Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1870-05-26

L: ats only word, nothing else. I'll
comes from the brain of hall crazy
man."
As if he had OWNED my thoughts, he
cried: 81
sI know you think me mad. No, sir,
I am not mad. have read all the books
relating to Iunacy, and l found that
maniacs nave no control over their ac-
tions. But I have control over my
thoughts and actions, and hare a set
purpose to accomplish. Now to con-
tinue my story.
ION my return to the hotel / found it
was the student who had procured the
carriage. / followed the fugitives. One
year they eluded my search. At last a
returned Californian miner told me in
New York that he knew a woman living
in San Francisco who answered my de-
scription of Eleanera. L hastened to
that city of the Golden Sands. found
her, sick, poor, and deserted by the VII
lain Do you think took her to my
bosom again? No, thousand times no!
| / found means to make her stoneblind.
Gold, my gold, purchased men. tools,
who performed the feat very neatly.
"Three weeks after, she died raving
1JUOh, hClC SAiC iiScf AN@N -NOA
body embalmed."
With these words he rose and removed
| the lid from the obloDg box. .e
A white, ghastly face, surrounded by
pale golden locks like the holy sheen of
a madonna, seemed to start from the
black-lined coffin. Two hands, upon the
fingers of which glistened diamonds,
were crossed over her half exposed
bosom.
The aspect of the face was serene, as
| If she was only sleeping. From the
coffin nay eye fell upon the candle.
The last strip of black was close to the
flame. ,,
: Another fifteen minutes had passe d
away. Fifteen more and We are in dark
mess Then vague hope crept through
INV excited brain that had chance to
escape.
The voice of the Eng1ishman reused
1 me from my thoughts.
[ looked down. He was leaning
against the railing of the staircase; his
! watch he held in one hand, while the
other was grasping hammer.
1 Again heard the word "hy." ..
sYes, fiy!" repeated he in a sharp
tone. Then looking intently at the
watch, he continued his narrative:
s'I took this box with me i'll my trav-
! els, for now my only end and aim was
TO follow the student, who had left San
/ Francisco for the gold mines. There |
found that he had started across the
plains to the Eastern States. Money
i procured me au outfit and an escort OF
twenty men. I followed him from
Placeryilie to Carson, to Fort Kearney.
[ still followed, finding fresh traces OF
him in every city and hamlet [ passed
through until l arrived IN New York,
where learned that he had embarked
lon steamer bound to Bremen and
Southampton, I left New York on the
next steamer. On my arrival III Bre-
| men I described his personal appearance
: to the Chief of the Harbor Police, and
promised large sum of gold if he should
be found. Three days after, l learned
! that man, answering my description,
had left for Prussia. | followed, and
first saw him face to face in Dresden"
! He stopped and looked at me with eyes
full of hatred A cold shudder ran
! through my frame; | wanted to speak
, but nv tongue refused to utter word,
; and my throat felt as if vicelike grip
/ was COMPRISING 1.-THE madman had
: distinctly described the route / took
! from the shores of California to the
: frontiers of Bavaria, The following
|, words which the Englishman uttered
) confirmed what [ had thought:
Fl eyes, he and I travelled in one coach
! ate at the same table, drank good health
3 to each other, went together TO this tow
fd er. His name is Herman Caller, and
! you, thrice damned villain, are the MANI
: I sprang to my feet.
Its lie; l never saw your wife;
t never saw nor heard of you before me
t you at Dresden. My name is Herman
e Caller; I look like the student you de
: scribed; bat / swear to you by the eter
$ nal God above US that am not the maj
e you saw at the foot of this tower at thu
| time your wife left you!'
|. A terrible laugh came from his ash!
e lips as he swung the hammer around hi
v head.
,, "Very plausible, indeed, but believ
!, not word of it. Thou, fiend, art il
nv power is just five minutes more
and this candle dies. Then we, too, will
n die. But no, not die-we will fly int
: eternity with the noise of thunder ant
n with the fash of lightning!"
It "What do you mean by the word fly
!, shouted [ with impotent rage. ..-. r,
d "Ha, ha, ha, thou stupid fool. Cas-
o thy false eye towards that glass box 1
k contains tige1aty pounds Of percussion
tpoacder. One stroke with this hammer
: and we, together with this tower, viii
7 fly into the air. Ha, ha, ha, it will as
tonish the natives of Bruckenau; it vii
.s arouse them from sleep. The fallin
Is stones will crush in their dull skulls.
). Irejoice at this. for thou vert born in tina
!. accursed tow! Ha! only three minute
d morei" cried he, looking at his watch
v which he held close to the tiickerin
i light of the expiring candle.
r. Three minutes more, and | am in etel
,e nifty! Good God! whata fearful thought
[, who felt so happy, so full of life an
d health. /, who came to Germany wit
= the certainty of marrying the girl L love
, in. my youthful days; the maiden VIII
\ had waited ten long years for my return
~ because she believed me true to my vow:
~ And I have to perish! Was there II
~ means of escape? | looked down. l
:, a. black chasn yawned at my feet, for th
~ mad mau had removed part of the stair.
y ~ [ knew [ was not able to leap across ths
~ - gulf--it would be suicide to attempt i
, ,e THO nainutes,n came like death-knel
Il Il to my ears. The Englishman was sti
~ M leaning against the railing and shadin
:. the candle with his hands i'll order t
y prolong its life Where was now III
:" hope of escaping him in the darkness
y My entire formerlife passed with Ugh
"a - ming flash through my throbbing brain
=, I remembered the joyous scenes of m
= boyhood, my first love, my departure ft
. the, to me, unknewn:lands beyond I'll
~ ocean. thought L again heard tt
:. words of my dear mother as she gay
lss me her blessing. "Be good boy, He
ol man, fear God, and do no one a wrong,
70 were. her last words as she pressed me
u ~ her bosome Then L departed. III
u u voyage to the United States, my stru
=, gle with poverty, my adventures in IL
l., 4: far West, my success in the gold min
~ y of California, my joyful return to n