Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1867-04-12

prehend. Whenever I sat II would crouch be
covering me with its loathsome caresses. Il
arose to walk il would ge, between my fee
ard thus nearly throw me down. or fastening
its long nd sharp claws in my dress. chamber
in manne~ 10 my breast At such times
longed to destroy il with a blow, was yet
Withheld from doing partly by a memory
Of my former crime. bur chieHy-let me con
fess il at once-hy absolute dread Of the beast
This dread was not exactly dread of phys
ical rvil-and yet should be at n loss how
otherwise to define it, am almost ashamed
to cwn-thar the terror nd horror with which
the animal inspired me, had been heightened
by one of the merest chimeras it would be
possible 10 conceive My wife had called my
attention more than once, to tile character Of
the mark If white hair, ef which have spok>
en-. and which constituted The sole visible diff.
ference between the strange baast and the one
had destroyed. The reader will remember
that this marx, although large, had been
originally very indefinite. but by slow de-
gnes, nearly inpercertible, and for long
time my reason struggled TO reject rs fanci-
full, il had a, len eth, assumed rigorous dis
tincton Of outline. 1t was now the repre-
seu,ation Of IN object that rshudd.r TO name,
nnd for this. above ALL l ioathed, and dreaded
and would lave rid myself of the monster had
I Il l., r
a giasily thing of the GALLONS, oil nIournf,.l
and terrible engine of Horror and of crime,
of Agony of Death.
Aud now indeed was wretched beyond he
wretsheiness Of mere Humanity 4 bute
b.oT whose fellow had contemptuously dee
s,royed--a Jruie Jeasf to work out for for
me, u man. fashioned in tie image Of the licl,
God-so much for insufierat,e wo! Alas!-
neither by day nor by night knew the bless
ing of Rest any more During the former
the crea, ure left me no momc nj alone; and in
the latter, started hourly, tom dreams o.
unutterabe fear, 10 fnd tie hot breath of The
'ki,g upon my face and its vast weigl,--an
incarnaie Night Ma. hat hai no over 10
shake oH-incumbcnt etc nall, pom my hso. I !
B'ne' tn the pressure of TO men such as
The feel le remnant OF tie good within me sue
cnnibed. Evil thoughts became my soie nti-
mates-the "a, ei aud most evi' of oughrs.
Vie moodiness # al mankind. lie, f ON
The sudden FREQ ent and uu-ov rnahe out
bursts Of Il fury to which bl.niy abandoned
myself my uncomrlaining wife, alas was
the mos usual and the most patient of suff r
erS
One day she accom- .ani,d me. upon some
household errnnd. iu.o the cellar of the cid
building which our poverty compelled us to
inhahit. The ca; followed me down stairs,
and, nearly throw ny me headlong, exasper-
a'ed me TO m dness. Uplifting an axe, and
" hich had hitherto stayed my hand aimed a
blow u, Tie animal which. OF course, would
have proved instantly fatal had it descended
as | wished. But this blow was arrested by
The land of m wife. Goadei by the inter
ference, into rage more than demoniacal l
with liew my aim from her grasp and buried
the axe in her brain. She fell dead upon the
SPOT with ut a groan
This hideous murder accomplished set
myself forthw ith. and with entire deliheration,
TO The task Of conceal.ng the body | knew
hat could no, move it from the house, eith>
sr by cay or night. without the risk OF being
observed by the neighbors. Many projects
entered my mind At one perioi thought
'f cutting the corpse into minute fragments.
md destroying them by fire, at another re-
solved TO dig a grave for il in the floor of the
'ellar. Again deliberated about casting il in
he well IN the yard-abcut pa, king it in a
,ox as if mercha ze, with the us sual arra ge-
nents, and so getting porter TO take it from
he house. Finally | lit upon wha, consid>
,red far better expeiient than either OF
hese. determined to wall il up in the cell
ar as the monks Of tie middle ages are re-
corded 10 have walled up their victims
For purpose such rs this the cellar was
we'll adapted. Its walls were loosely con-
tructed, and had lately been pla stored throgh-
'ut with rough plaster. which the dampness
# the atmosphere had proven ed from hard
ming. Moreover, in one of the walls was
projection, caused BY false chimney, or fire.
,lace that had been filled up, and made to re-
embe the rest Of the cellar. l made no
louht that could readily displace the bricks
II tins point, iuser, the corpse, and wall the
si.ole as before, so that no eye could detect
'nything suspicious.
And in this ca a,culation was not d, ce;vcd.
BY means of a crow-har easily displaced the !.
'rcks and, having carefully deposited the I
,ody against he inner wall, re laid the whole !
i, nc ure rs il ginally stood. Having pro- \
ured MORTAR, sand and hair. with every pre-
aution possible. prepared plaster which
ould not be distinguished fsom the old, and
With this very c.refully went over the new
rick work When had finished, felt sat- .
SIZED that all was right. The wall did not
resent the slightest appearance OF having /
cen disturbed The rubbish OH the door was
licked up with the minu,est care. looked
round ,riumpLan'ly, and said to myself
Here NJ lcas', then, my labor has not teen II
ain.
My next step WAS TO look for the beast which ,
nd been the cause OF so much wretchedness
,r had At length firmly resolved 70 put j. I,
cath. Had | been able TO meet with il at tina,
oment there would have been no doubt of il.
tie, but it appeared that the crafty animal