The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-02-14

OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF Thee OF NEW ORLEANS
SUNDAY MORNING. FEBRUARY IA. 1869.
By A YOUNG SURGEON.

The maniac was q giant. He had broken his
heavy chains as Samson broke the withes, had torn
open the door Of his cell, torn the keeper literally
in pieces, burst open the door, killed the watch
man with heavy iron bar be wrenched from the |
door, and escaped with his formidable weapon |
into the city. The whole place was sghast at the |
news; and we students at the hospital and dssect-
ing-room, who were connected with the asylum, |
had to nerve ourselves to help capture the escaped
wild beast.
had gone to the dissecting.room alone, and was
about to commence using the knife on subject.
There was storm raging, and with low sob the |
wind sweed through the long aisle OF forest trees
and flashed with the gathered force of an ocean |
wave against the dead-house. Simultaneously
hand struck the light door and the yell of maniac
rang through and through by brain.
Above the door. through the small ventilator,
the face Of the maduan and the murderer peered
down at me.
"Ah, hal have canght you at last-here-
and alone. have been waiting for you. You
took me once, didn't you Ha! ha! Let me
in.n ...r-.,
The GOODNESS of imminent peril brought my
powers TO action held his eye an instant; but
Mss up and il roved with eager ferociy through
the room and over the frail walls. With the light
bound Of a 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 outr' r--of
He lesped to the ground. In an instant the
| light was out.
II
| hand keen as razor. 1t is poisoned by the dead
l body have been working on. Burst the door,
and I'll plunge it in your heart. If it but touch
| you, you are . dead man: You may kill me, but
i I'll kill you also, as certain as there is Cod"
The swarthy giant shook the door until its
| hinges creaked and groaned beneath his hand.
Then, Laughing again low to himself, muttered,
| Z" Fool, I'll outwit you yet" 81
And stole off in the darkness. I heard him, for
an instant pressing against the wall Of the build
| ing, and it swayed and bent inward with the
weight. Then silence. The din Of my pulses
made thunder in my ears, as tried to hear his
stealing tread, and the sobbing wind rose anew
| with weird shrek, making my efforts fruitless.
A thousand times l heard his low, devilish,
murderous laugh. thousand 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 on dis
coursged; but knew it was not So. knew he
was crouching in some corner on the watch TO
spring on me when passed
Could / stay there all night? No, certainly
not. An hour more, and Harry Leigh (my young
wifes brother) would come to seek me-come
unconscious of the danger, until bloodhound at
his throat would choke the brave young life down
there for ever.
/ listened in the intervals of the now itful
storm to hear If he was breathing near me;
waited for the next lull. II csme-thst deep
| hush that follows the gusty wind. put my soul
| in the sense Of hearing. but no human shadow
of sound greeted it. A-
4
| and looked into the night black pail hung over
| the earth and sky. / had as good a chance to
| pass him In the obscurity as he TO catch me.
With my knife ~ my teeth. and the massive
| thigh-bone of .egro to fell him with, If must,
| drew off my shoes and stepped out into the
darkness. sudden whirl of the tempest almost
| took me off my feet, and brick, dislodged from
one of the chimneys, grazed my head in its pas,
With bated breath, and step like the tread OF
panther seeming his prey, parted the thick
darkness and turned my face toward the hospital.
| He might be either here-at any step along the
| passage-or hid in the angle of the wall at the
| door through which must enter. This seemed
most probable; but there was another door
known only to the doctors.
| thought would elude him. With infinite
| caution began to scale the high wall, dreading
| horribly lest some sudden break in the sky might
| reveal me to the wild eyes that watched for me-
| but no. .-.-
Safely passing the summit threw my leg over
for the descent, and felt my foot seized. 1t was
but the climbing tendr Of wild vine skirting the
wall. Grasping my knife in my right hand, crept
along the bushes for fifty yards then struck across
the lawn for the side entrance. The darkness per-
| picked me, but thought was ste sring straight.
Suddenly my foot struck bricks. What was this /!
l tried to recollect. There was no pavement round
pushed on uncertainty, and feeling weight in
| the air, put out my hand TO grope for some clue
| to my whereabouts. was in an alley-fanked
| with stone. walls far above my head. gave q
Il
| subterranean passage of the asylum. Turning to
| retrace my steps, the opaque density Of some
| heavy body crouched between me and the outer
air. heard its stifed breathing-its stealthy
| tread approaching me. Just heavens! he had fol-
,, | lowed me from the very door Of the dead-house
| here struggle for life with q mailman In these
| narrow gloomy vaults-to lie In the pool OF ones
own hearts blood in this undiscovered tomb, and
| nv young wife, Constance was maddening!
' For an instant my brain was on fire. Then
thought there might be an exit-other devious
!. | winnings in which could elude my deadly pur.
| suer Going deftly backward, turned the angle
in the wall, and then plunged at the utmost speed
> of young and active man along the back pass
!. age. Instantly knew was pursued. Meeting
another cross path, struck into Il in the opposite
direction. The maniac instantly followed me
I What a race through those cayernous depths o.
mad-house What tragic pitfalls nigh. lurk q, ~
. every step what black and stagnant pools lie
. vaiting 10 enguf me what deeper depths OF icy
| blackness into which to falkland fall forever!
The passage grew narrower. We were, per
haps, under the very center OF the building, snc
farthest from the outer air. had tried TO Dreatnt
. noiselessly; the effort exhausted me. | knew
u | nothing of the labyrnths; could only guess a.
, | our position by the distance from the entrance.
) | had counted the turnngs we had made. though
| could retrace them. Strength was failing.
| was feetest, but he was most enduring.
| Presently he would run me down. IL was ter
y | rible venture, but the necessity was imminent.
4 | would try it. Gathering all my force, 6artet
like an arrow on into the darkness; s yne s1daen
Il
| ceeded in putting fifty yards between Us, game
and turned the next angle then, drawing mysel
J. | against the wall, with every nerve and muscl
. | strained into pertarnatural tension, with IN
a mighty heaving of my spent chest crushed int
II | silence by an iron effort of despairing will,
. waited for him to pass Iheard him come rush
ing on with new strength through the blacknes'
reach the angle turn It, striking his massive bod
=. | against the jutting stones. heard him sprin
, ike an animal on along the track. felt his nc
breath like steam-the foam Of his set jaws nun
across my face-and he stopped. felt that
?; was feeling for me-that he was crouching on tn
~ stonesi saw the red of his eyeballs glare up
. | me through the darkness. felt the touch of b
]. | lev flesh on my hand. Like lightning he raise
!, himself and throwing his vast weight against mi
- pinioned me to the stones. And the mad rage
man at bay surged upward to my brain.
Chased nv knife convulsively and seized him
:, | the throat resolved to die hard. 1t was hairy
b. | was shaggy. The hands against my chest had
thick coat of fur. clasped him to my breas
Il was Lion-my dog Lion.
.m
q. "Great heaven, Keene what kept you Il
M whole night in that cursed dead-house 1t is me-