Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1868-11-20
A NIGHT WITH A MANIAC.
BY A YOUNG PHYSICIAN.


broken his heavy chains as Sampson
broke the withes-had torn open the
door of his cell-torn the keeper lit
orally In pieces--burst the outer door,
killed the Waterman with a heavy
iron bar that he wrenched from the
doorTand escaped with his formida-
BILE weapon In the city. '1
The town was aghast Mt the news I;
and we students at the hospital and
dissecting room, who were connected
with the asylum, had to nerve our
selves to help capture the escaped
wild beast.
I had gone to the dissecting room
alone, and was about to commence
using the knife on a subject. There
was a storm raging, and with low
sob the wind swelled through the long
isle Of forest trees and dashed with
the gathered force of on ocean wave
against the dead-house. Simultane-
ously, hand struck the light dopr.
and thrSdgh my brain.
Above the door, through the small
ventilator, the face of mailman and
the murderer peered down at me.
"Ah, ha! / have caught you mt
last-here-and alone. have been
waiting for you. You took me once !:
didn't you? Ha! ha! Let me in"
The GOODNESS of imminent peril
brought my powers TO action. !
held his eye an instant; but 1t was ev-
ident he was too wild for that; his
blood was up, and it roved with eager
ferocity through the room and the
frail walls. With the light bound OF
q leopard, / gained the door, and shot
the double bolt. A CLEAN of rage
darted from his eye, but he laughed /:
. "Ha! ha You think that will keep
me out. id a0iH
He leaped to the ground. In an
instant the light was out.
"Wait, 1 cried. ~ have q weapon
in my hand as keen as q razor. 1t Is
poisoned by the dead body have
been working on. Burst the door and
III plunge it into your heart. II 1t
but touch you, you are dead man.
You may kill me, but l will kill you
also, as certain as there is God?"
The swarthy giant shook the door
until its hinges creaked and groaned
beneath his hand. Then, laughing
again low to himself muttered:
| H ool IL OutWlt yOu yCbs
And stole of i'm the darkness.
heard him for an instant pressing
against the wall of the building, and
IL swayed and bent inwards with the
weight. Then silence. The din OF
my pulses made thunder in my ears,
as tried to bear his stealing tread,
and the sobbing wind rose anew with
weired shrek, and made my efforts
fruitless. ffnH
A thousand times / heard his low,
deyilish, murderous laugh. A thous-
and times felt his brawny strength
against the door, and saw his wild
face look down at me through the
gloom; but still he did not come.
tried to think he had abandoned
the design and skunk of discouraged;
but knew 1t was not SOL knew he
was crouching In some corner on the
watch, to spring OH me when / passed.
Could 1 stay there all night? No,
certainly not. An hour more and
Harry Leigh (my young wife's broth
ler) would come to seek me, come un-
conscious of the danger, until blood
hound at his throat would choke the
brave young life down there forever.
| 'otehth III tiit inttt'ot VI VIZ
now fitful storm to hear II he was
breathing near me. j waited for the
next luli. 1t came that deep hush
that follows the gusty wind. Iput
my soul In tho sense of hearing, but
no human shadow OF sound greeted
it, r.
When the storm swellcd again
drew the bolt and looked into the
night, a black pail hung over the
earth and sky. l had AZ good a
chance to pass him In the obscurity as
he had to catch me. With my knife
In my teeth, and the massive thigh.
bone Of negro TO fell him with, II
must, knew offmy shoes and step
ped out into the darkness, A sudden
whirl OF the tempest almost took
Ime off my feet, aud n brick dislog.
led from one of the chimueys, grazeo
lmy head in It's passage, and broke IN
half on the pavement.
With bated breath, and q step like
the treade OF a panther scenting hi,
prey, parted the thick darkness ane
turned my face towards the hospital
He might be either hcre--at any steI
along the passage--or hidin the angl'
lof the wall at the door through which
must enter. This seemed most pro
bable; but there was another doc
known To the doctors.
l 7 thought I would eludc him. :
n. ar.f4 49,. - Al.