Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1869-02-11
NIISCELLANY.
A Dying Mans Confession.


"Nearly twelve, sir"
"Heavens l thought it was near sunrise
How long the hours are. Give me some wine,
James, | am getting weak"
The old servant filled wine-glass and hand
cd it to his dying master, who quaffed it fer
vently, and then fell back upon his pillow with
a long, shuddering moan.
"If the morning would comel If the morn
ing would only Gomez
"Try to sleep, Mr. Errold, said the attend
ant, soothingly.
"Slcepp gasped the sick man. IL shall
never know sleep again upon the earth. | am
dying James, and my conscience will keep me
awake until death speaks to my soul. How
dark it isl Turn up the lisht-I-l can't see
your face. There Now sit down beside me
but first give me more wine; | will need
strength. ! am going to makes confession
am going to tell you the dark secret whose
horror has never left me by night or day for
thirty-five years.
The bright, soft light of the astral lamp fell
upon John Errold's face, fully revealing to the
frightened gaze Of the servant the awful an
guish of the white trembling lips, the unnat-
ura glare of the eyes, and the quick, fierce di-
latng of the nostrils.
81 sold my soul to the devil for gold-do
YOU hear, man? There is blood upon my
hands. innocent blood, the blood of little
child-my baby b-other-I murdered him just
thir.y-ive years ago tonight"
You are raving" said the old man, trem-
bling; "thirty-fve years ago you were child
yourself.
$50 was, James-so was, boy of ten
wears, but no less murderer. Listen am
not, as you know, an American by birth, but
an Englishman. was born at Newcastle-up-
on Tyne. My mother died in giving me birth
Eight years after my father took second wife
young East Indian heiress, daughter Of tho
famous Col. D., of the -th regiment
She was an orphan; her fortune was at hel
own disposal she was the sole inheritrix o.
sixty thousand pounds When my father died
which he did in a year after the marriage, my
Young mother fell into n rapid decline, brought
on by the violence of her grief. In three
months after my fathers death, she, too, was
at rest. Her will bequeathed her entire for
tune, with the exception Of five thousand
pounds to myself and five to her only living
relative. 4 cousin, a barrister in London, to her
infant son, Percy in the event of whose death
the bulk Of the fortune was to be divided equal
ly between this aforesaid cousin and myself
Our appointed guardian was DIR. N, IA
nous London divine, to whose home Percy and
| were removed in few weeks after the de-
cease Of my stepmother
James, was accursed with precocious
mind. At ten years of age was not child,
but brooding dreamy man-with all mans
longing for power and riches with all Of mans
innate. intense ambition for honor and fame
I held aloof from companions suited to my age,
preferring rather the society Of grave, elderly
men, and read the works Of Rosseau, Mon
tesquieu, Hume, and other profound and dan
gerous writers, with an eaSerness and under
standing which seems almost incredible to me
now as ! look back upon that period of my
life. which was childhood in nought save years.
"After my step-mother's death, brooded
incessantly upon the thought, that were it not
for her sickly, orphaned babe, should be TIC
inheritor Of splendid fortune; and grew at
last to hate the little creature who stood be-
tween me and the wealth for which ] felt an
embryo miser's longing.
"I told you that was accursed with pre-
cocious mind aye, and with an evil nature
nature wholly devoid of nobility, aud pecu-
liarly susceptible to every species of temptation
"One night Satan entered into my soul
swift, silent and strong his evil power thrilled
through my veins. Ny little brother was in
nv arms, rare occurrence, for the child feared
and dishked me- but this night our guardian
wife had requested me to carry him up stairs
to his nurse, which request was obeying at
the time.
"At the head Of the staircase paused and
looked down. During my ascent l had been
thinking thinking. thinking.
aTwenty high steps lay beneath me-sOlid
marble.
at was very dark the lamps had not ye
been lit in the hall. No one was near. Th'
child clung to me in fear; his little arms wer'
elasped tightly around my neck, his baby fac
buried upon my shoulder.
"What followed then ! unloosed his arm
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