The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1872-02-29
amt dead yet. but they say he win b
before morning.

say he's got so much knowledge into
him that he can't live under it,
g Cerebral disorder, eh 2?
What?' asked the man. ss
:. Brain disorder, | mean something
wrong here" aai,.l ) .lsg4ar II
l touched my forehead, and so die
he, as he said: be97 =
1 "Aye; and thought I'd drop il
and tell you, if you was going TO tht
station tomorrow, to look and see i
its post mortem or not Besides,
wanted to see where i could always
! find you in case of need"
| bowed, and attributed his visit tc
a feeling of curiosity He sat on thf
sink, one rubbered foot thrown Over
the other, and wiped his nose on {
dirty handkerchief several times, while
/ his eye wandered about like Christie
pheT Columbus after discoveries. FL
nally he spoke like someone who fell
himself called upon to say somethi ing
Perfesser, there has beenan acci
dent this afternoon; terrible too"
i " Ah," said l. ~
{. Awful" said he.
sWhat was it ~ III
" Nitro-glycerine explosion up ii
the iron-mills-a hundred fellow-mor'
tails busted -
=" Sad !" %
" Affecting, very" Here he rubbed
his mouth with the back of his hand
Perfesser, what is that nitro-glycer-
inc %
"It is a very dangerous article" ]
answered, happy to display my knowl-
edge. 1t has nearly twice the des-
tructiveness of gunpowder, but, un-
like it, does not explode on the appli-
cation of heat. A red-hot coal drop
ped into it will not explode it. 1t will
freeze. 1t is yellow and greasy. Its
symbols in our nomenclature are G,
LIS (No.3)3. O6."
You don't mean to say sol" said
the officer, interrupting me, in disa-
greeable tones, in the very middle OF
choice extract from one of my lee
lures. Why, but you haven't told
me how it does go off. If fire won't
burst it, what in-(hem)-will 2"
I told him that ii it were pressed or
anything fell on it it would explode.
"Place it under the crusher of ci-
der mill, strike it with hammer, let
q weight fall on it from a height"
eyes," said my man, "and that
rouses its volcaner, does it? How does
it come, perfessor 2" al7as sH3}
&c In little cans-why like these !"
said l, discovering that there was a
little can of it on the marble sink,
which I had carelessly neglected to
replace in the cellar. [ then took a
little out spread it on an anvil, and
struck it with hammer.
A slight explosion and a flame
burst from the paper. aiia
''Now, really" said the policeman.
starting back. suppose, perfesser,
that ere can would make mighty big
noise if allowed to explode in here all
at once ?" .aA4 +,
at would blow the entire building
to atoms," said / resuming the analy-
sis of Mrs. Johnson's stomach
NOR heard the policeman, re-
mark in deliberate Yankee tones, "you
don't say SOP g5 8al . !.
In moment lay on my back, a
gag in my mouth, terribly frightened
and sick at heart Over me stood the
policeman, and the first thing that
iuncticnary did WAS looking me
straight in the face--to take off his
nose. He then rid himself of his red
eyebrows, hair and cap, and became a
determined looking fellow, with the
eyes of a fiend and nose of a Roman.
g So you think, said the metamor-
phosed, in the tones of gentleman,
" that nothing can save Joe johnson
from the rope ? Poor fellowi it does
look like it! But, my dear perfesser,
Joe j ehnson is fortunate enough to
have in me, devoted friend as well
as brother. | have undertaken to save
him, and he shall be saved. In order
to accomplish this end, it will be nec-
essary to remove from the face oSthe
earth, not only the stem lch of his
miserable wife yonder, but also, my
dear perfesser,-.I'm sorry to be obliged
TO say it, for l believe, you were my
brothers teacher and friend-yourself
as WELL" ssl efs9sxI 1s ~ GEA
| saw that he was in deadly earnest.
" Your death must apparently re-
suit from accidental least, so it must
seem to the authorities. My brother
is in Jail and they will not suspect
me-" z -
What terrible deed was in his brain
hatching-was he going to murder me ?
The hard-earned knowledge of a score
of years would have given for power
to utter one single cry. W E4
He took me in his arms and placed
me in chair, and bound me 10 it, and
then. from a side pocket he produced
another rope. d
Was it myself who was to hang in
stead of Joe Johnson2 aa B7
No; yes. He placed the line, pulley
like over all arm of hanging chan
delier This was altogether too slight
a support even tor one of my slender
frame. It was not to be hanging then. |
To one end of the rope he attached |
a weight, and raised it by pulling the |
other, six or eight feet from the floor |
The loose end he secured to the sink. |
Was he mad ? Did he intend to draw
me under this weight and send me |
out of the world in novel way by |
letting it fall and dash my brains out
To the sink end he attached a long |
yellow string. Ea
Under this weight, on the floor. he t
placed the can of nitro-glycerine. l
recognized the yellow string it was a |
fuse, and it would burn sixty minutes. |
1t would burn across the marble slab !
there was no hope ofits igniting any |
substance that would warn my friends. |
"Do you begin to see through it ?" |
asked Joe Johnson's brother.
/ believe cursed him with nv ewes,
could only breathe through my nos
trils, and great veins We're swelling
and growing hot in my forehead.
Drawing match from his pocket
he lighted and applied it to the fuse;
that little tyrant that gave man an
hour to live, and kill him at the end |
of it-that little irresponsible terror
that, less than mercifnl Providence,
told man the second he was to die,
1t fright and horror spared him to it.
self.
Slowly the flame crept, snake-like,
around the twine.
''In one hour" said the prisoners |
brother, you will be in heaven or
hell. | viii watch with you for halt
ar hour, and the other half You will |
spend alone"
He sat down some minutes in chair |
watching the flame. Then he arose