St. Landry democrat., 1878-09-28


his insane idea, and he went on in
rapid voice:
"I escaped from the mad~house, but
my enemy has haunted me and folled me
ever sincs. I have tried the operation
dozen times, and just in the moment
of success he has come and triumphed
over me. l have seen him again and
again. To the poor fools that make up
the world, he is but name; but have
seen him, spoken to him, heard him
speak, His name is death"
He suddenly drew his left hand from
his pocket, where he had kept it all the
time he had been speaking, and showed
me long, narrow surgical instrument,
which he handed to me.
"Take it, said he. lit is enchanted.
want yon to perform the operation
you have the skill and the phantom has
no power over you. Do this and we
will share the glory Of reward together.' .
I tooS it, almost snatched it, from his
hand. I felt it like an interposition of
providence in my behalf that he should
have surrendered it to me. My only
hope now lay i'll making him imagine l
shared his enthusiasm, and effecting my
escape.
"It must succeed" I answered him ;
s'but there is no time to be lost. | will
go instantly and seek proper subject.
will you accompany me, or remain here
till return?"
He turned upon me with foam gather
ing on his lips.
"Judas!" he yelled, "give it back to
me. Your are in league with death to
defraud me, But it shall not be. Ne
verw
I saw it was no fur ther use trying to
temporize with him, and threw the de.
licate blade upon the floor and crushed
it with my foot.
He sprang upon me with the ferocity
of a famished tiger, grasping me with
his strong, sinewy arms, and burying his
teeth in my shoulder, as, with force
which l seemed powerless AS a child
against, he bore me to the wall.
Oh, the agony of years that seemed te
be condensed in those few moments as
we struggled together-he with the rage
and blind fury OF madness, and ] with
the strength and stubbornness of despair
Ny strength WAS nearly spent, and
felt all could do was to make one finaI
effort, and then trust to Providence. Al
we came opposite the window ] exerted
all my remaining strength, and, with al
old wrestling trick I had learned as s
boy, I suddenly changed my grip upon
him, and raised him from his feet.
The next instant I had flung him
crashing through the crazy easement
Fora moment it seemed as II would
faint, but the next the head and
shoulders of the madman still peering
above the window-ledge, brought me tc
my senses.
Instead of being dashed to the street
below, he had caught on the spout under
the caves: and by the strength of his
arms was slowly, but surely, raising him
self to the wiDdow-ledge.
| did not pause to think, but instinc'
lively seizii,g a piece OF broken sash,
struck him with it on the fingers that
clutched the spout.
The cry that left his lips, and the last
look of his face as it disappeared from my
sight, can never forget if live for q
hundred years. Sometimes, when il
comes before me in the silent night,
fearfulIy say to myself it was murder
But then, had [ not done 50, it would
have been suicide.
was i'll with brain fever for weeks
but recovered at length in time to take
my degree. 1t is all long past now
longer than I would wish it sometimes
but am not fond Of talking of the story
and this is the first time have ever told
any one, beyond my personal friends, of this
so-called scientific assassin, who was only
a povr madman, after all, and more tc
be pi5ied than condemned.--[ Nashville
American.