Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-12-06


the decaying brain; that, in addition
to the bitterness of death, one may
taste also the gloom of the grave, and
the horrors of the charnel house."
"Good heaven!" 1 cried. sswhat a
horrible ideav' He fascinated me this
man. would gladly have risen and
gone away; but he stopped me with
his eye.
"Listen," he said, 81 have overcome
this impediment; l have opened the
gates of death to all mankind. To you,
my young ol-fellOw, will reveal
the secret; lest, tempted some day to
cross the boundary, should leave
mankind as wretched as ever. You
see this powerful herb; it is like mint,
is it notf the smell, the taste, every
thing is like mint-you would not
know them apart; and yet in a small
quantity of powder lies relief for all
the miseries of life. Don't shrink back
1t is innocuous in small doses, produces
merely pleasing languor; but in such
quantity as teaspoonful, it produces
lethargy; twice the quantity brings on
syncope; thrice, inevitable death. 1
have often ventured as far as the second
stage, but have always stopped short
of third. And l have brought back
this much assurance from the world of
shadows: consciousness ceases alto
gether at the second stage. There are
no dreams in the sleep of death.
"The preliminary stage of lethargy
is delightful often indulge in it; but
/ have had doubt sometimes whether
L might not possess an exceptional
physical organization; whether the
herb would produce exactly the same
effect on others. L determined to try
the experiment on a larger scale. /
came here to night to do it. L have
noticed that the frequenter of these
rooms. on pea soup nights. which are
/ frequent, takes one plate of soup, to
which he adds one spoonful of mint.
Well, watched my opportunity. l
came here as soon as the rooms were
opened; and, whilst the walters back
was turned, emptied the contents of
the plate of mint into my pocket, and
| filled the plate with my own powder.
The experiment was bold one, for /
might have caused the death of inno-
cent persons. However, l persevered /;
the interests of science over power con-
siderations of humanity. The expert
ment has succeeded. Each habitue of
these rooms has swallowed his plate of
soup, his spoonful of precious herbs ;
I each has gone through the state Of
lethargy. There are some now, yo'i
observe, passing through that stage.
threw an agonized glance aroun.
Sure enough, there were two or thTe
men lying back in their chairs, tblr |
heads sunk on their breasts, in a site
of complete lethargy.
"And," he went on, 81 can see the
symptoms of the approaching letbrgy
upon yOu-the dilated pupil Of theye,
the expression Of anxiety in the ace;
yes, all is perfect; the symptoms e.
"But," gasped, 81 hare takf three
spoOnfuls."
"Martyr of science - he criespring-
ing up and grasping me by ii hand,
how carefully, how painfully l will
watch every symptom of yor declin-
ing vitality! Dear friend, our case
will be an era In the historyf human
ity. Like Curtius you hav.eaped into
the chasm for the public wl."
"But isn't there an stidote"'
gasped "a remedy?"
"There is none; and we there, you
would not go back from thnoble path
My dear friend, initiate IL example of
the ancient Roman; a quiude seren-
ity in your last hours is indispensable
for the proper noting of ,ur phenom-
ena."
"But wont die 7" / suited, getting
up. My limbs trembledeneath me;
felt the very chills of deh upon me.
81 won't won't! HeI L screamed,
"Scnd for a doctOr-r policeman.
Quick! quick I'm pois'edn'
All the lethargic IN jumped to
their feet, the walters che running in,
the proprietor appeare pale and Won
dering.
"Pm poisonedI' 1 suited; poisoned
in the mint Send foia doctor, you
fools! do you hear?"
"Mad!" said quiGOice; "mad as
ah oor fello! he's subject to
those fits. He'll ia down directly;
look out for him?'
"But I'm not goiI to have the char
acter of the house ten away for no
mad freaks. Whato you mean, sir,
by attacking the qlity of my victuals
sir?"
at was she," 1 euted, pointing to
my friend, "who ~ seeks to screen
himself by callinge mad. But good
heavens! will youe fellow creature
perish, perish PERI"
.sThere, don't gravate him." said
nv friend. "Punim I'm a cab and
send him to poi station; he's sure
to have been advised for"
was draggedd hustled from the
room and hurlento a cab. Two or
three policema,ad come up, and one
took charge of inside, while another
mounted the b. l was quiet now,
overcome by struggles, and lay ex-
hausted in therner of the cab, wait
! ing the insidis advances of the deadly
narcotic.
: Presently cab stopped. We've
got the chs they advertised for"
cried the maOutside to a policeman
who was louing at the door of the
police static
"The deuyou have" cried the In
spector, copg up ''Then you've done
I a good joto- o-night. There's fifty
nonnds offd now. Take him right
off to the aum at once. Let's have
look at hithough. Why this isn't
: the man all; this amt Medhurst!