Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1872-02-08

1Our O0aIn nuSb apparently result
from accidental least, SO it must seem
to the authorities. My brother is in
Jail and they will not suspect him, and
they certainly will not suspect me-"
What terrible deed was in his brain
hatching-was he going to murder me
The hard-earned knowledge of a score
of years 1 would have given for power
to utter one single cry.
He took me in his arms and placed
me in chair, and bound me to it, and
then, from side pocket, he produced
another rope.
Was it myself to be hung instead OF
Johnson?
No; yes. He placed the line pully-
like over an arm of a hanging chande-
lier. This was altogether too slight a
support even for one of my slender
frame. 1t was not to be hanging, then.
To our end of the rope he attached
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 mean to draw
me under this weight and send me out
it fall and dash my brains out? q?
To the sink end he attached long,
yellow string.
OAOcT G1c W0lSnl, On IAc AOOIt h0
placed the can of nitro glycerine. /
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 of igniting any sub
stance that would warn my friends.
"Do you begin to see through it ?'
asked Joe Johnson's brother.
believe cursed him with my eyes.
1 could only breath through my nostrils,
and great veins were swelling and grow
ing hot in my forehead.
Drawing match from his pocket, he
lighted and applied it to the fuse that
little tyrant that gave a man an honr to
live, and kill him at the end OF it-that
little, irresponsible terror that, less than
merciful Providence, told man the
second he was to die. if fright and hor-
ror spared him to himself.
Slowly the flames crept, snake like,
arou Id the twine.
"In one hour, said the prisoners
brother, "you will be in heaven or in
hell. will watch with you for half an
hour, and the ether half you will spend
alone"
He sat down some minutes in a chair,
Yachting the flame. Then he arose and
took a piece of porcelain, with the
table and shook his head gloomily.
"I am chemist enough to know it is
arsenic" he said. "Yes, those bright,
metallic eyes, betrayal of the guilty
Science, thou wouldst kill my brother
thou shalt save him. Let US see in
whose hand thou art most powerful.
Here is a man who, by thy aid, bids the
poison sprite uprise and write in bril-
liant characters full confession on this
piece of porcelain. But, behold, o
scienceI It is no sooner written than
by the word the whole confession and
thy chosen servant are annihilated.
Let the good professor use his chemi-
Gals the bad brother only asks a little
can of nitro-glycerine."
1 heard this speech, indeed but,
great heavens it was my eyes and not
my ears that was busiest then; for be-
meath the table, covered by crimson
cloth, and which faced, appeared the
face of child. The hair was rumpled,
and the blue eyes were just opening G
from sleep. The intelligent forehead
was wrinkled strangely. 1t was my boy
Billy. was afraid he would cry "papa' IL
If he did, the implacable man would
add the murder of the child to the mur-
der of the father.
But my boy had none of this. He
had, suppose, crept under the table
unknown to me, and had fallen asleep
there. 1 tried to tell the little fellow to
hide again and wait for the final half
hour when my tormentor would be
gone. Whether he understood me or
not, aided by what he heard, did not
know, but he quickly withdrew his lit
tie head, first kissing his hand lightly at
me, and then shaking his fist at the
schemer watching SO belligerently his
dumb fire agents.
The half hour wore slowly away. Oh,
heavens what agony did I suffer Not
for myself, but for my child. A slight
noise might discover his presence; the
match might run its tether sooner than
was expected he might be murdered
or blown to atoms.
The fuse burned on-on. The half
hour is up. The brother of the muir
derer arises to go. JoyI
Commit your soul to Gods keeping u
he said. "You hold the evidence oi
brothers guilt-nothing can save you
| now %
With that he turned to take his hat
from off the table covered with the
| crimson cloth, beneath which hid my
priceless boy. Something attracted his
attention. He held out his hands and
leaned forward. 1 thought he had dis
covered my boyl No; he was lifting
something in either hand-the wires o
the electric battery. In another instant
my boy had leaped from under the
table, and was turning the crank fas
and furiously.
| The murderer's brother was in the
power of my boy. He could not drol
the wires he was helpless. How my
boy cried for help. The old college
rung with his voice. The prisoner.
brother added his voice to my boys il
his agony. He begged, he beseeched-
all his nerves were racked-great waves
of galvanism leaped, surged, tremblec
and Jared over every sensitive nerve
and fibre. Still my boy was inhexible
end shouted and turned faster. Upper
ceived upon the marble, in track of the
burning fuse, was pool of infiammablt
oil. In an instant great length burned
away. 1t would last just five minues
and no morel
"Fatherl !" shouted my boy, off n,
assistance comes, this villain must di,
with us. dare not let him free. Help
help helpl
Alas 1 could not answer him.
Thank God! But some one else did
The fuse is burnt up. The rope is OF
fire-the nitro-glycerine |! The doc
opens; Tom Richards, on a midnigh
| .;o1x hos =,