The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-04-17
MISCELLANY.
KILL OR CURE.
STORY OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.

pect the tenth commandment"
"You admire Mrs. Layton?"
admire her! If she were not Char
lies wife l should fall head over heels
in love with her. ! have seen fairer
faces, but for dear, pretty delicate wo-
manly ways, never met her equal
"You couldn't understand a man
thirsting for her bIood?"
'tGood gracious. 4 wretch who could
touch one of her golden hairs ruthless
ly deserves to be crucified."
"And vet for many days she was in
deadly peril of her life"
"For her fortune?'
'She had none"
Don't tell me, Doctor, that an lnno-
cent creature like that could give any
one cause for revenge"
"No; / won't tell you anything OF the
sort"
II think / see. Some one was madly
in love with her"
'If you were to guess till this day out
Won would not find the cause, y
said nv friend. "Let us sit down here,
and l will explain. It's no secret; I
wonder the Major has not told you"
"Down here" was on a rustic seat that
the Majors pretty wife had made at the
end of his garden, close to a little rill,
soon to be lost IN the blue Hudson,
tinkled its way through the grounds.
"Dnring the war;" began the Doctor,
81 served in the army in the same regi-
ment with an old schoolmate. He was
as fine a soldier as ever drew q sword;
hale, hearty, and sound in mind and
body; eager to see service, and he saw
plenty. / thought that he bore a charm
ed life, till one day he was carried into
the hospital tent in a bad way. A ball
had entered the shoulder, glanced on the
clavicle (what you call the collar-bone) ,
and had gone-somewhere. That was
all we could tell, for there was no other
orifce; but whether it had passed up or
down, or taken some erratic course round
about, snch as balls will take, We knew
not, and no probing conld find out
Well, he recovered, went north to regain
strength, and for nearly three years |
lost sight of him. When the war was
over, and when / had begun to practice
as civilian in New York, / met him
again. But how changed! He was a
living skeleton, and | saw in moment
that he had become habituated to opium
Do you know what that means? No!
Well, throw bucket of water into a pi-
ano, and then light fire under it, and
its strings will not be more out of tune
than an opium-smoker's nerves are out
of order. He asked me if he might call
on me at my Office, and of course l as
sented; but it was days before he came
and when he did arrive ] knew that he
had been preparing for fight with him.
self. Some foolish patients come pre-
pared to hide the truth, some to magni'
fy their ills. 1t is part of our business
in serious cases, 10 examine plan's
mind, before we ask about his body, anC
hardened as surgeon must be, l confess
that the condition of my poor frienC
frightened me. There was an expression
in his eyes that had never seen in any
sane being, and what made this worse
was the calm, business-like manner il
which he spoke. He told me that soor
after he had apparently recovered from
his wound he began to suffer from pain
in his head, which increased in severit,
till they became SO agonizing that h
had recourse TO opiates to alleviate them
But l have not come to consult yol
about this he said; this can bear
must bear. Would to God that the,
were always tearing me! The worst i
when they are not
"'They leave you very weak?' | sug
gested.
"'They leave me-, he replied, quit
calmly, with burning, all but uncon
querable, desire to take human liie.'
81 am not generally nervous mar
but l started, and looked round me 70
some weapon of defense. Don't b
afraid he continued, with sad smile
the fit is not on me now. should nc
have come if it had been. ] have bee
nearly starved once or twice, not DARN
to leave my room. I can conquer m
madness now; the question Is, how Ion
/ can continue to do so. feel that it
growing upon me. I feel my power {
resistance becoming weaker and weake
the craving for blood getting stronge
and stronger. I am like man who ha
slipped over precipice, and feels tn
earth and shrubs to which he cling
slowly, surely, giving way with him.
have brought wretched ours out of til
street, and killed them in my frenzy
the hope to exhaust it on them. 1t isr
use. / must have human life
"'Any human life?' l inquired, {
some one in particular"
"'Why do you ask this, Doctor?'
cried, getting suddenly excited.
No matter; go on"
'Sometimes,' he resumed, lit seen
that any life wonld do; and sometim
Doctor, four days before | saw you
met upon ferryboat young girl.
pretty, so refined, and nice! follow,
her to her home the devil that has t
ken possession of me led me. She we
in, and soon came out again into her |
tie garden, and tended her fiowers-po
child Doctor, if / had had a pis
with me / should have shot her. Y
may smile; but some day soon l sh
take pistol on purpose and shoot he
at was clearly no use arguing wi
him. The best way with such people
TO admit their facts and try to wo
round them.
"'Then,' said ], the only thing y
can do is to submit to the restrictions
an asylum till this feeling has passed
alt will not pass. If / were to go
madhouse I should sham sane. Soc
er or later their vigilance over me wol