and what equals in intensi
ty brothers hate ? 1t snrpasses the hate
J of woman.
Iu the insanity of nv passions--then |
WAS indeed inSan---I sought tn rival nv
brohrr in all those things in which he Was
nv superior. He was fond &c fell sports,
and master Of sIl athletic exercises; he
Was fond of bringing home the trophies of
his m,nlv ski and di-plrving them at the
feet of h mistress. H could bring down
the hawk from the clouds, or arrest the ca
reer of the de r in full spring. | practiced
shooting, aud ia lei mis-rahIy. His good
patured smile At my mslidroitn"ss | treas
urpd up As deadly wrong. While he rode
fearIes,lsv trenbied at the thought of
leap. Fl" danced gracefully and lightly
nv awkward at mpt At dancing made both
Amy and her !oyer smile.
But in the mental accomplishment was
the superior of Norman; and in my CA
pacity Of telchrr, both TO Amy and NV
brother. had ample opportunity of display
ing the powers of nv mind,
Amy was gifted with quick intelligence
Norman was dull scholar. What pleas
ure took in hnmbing lGm in The eyes of
his mistress! what asp"ritv and sc"rn |
threw into my pedantic rebnkes Norman
was sstonlsled and wounded at my man
ner. As he was in good degree depend
ent on me, as he owed to me his nature,
sustensnce. and training. j took advan
fu0a of one r.i.,;ra Dos;tion With well