Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-08-27

sS."S~ @sSSk~sAoAA ASw osyS = SSsss>s
"How dars you propose to me such .
crime :" he exclaimed. u am an English
man, and w1ll not commit murder
"Pshaw your nation produces = many
honorable criminals a. any othsr. Do
your work, sir, and quickly. nyou have
scruples,, remember an en-
forced sin lies lightly on my conscience;
lay that comfort to your soul. No moro
words,n he added peremptorily-not one
This is the time for action
II refuse to obey your cruel command.
Let me Co."
The man who had been writing, and nm
til now had taken NO part Whatever in the
scene that was passing around him, then
rose up and and joined the group. Lay
ing his hand lightly on my grandfAther'l
he said:
.Thsre i no escape for you, Doctor
very moment you hesitate you prolnne
hat womans pain. She mnst die; and
yeu can dispatch her with painless speed.
ssWhst II I rsfassi You cannot fbrce
me to comnitsp foul : murder
He pointed y 80 swarthy figures (sith-
er soldiers or livsrisd servants Of sone
noble family--my erandfather could not
tell which,, who had - sfanding mo-
tionless by the couch, ard ansWsred:
ssThen those faithful fellows m dis
patch you and afterwards dispo16A her
they are net professional, and t11l4 Nprk
win be clumsily done. fths ion
be not performed before the clock -,
you know your fats--your life ~
saving hers. She is doomed; no pcU
ON earth can save her"
It was in vain to speak or expostuln11
with these fiends in human FORM He fS1l
they were a. stern and inexorabls - AtsI
Il was - crual - cowardly and horrible
Five men assembled to witness the pro.
fsssional murder Of . young and beautil
woman! What had she donei WI
Md she offended Some secret machino
y was st work; these men were mere -
strumenta in the hands Of some hiGhes
power-shsy had owned - much; tAsy
had NO personal interest in the mnt11
They were there 70 carry out justico they
said; secretly, II was true but The WoqnAn
had been lawfully condemned, - ~
sentence of the Law must be privately ere.
cutsd.
The wcmaas eyes were 6xed upon them
the whOls of the conversation,
and travelled from one face to the other
in hopeless agony not . word passed her
ears. only the one question to be solved
Was she to die by the unwilling hand Of
. pitying stranger, or be killed cruelty by
professional murdersrsf What . world
Of terror must have been compassed in
those few moments Of her life as she lay
watching and waiting there.
The clock began to chime the quarters
it was about to strike. At q given signal
the statue-like figures stepped forward
and rapidly uncsiled rope with moose
already made; they were about to slip il
over his head and hang him to beam
which ran along the center OF the ceiling.
The horror of facing sudden and violent
death seized him-his death would avail
her nothing for whom he died. His senses
were in whirl; he threw up his hands,
and sprang forward:
'I'll do iti" he exclaimed, and fell on
his knees before her. "They will have
ysur life; cannot save you, child, but
can shield you from their rough and cruel
hands, and put you painless to rest. For
give me, forgive me, for it is in mercy to
you do this cruel deed"
The white hand went out to him and
closed over his in soft forgiving clasp
the agony died out of the sweet eyes as
hey rested one moment on his face then
With, low sigh, she closed them and turned
away her head. In another moment heI
young life was ebbing slowly away. He
by her side, helding her hand in
his aud watching till all was over. He
would not for = second leave her with
those stern men, lest wounding word or
\ rough touch might disturb her on her
way from this world to the next. He
was conducted from the place in the same
way as he had entered it, and when his
took leave Of him they aug
gested that it would be we'll if he would
leave Naples with as little delay as posi-.
BILE. This forced murder-for such it
really was-lay upon his conscience to
the end Of his life, and filed it with one
long remorse-a living nightmare-for
that scene was always present in his mind.
The change that had puzzled us, puzzled
US no more. He could not carry his Sc
cret to the grave with him, so he gave il
into our keeping.
ut is terrible story !" exclaimed.
"And unlike most terrible stories, it is
true." he answered. "Comc out for a
breath Of fresh air and sunshine, to blow
This gloomy subject from our senses."-
Pictorial World.
SAs to being conflicted with the
gOut," said Mrs. Partington, sshigh
living don't bring it on. 1t is incohe.
rent in some families, and is handed
down from father to son. Mr.. Ham
mer, poor soul who has been 80 long
i'll, disinherits it from his wife's grand
l%At a circus, while the rope.
walker was going through his perfor-
boy about twelve years old
turned to an acquaintance of the same
age and remarked: 'Tom, don't You
wish you could do that?" eyes, I do,
sadly replied Tom, sbut my folks made
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