The Portland daily press., 1873-08-09

10 MS wound. i made him describe the nrsI
sensations of pain in his head, and repeat all
that his different medical advisers had said.
happened to have strong preparation OF
hasheesh by me. 1 gave him a dose, ana
whilst under its influence carefully exam
ined his head. Now the head, you must know,
| does not tatten or waste away IN proportion
| to oteer parts of the body. Still, his mad be-
| come mere skin and bone and this state, per-
haps, gave me an advantage over olherS VINO
| had made the same examination. AT last
| felt, or thought fell, a faint twitching-a
| sort of abnormal pulsation-about two inches
above the left ear. 1t might be merely ner-
| vous Int IT might be caused by the ball.
then ser nv mind to work, and thought
the whole case over steadily, and after long
| and careful consideration, came TO the follow
| ing conclusions:
He is not laboring under suicidal mania.
His impulse is real, and will have fatal results.
Confinement In an asylum would have no Gu
rative effect.
Then took down my books bearing upon
the anatomy of the human head.
The next morning addressed him thus
Before l answ er You as to whether you
| would be justified before God, under the i'm
| pulse you have told me of, in taking your own
| life to save that of another, you must au-
swer me several questions"
| $50 on,' he said.
"When you consulted those doctors, did
| you tell them all you have told me"'
'No; did not dare. L told them that 1
| had horrible thoughts and cravings, but with
| out entering into details as to what they
were. Once went so far as to say feared
| 1 was becoming dangerous, and the fool
| smiled"
Good. bid they ever speak of searching
for that ball?"
eyes, they said it might be the cause of
my sufferings, supposing it had lodged near
the brain, but that no one would take the re-
| sponsbility of searching for it-so to speak
in the dark"
'They were right-the operation might
kill YOU, and the ball be not found, after all.'
He looked up, and the dull, detected look
that had become habitual passed from his
face.
"And, even if it were found" went on,
''its extraction might cause your death all
| the same"
speak, but he could not.
"Still, it would give you chance-just
chance of more than lite." His grasp tight
ened. could feel his heart beating. Sand
| submitting to such an observation-disclosures
hopeless though it be-would not be quite
suicide.''
He fell on his knees and sobbed like
child.
''You'I do itp'' he cried. ''God Almighty
bless you! You'll do it?" 81
II u
''Wel,'' said my friend, lighting fresh
cigar, ''to make my story short, 1 did it, with
the assistance of young surgeon whose
nerve could trust. We found that misera-
| BILE piece of lead near where had sus
pected it to be. 1t was just a case of
| md cd INV Gnitn MO ynrad fyvtaa
the breadth of its own edge-had the assist
ant been unsteady with the forceps-it would
| have been fatal. don't want to appear vain
of my success, 90 I'll say no more than
| this-he recovered"
Sand hasn't killed anybody?'
''No; and doesn't want to-
''By Jove! L wouldn't be too sure of that.
And so the girl he wanted to murder married
the major?'
''She did,"
''Then if I were her husband I'd take
| precious good care that your interesting pa
| tent didn't come into the same State with
| herr
my dear fellow, if you were her husband,
| you'd do exactly as her husband does"
zone other question. Does your interest
ing patient still live iu this country?'
'sHe Does"
s'Near hereT'
Every near"
''Then, with all possible Difference for our
friend, the Major, think he is very foolish.
Were in his place, I should say, ''My good
sir, 1 admit that the ball from which you suf-
fered so long cannot get back into your
brains, but 1 am by no means sure that the
IDEAS it engendered may not return. AT any
rate, your presence near my wife is likely to
make her nervous, and appeal to you as
gentleman to locate yourself in some other
part of the country. If you do so, shall
have the highest respect for you; if you do
not, and ever have the misfortune to pass
within mile OF my house, the interior of
your skull will become more intimately ac-
qlainted than ever with lead in the usual
FORM"
Every neatly put" said the Doctor, "bu-
our friend does not think Of committing suit
icide now.'
'Mercy, Doctorp' 1 cried, "you don't
mean to say that tine man who wanted TO
murder the Majors wife isis
''The Major himself Yes, sir.-Tempte
Bar