The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1872-07-18

the task. To Charles G. fell this
appointment. He was skillful surgeon
and perfectly familiar with his task.
Once he looked up from his work.
There was something in the expression
of his face that startled me, and some
thing that made me shudder, and wished
that the horrible scalpel he was using
might be transferred to other hands. 1t
vas in itself a powerful weapon, but,
when saturated with poisonous fluids. Is
suing from the dead, fearful one. 1t
was too dangerous an instrument for
Charles B, in his now almost in
sane condition, to handle. I determined
to relieve him of it. I stepped forward
to carry out my design. As l id so he
laid the instrument aside, and began to
detach from the breast of the corpse
something that bore the appearance of
an old fashioned silver coin. With
face glowing with insane delight he held
it up before us.
"See!'' he said, 81 have found that
which will bring me happiness. With
this silver coin | can redeem my charac-
ter, and regain the affections Of the wo-
man love. have searched for it long
and faithfully, and, thank God! have
found it at last
He said no more, but walked out of
the room.
To all but me his words were meaning
less. knew what he had suffered and
when | saw the silver coin, and compre-
hended that it had been taken from the
body of the criminal. the truth was plain.
The man lying cold and motionless on
the dissecting table, had evidently been
the real perpetrator of the crime for
which my friend had suffered.
That night, when [ returned to my
room, Charles B had gone. A
few disconnected sentences, hurriedly
penned and almost illegible, told me his
destination. Until | have proved my
innocence. said he, ito my former en-
ployers, and to the woman | loye, 1 will
not return"
A few weeks afterward the sequel of
his journey reached my ear. 1t is the
strangest part of my story.
After securing the silver coin, it ap-
pears he had gone Immediately to his
room, packed his goods, and taken the
first train for his old home. 1t was ear
ly in the morning when he reached the
terminus Of his journey. With blood
shot eyes. and face flushed with unnatur-
al excitement, he presented himself be-
fore his accuser-the father of the wo-
man he loved.
Look T. he said, holding the treasure
up before the latter's gaze, you can &C.
cuse me Of dishonesty no longer. Here
is the proof Of my innocence. Look at
this coin and then hear my story. and
see how cruelty have been wronged.
He dropped the silver piece into the
outstretched hand of the astouished
banker. The latter held it up before
the light and looked at it, and then with
derisive laugh, he tossed it back to his
companion.
''Ha ha young man. he said, ''You
are mad-crazy! Examine your treas
use again, and then tell me you are not
insane"
Almost with wild apprehension, the
young man did as he was advised. AS
he did so, CLEAN of his former reason
seemed to return to him. The coin he
had found was not the one that belonged
to the bank. 1t was metal piece close
ly resembling the lost coin, but bearing
the stamp of the States prison, and the
name of the criinical on whose body it
was found.
The revelation was terrible. With
paid face and glaring eyes, the defeated
man staggered toward the door.
rs it true ?' he said, can have been
deceived? Am insane? Yes, I see,
[ feel [ am mad-mad !"
The next morning corpse was found
upon the beach, washed up by the waves.
1t was identified as the body of Charles
B. He had fallen victim of his
own rashness. He was laboring under
strange mental arrangement at the
time of his death, and doubtless had not
been himself tor several weeks before he
made the mistake which urged him on to
self destruction.