The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1878-08-09
A BEAUTIFUL DECEPTION.
more lo"h SoIninR with n Devoted
Daughter TO Humbur an ola
Man into sanit~.

beauVals. hls mind gave way, and, |
except at brief intervals, the cid man was |
insane, harmlessly but completely in |
sane. The sights which he had witnessed |
at Paris during the reign Of terror had |
always deeply affected him and even
while he retained his mental vigor their
recollections haunted andonnressed him. |
When his reason was clonded he inva- |
riably fancied himself A. one of the
prisons of the republic, zder a mys-
ferrous charge of treasofI He no long
er knew himself to be @nd but com
plimented the ladies of Ealitv. fellows
prisoners in his in1aefSrv dungeon.
on their freshness of Ne. or rallied
the great gentlemen imm&ed with him
on their fantasies and Eculiarities of
dress. With them he heA long CONVEX
sations, sparkling with ~ and repIete
with anecdote; indeed. dEing the forty
eight hours that the attaE ALWAYS lasted
he was not silent for a Aoment: over
his skilled and expressivaReatures swept
all the varying emotions f iov. sorrow
and intense interest tn veins of his
forehead grew like cords, sad his face red
as FIRE, and the end of theft was a fux
of unintelligible words, Ut first spoken
theoretically, but fnalf dying into
NlACAANG anu 0lukoA- NOulu IutU
sleep heavily from fitch TO eighteen
hours, and awake sane, Afor the hal
Inclination that he was Ct to prison
He recognized his fsusi Riends and
thanked them he
pointed out the JaiHfsV 5fTSIice Com
missioners and his fello7 sprisoners. In
vain did his daughter Leap rim through
the spacious gardens or Rive out with
him through the streetJ of the town
wherever ne went he carried his prison
with him.
He was failing perceptibly, so wildly
had his imagination wrought upon
him, when one day a neY phase of his
malady alarmed his family. He was
noticed to steal noiselessiy from the
room, turning his head b look behind
him as if he feored thsa he might be
observed and pursued he trembled and
shuddered violently, and on his counte-
nance, which was of deathly pallor,
great drops of sweat stood out. Hearing
his daughters voice, he fed toward her
and threw himself into her arms. "Sur-
round me- hold meiq he gasped
"don't let them find me. l hear their
| footsteps There is no one coming,
my father" said Nine Guesdon, sooth-
| ingly. 81 tell you they will" he an
| swered; lis the place safe? Can they
| find me here? 1t was thus Loiserolles
was saved" Then sinking into chair
| he continued: 81 was on the farm cart;
not alone, for a mother and son were
/ with me- They spare neither age noI
/ innocence, the butchers Every Jolt of
! the cart made me shudder. Who can
describe the agony of sitting there. tied,
where every turn of the wheel brings
! YOU nearer TO your death. 1t Is worse
! Than death" " But you are safe, IA
ther," said his daughter "Safe yes,
but for how loDg7 All at once the
tumbriI stopped. l could not look at
| the guillotne, but cast my eyes down
and thought of you all. One of the pris
! oners steps down, he mounts the ladder /;
there Is a thud, and q howl from the
] crowd Another, another; it is my
/ turn. | made my way, more dead than
alive, 10 the ladder, and had set my
loot on the first step, when suddenly
some one thrust a bare, brawny arm
before me, stopping the way. 1t was
the executiOner" Here Preville gave
with wonderful dramatic force and
! changes of voice his dialogue with the
| headsman. Where are you going to 2'
| Going-why, you know. It is cruel 10
l DTUlUn2 llls NpINufEs lJDn WASTE
time talking Where are you going,
citizen, l say ?" 4" To rejoin my COM
paniens in misfortune and pray in
heaven for the welfare of my family"
That Is all very nice, but you can
pass here What ] can't pass %
md the old mans face began to ex-
press a feeble hope. "Of course you
can't pass without your number"
s. My number ~ g Yes, your number.
Who in the world sent you here Do
you think we guillotine people that
way? Let me see your number" 81
beg your pardon, sir, but / was not
aware of the formality. l have nc
number" 4" Look in your pockets. "
g How can I with my hands tied You
look" It's none of my business
get out of here, and don't come back
till you We found your number" " You
can imagine" said the poor old man
that | didn't wait to be told twice y
A few days later the hallucinatien re,
turned he had been recaptured and
placed in his cell, and the old agony Of
| apprehension possessed him and proved
upon him. His daughter, woman q,
clever as devoted, having exhausted al
the resources of medical science with
out effecting cure, hit upon the fortu
nate idea of entering into his hallucina,
ton and so guiding it as to direct it Il
natural and happy ending. She
therefore, ceased attempting 10 con
vince him that he was at liberty and il
safety, and confessed that they haC
tried to argue him cut of the idea o
his captivity solely from a lovin!
desire to relieve him of its horrors. De
ception, if it had been longer possible
she added, was no longer necessary, TO
they had received an intimation that tn
day for his trial had been .set and wa
drawing near, and he must prepare t
face his Judges with all the recourses o
his mind The old man was delighte'
that she had at last abandoned the de
ception which had prevented her iron
receiving his confidence, and poured on
To her his story, his hopes and fear:
Next day she brought ham news that n
was to have counsel with whom he Nigh
communicate freely, privilege that ha
been refused to the tlother prisoner
This was a good omen, JDd the old man
heart was perceptibly lighter than it ha
been for years. Next day the advocat
and another lawyer visited the prisoner
the former parsonage ping representa-
by the clerk of the Criminal court c
. SenenalS, young IdTf yer VI WIZ al
learning, and an intig he friend of tn
Questions, and the latss2oy young LAY
; student. They .we. eessIced by tn
} name of distfnges1s11 sl-sbers of tn
5 Partisan bar, with WIZ tme Previll
WAS acquainted, thouhf ne had neve
q met them. To his COUNSEL he told hi
story at length. THY took differen
views Of his case. which they DISGUISE
with warmth and may citations fror
3 the code. At last THY arrived at a
understanding and plin for the defense
and both agreed that q ZEN if their ellen
were found guilty, caS tai punishment
a could not be inflicted kbon him Mean
while they would draw up and seattle
, broadcast pamphlet, lelling his story
and thus work upon I'D public mind i
his favor. That nighfHor the first tim
: for many months, thu old man slep
calmly, the fear of tbl scaffold, whic
had so long haunted I'm, having bee
lifted from his mind.
Next morning his dsv lighter visited hin
, with more good news. IShe had been t
) zee the jurors, and fouE some that wer
, favorable to him; inf ence was to b
exerted on others; stiE others would b
bribed. At the same tfne the voices @
harkers were heard without the window
, crying something in which Preyille fancie'
he heard his name. Stepping to tn
xubot Iol.obT ~ hoo