San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-11-30
and demanded more.

At this second glass, which he CON-
sumed more slowly, he smackcd his ,ns
several times, md finally asked, susni
ciously: "What is the matter with this
water? IT tastes strange
"Does it?" returned the bag, with .
croaking laugh. Il should think Il
would. Why, there is enough poison
in it to kill dozen men,"
Collins uttered hoarsc cry and ell
deavored to rise, but the old woman
threw herself upon him and seized his
throat in her claw-like hands, stranglinp
him and preventing his calling for help.
"You killed my 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 per.
ished as easily as he did. You have
drunk of the DEVILS grape, each drop Of
which is sufficient to destroy man
with the most horrible torture
And she burst into another shrek Of
unearthly laughter, while the planters
frame began to culver under her hands
in the commissions of unbearable agony.
The DEVILS grape, as the natives Of
the Spanish West Indies call it, is
small green berry, very closely resem.
bling gooseberry, which grows on
certain species Of parasitical plant that
attaches itself to coffee-trees where they
have become barren and are permitted
to grow wild.
Each grape yields from two to four
drops Of viscous white liquid Of so
poisonous and acrid q nature that it
will perforate even the thick, calloused
skin ON the palm of slaves hand.
It's effect, when introduced into the
human system, is to produce indescr'
badly violent headaches, racking pains
in the bones, like those of rheumatic
govt, terrible commissions, and final suf
location from the bursting of internal
blood vessels. The screams Of the
poisoned planter, which even the iron
grip of the murderess could not sup
press, soon raised the house and his
servants, focking into the chamber Of
death, found him rolling and writhing
in horrible torment, with the old woman
on his chest, and burying her long nails
in his throat. ...
At the appearance Of the servants she
released her victim, and drawing a bot
tie from her pocket, shook its contents
into the negroes faces.
The juice of the deadly berry-for
the bottle contained the supply Of poi
son she had collected that afternoon
rained over the servants like shower
of vitriol, and they drew back uttering
excavations and howls Of pain.
Then the bag made a. rush for the
door, but one of the man, who had
luckily escaped tho painful experience
of his comrades, tripped her up, and in
a minute more she was prisoner, bound
hand and foot.
By the time this was brought about
her victim had uttered final shrek,
and, bounding out of bed, had fallen
face down on the floor, a torrent OF
black blood pouring from his mouth.
He was dead.
Next day the murderess was hanged,
naked and alive, in a cage of iron hoops
which fitted 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 I'D
agony equal to that of her victim, eaten
alive by ants, mosquitoes and sand-fis'
The discovery of her fate by the au'
thorities led to the abolition OF int
cage, which, incredible as "
may seem, had been frequently used Ill
he punishment of slaves i'll Porto kic0
up to the time of which we write.