The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-12-04

de a"oke late at night with his throa
oa tlre from his debauch. end, after vain
iy endeavoring to get up, called for
glass of water
Almost instantly withered and hide
Gus negress, who had been souatting j,
the doorway of the room, appeared Will
the required beverage.
The planter swallowed it at draugh
and demanded more
AT this second glass, which he con
sumed more slowly, he smacked his lip:
several times. and finally asked SUSPECT
ously: " What is the matter with thi,
water? 1t tastes strange
Does ?" returned the bag, with q
croaking laugh. 4 should think il
| would. Why, there is enough poison In
it to kill dozen men,"
Collins uttered hoarse cry and en-
deavored to rise, but the old woman
threw herself upon him and seized his
throat in her clawlike hands, strangling
him and preventing his calling for help
You killed nay son" she cried, be
cause he treated his worthless wife and
her lover as he ought Now you shall die
and before the breath leaves YOUR BODY
you will wish that you had persisted as
easily as he did. You have drunk of
the devils gfape, each drop of which is
sufficient to destroy man with the most
horrible torture"
A md she hurst ;-4> ~..~+l-~- -. -
unearthly laughter, while the planters
frame began to culver under her hands
in the convulsions of unbearable agony
The devils grape, of the natives of
the Spanish w est Indies call it, is a small
green berry, very closely resembling
gooseberry, which grows On a certain
species of parasitical plant that attaches
itself to coffe trees where they have be
come barren and are permitted to grow
wild
Each grape yields from two to four
drops of a viscous white liquid of so
poisonous and acrid nature that it will
perforate even the thick, calloused skin
on the palm of slaves hand
Its effect, when introduced into the
human system, is to produce indescria
bly, violent headaches, racking pains in
the bones, like those of rheumatic govt,
terrible commissions, and final suffocation
from the bursting of internal blood YES
sells. The screams of the poisoned plan
ter, which even the iron grip of the muir
deress could not suppress, soon raised
the house and his servants, focking in
to the chamber of death, found him roll
ing and writhing in horrible torment,
with the old woman kneeling on his
chest, and burrying her long nails in his
throat.
At the appearance of the servants she
released her victim, and drawing a bottle
from her pocket, shook It's contents into
the negroes faces.
The juice of the deadly berry-for the
poison contained the supply of poison
she had collected that afternoon-rained
over the servants like shower of vitriol,
and they drew back uttering excavations
and bowls of pain.
Then the hag made a rush for the
door, but one of the men, who had luck
lily escaped the painful experience of his
comrades, tripped her up, and in a min
ute more she was prisoner, bound hand
and foot.
BY the time this was brought about
her victim had uttered final shrek, aud,
bounding out of bed, had fallen face
down on the floor, torrent of black
blood nnnrinrr Tram IL -'
Next day the murderess was hanged,
naked and alive in a cage of iron hoops,
Vino Cited closely to her body, and left
to the mercy of the elements.
She lived four days, blistered to mad
ness by the fierce sun and the noxious
night damps, and finally persisted in ag
ony equal to that of her victim, eaten
alive by ants, mo-quitos and sand-fies.
This discovery Of her fate by the au-
thorities led to the abolition of the hang
ing cage, which, incredible as it may
seeem, had been frequently used in the
punishment of slaves in Porto Rico up
to the time OF which we write.