Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-12-04

vainly endeavoring to get up, called for
glass of water.
Almost instantly withered and hid
eous negress, who had been sQuatting
in the doorway of the room, appeared
with the required beverage.
The planter swallowed il at a draught
and demanded more.
AT this second glass, which he con-
sumed more slowly, he smacked his lips
several times and finally asked, suspi
ciously: "What is the matter with this
water? 1t tastes strange"
"Does it?" returned the hag with a
erOaking laugh. 81 should think it
would. Why, there is enough poison in
it to kill dozen men,"
Collins uttered hoarsc 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 my son." she cried, "be-
cause he treated his worthless wife and
her lover as he ought. No you shall die
and before the breath leaves your body
you will wish that you had perished as
easily as he did. You have drunk OF
the DEVILS grape, each drop of which is
sufficient to destroy a man, with the
most horrible TORTURE"
And she burst into another shrek of
unearthly laughter, while the planters
frame began to quiver under her hands
in the convulsions of unbearable agony.
The DEVILS grape, as the natives of
the Spanish West Indies call it is "a small
green berry, very closely resembling q
gooseberry, which grows OIL a certain
species of parasiticai 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 nature that it will
penetrate even the thick, calloused skin
on the palm of slaves hand.
Its effect. when introduced into the
"a 10 ~ H2OAuNC
badly violent headaches, racking pains
in the bones, like those of rheumatic
gout, terrible convulsions and final suf-
location from the bursting of internal
blood vessels. The screams of the poi
soned planter, which even the iron grip
of the murderess could no. suppress,
soon raised the house, and his servants
docking into the chamber of death.
found him rolling and writhing in hor-
rible torment, with the old woman
kneeling 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 a supply of the poison
she had collected that afternoon, rained
over the servants like shower of vitriol |
and they drew back uttering execrations
and howls OF pain.
Then the hag made a rush for the !
door, bnt one of the men, who had luck |
lily escaped the 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, torrent of black |
L.
dead.
Next day, the murderess was hanged,
naked and alive, in 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 perished in
agony equal to that of her vict i'm, eaten
alive by ants, mosquitoes, and sanafies.