The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-08-16
5elert gturp,
A NIGHT WITH A MANIAC.

II The maniac Has aseiant. HE had
s broken his heavy chains as, Samson
broke the 'wilhes-had. torn open the
doorof his cellEatorn the'keeper, liter.
ally, in pee ces- burst the outside door
I killed the watchmanz-wilh heavy
j inn bar he had wfeAebed from the
door and escaped with his foifnida
lie weapon into the city,. The whole
place was aghast at the news; and we
students al The hospital and dissecting
room, who were connected with the
. asylum, had to nerve ourselves to help
capture theaescaped wild beast.
l had gone to-the dissecting room
alone, and was about to commence
using the kni;e on a subject. There
was storm raging, and with low sobs
the wind swelled through the long
aisle of forest trees, AMI dashed with
| The gathered 'orce OF an ocean against
the dead house. simultaneously, a
hand struck The light 4Uur, and The
yell of maniac rang through and
through my brain.
Above the door, through the small
venlilator, the face of the madman
and the murderer peered down upon
me.
"Ah, ha! I haze caught you at
last, here, and alone Ishave been
waiting :or y"us You. took me once,
didn't you? Nal hal Let me in.
.'.e The cOoiness oi Imminent peril
brought all my powers inio action
1sheld bis eyessan instant /; but it was
sevident he was too wild for that his
blood was up, and they roved with
eager ferocily through the room and
over the trail walls. With the light
bouDd-ofra leopard L gained the door
and shot tire double bolt A CLEAN of
rage dart, d from his eye; but he said,
''Hal ha You think that will keep
me out =, .7.q-
. He leaped to the floor. In an in
stan, the light was out
''Wait l cried. Il have a knife /
in my hand as keen as razor. 1t is
poisoned 10y The dead body 1 haye
been working on. Burst the door, |
and I'll plunge it to your heart. If
il but touch you, you are dead man. |
You may kill me, but HI kill you, as
sure as there is God"
The swarthy giant shook the door
until the hinges creaked and groa4ed
beneath his hand Then, laughing to
himself, mutered, "FooI, I'll out
wit you yet '''i' --..
And stole of, in darkness. I heard
him. Tor an instant, pressing against
The wall OF the building, and it bent
inward with the weight. Then silence.
The din of my pulses made thunder in
my ears, as | tried 10 hear his tread,
and the sobbing wind rose anew with
weird shrek, made my anxious efforts !,
fruitless.
A thousand times heard HE low,
devilish, mu derous laugh. A thou
sand times felt his brawny strength
against The door, and saw his terrible
face look down at me through the
gloom; but still he did not come. I
.ried to think that he had abandoned
the attempt and gone off discouraged;
put L knew it was not Sol knew he
vas crouching in some corner on the
watch to spring Oh me when / left the
oom.
Could [ stay there all night? Mo. t
eI tainly not. An hour more, and
larry Leigh, (my wife's young broth
~, would come to seek me-come
unconscious of the danger, until hell
ound at his throat would choke the !
rave young life down there forever d,
listened in the interval, of the now :
tful storm, to hear if he was breath :
ng near me; 1 waited tor the next !
all. 1t came-that deep hush that
ollows the gusty wind. | put my soul
the sense of hearing, but no human
hadow OF sound greeted it.
When the storm swtlled again I =
rev the bolt and looked into the night; :,
black pail hung over earth and sky. =
had as good chance to pass him in !, !
ne obscurity as he to catch me. With :
~ knife in my teeth, and massive !
ligh-bone to fell him with, if must, d
drew off my shoes and stepped out Z
ito the darkness. A sudden whirl of i.
ne tempest almost took me off my ,
set, and brick, dislodged from one of
ne chimneys, grazed my head in its .
assage, and broke in a portion OF the -
avement
With bated breath, and step like =,
ie tread of panther scenting his =
rey, i parted the thick darkness, and q
lrned my. face toward the hospital L L
lie might be either here, at my point !,
long the passage, or hid in the angle "