The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1872-02-08

L am chemist enough to know it is
arsenic, he said. Yes, those bright,
metallic eyes, a BETRAYAL of the guilty !
Science, thou wouldst kill my brother
thou shsSt save him. Let US see in whose
hand. thou art most powerful. Here il a
man, who, by thy an! bid. the poison
sprits urrise and write in brilliant charsc-
tiers foul confession On this piece & por-
celain. But behold, oh science It is no
sooner written than by the word the whole
confession and thy chosen servant are ami
hilated.
l heard this speech, indeed; but good
heavens 1t was my eye, and not nv ears
that were busiest then; for, beneath the
table, covered by a crimson cloth, and
which | faced, appeared the face of child
The hair was rumpled, and the blue eyes
were just opening from sleep. The intelli-
gent forehead was wrinkled strangely. 1t
was my boy Billy. | was atr.id lie would
cry papa If he did, the implacable man
would add the murder of the child to the
murder of the father
But my boy did none of this. He had
| suppose, crept under the table unknown
to me, and had fallen asleep there | tried
to tell the little fellow to hide again aud
wait for the final half hour when nv tor
mentor would be gone. Whether he under
stood me or not, aided by what he heard, |
did not know, bat he quickly withdrew his
little head, first kissing his hand lightly at
me, and then shaking hi. fist at the schem-
er watching so belliserently his dumb fire
agents.
The half hour wore slowly away, Oh,
heavens what agony did | suffer Not
for my self, but for my child A slight
noise might discover hi, 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 murderer arises
to 90. JOY!
Commit your soul to Gods keeping, he
said. You hold the evidence of nv
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. Some
thing attracted his attenson He held
out his hand and leaned forward. |
thought he had discovered my boy! No,
he was lifting something in either hand
the wires of the electric battery. In anoth-
er instant my boy had leaped frem under
the table, and was turning the crank fast
and furiously.
The murderers brother was in the power
OF my boy. lie could not drop the wires ;
he was helpless. How nv bov cried for
help. The old college rung with his voice.
The prisoners brother added his voice to
my boy in his agony. He begged, he be-
seeched,-all his nerves We're racked-
great waves of galvanism Ieaped, surged,
trembled and Jared over every sensitive
nerve and fibre. Still my boy was inAex-
lble, and shouted and turned faster. In
perceived upon the marble, in the track of
the burning fuse, was pool of infamable
OIL. In an instant great length burned
away. 1t would last just FIVE minutes and
no more
Father shouted my boy, IF no assi.-
lance comes, this villain must die with US.
| dare not let him free. Help help. help -
Alas | could not answer him.
Thank God, But some one else did.
The fuse is burnt up. The rope is on fire
the nltro-gl ycerine! The door opens.
Tom Richards, on a midnight visit to the
sick, has heard the cry; he comprehcrds
all; SEXES the can in his hand: the weight
desccnds indeed, but not on the death-d deal
ing oil. No, down it goe. through the
Office tioor-down, down, like an evil
spirit, to give back dull metallic echo
from the stones of the cellar beneath.
We are saved,
Joe johnson, the prisoner, was hanged:
but his brother remains unpunishef by the
law, for he stabbed himself with knife.
and thus escaped the hangman's rnne