The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1879-05-15


escaping the country, and longing ever
to flee the fellowship of civilized man
The opportunity was finally discovered il
a ship sailing around Cape Horn for th'
Pacific coast, on board of which my ser
vices were accepted in a menial capacity
| was soon safe from discovery an(
pursuit, and free upon the boundless wa
ters-free as one could feel with the re
morse of hcllish deed upon his soul, ant
the abandonment of all hope of happ,
hour in life again.
! need not describe the experience OF
a long and tedious voyage, and the hard
ships and indignitics put upon me in con
sequence of inetficiency and total igno
rance of a scaman's duties. TO me it was
of little account. But the change of life
and scene, and the sea air, had wonder
ful effect in repairing my mental and
physical strength. 1t was on a bright
September morning that first spied the
hazy shores of California, and in day OF
two thereafter sauntered along the streets
of San Francisco, alone in new world
with only the companionship of a bitter
recollection.
AS necessity required, / sought en-
ployment, and managed to sustain myself,
leading listless, purposeless sort of life.
But the monotony soon became oppres-
sive, and the apprehension of ultimate
discovery excited renewed anxiety
Frequently fancied the recognition of a
familiar countcnance on the streets, that
kept me in painful uncertainty.
| The day came in which my worst fears
| Il I, +.I,
whose house l was sojourning delivered
me into the hands of justice. BY what
means he discovered my identity l could
not determine; but met my fate boldly,
| for remorsc had SO far embittercd my eX-
istencc, that l disdaincd longer to strug-
gle for its continuance.
"Gcntlemen,' | exclaimed as the Of
ticers inclosed my wrists with iron shack
| les, "tal<e your accursed reward! | am
Charles Harden, murderer, from--'
They dragged me to prison, and the
| officers of the law came and questioned
me. l told them all, and they transfer
red me to more secure confinement, lest
| should escape again the rctribution of
crime.
Long 1 fingered in the solitude of /;
gloomy cell, awaiting the final decree OF
fate, until calm Indifference succeeded
despair, and gradually every emotion,
even life itself, seemed to suhsidc into IA
dream.
But day came when my sensibilitlcs
seemed terminating, like one emerging
from IA trance. Slowly my mind mani
tested activity, and in time recalled my
identity; when suddenly the recollection
of my whole life flooded back upon me,
and all the weight of its great burden of
remorsc again descended.
An old man whose kindly countenancc
had become familiar to me, as in a vision,
appeared and sought to rally my dcspond-
ency with words of hope and encourage
ment.
''You have had long, bad spell,
Har'len,' he remarked, ''but you are com
ing around all right now. and will soon
be out in the world again
Then l was not in prison, but an insane
asylum. Thank heaven my wrctched
guilt had not been discovered.
And then | learned from the old man
the circumstances of My arrest as luna
tic, and the nature of YIN aftliction. In the
skilled surgeons, small splinter of the
fractured skull had been left adhcring in
a position to irritatc the membrane of the
brain, and this tritling oversight had
caused the insanity attended with such
sad results, to blast the happiness of my
life forever, and stamped my memory
with the ignOminy of murder. =
The arrangement had been effectively
repaired by the skilled surgeon of the
asylum, and my mind now rapidly recov-
cred its original power. But what availcd
t, reflected bitterly and why had l been
restored from peaceful lunacy to con-
ciousness to which death would be a re-
lief
One morning the old attendant of
whom l had spoken interrupted my
gloomy meditations with countenancc
more than usually cheerful, that seemed
to radiate the heart of some hidden
hope.
s.HarCen,' he remarked, 'syou are grow
ing vigorous again in both body and
mind. l have message for you that
may excite you lite. Do you think
you can stand an agreeable surprisc?"
"Anything agreeable to hear would
need be "a SURPRISE" replied. But, my
dear friend, fear the world could now
hardly afford a message to me sufficient
ly pleasurable to inspire any apprehcnsi-
bic excitement
"Well, if you are confident to that cX-
tent, will permit the bearer of the mes
sage to impart it directly to you"
The old man withdrew. and presently
returned with companion A thrill, re-
m"nitory of some great surprise, startled
me as heard the approaching footsteps.
raised my eyes. Great Heavens! they
met the old love-look of my wife, ready
to advance into my arms.
The ardor which l returned her en-
brace was assuring that my power of
| nerve was restored.
The last great hallucination was dis
hevelled, and a ray of gladness burst in
upon my heart, streaming through the
dark cloud Of despair that had hung over
me those long and wretched years.
laughed and wept by turns. And then l
drew the recovered treasure of my life
more firmly to my breast, fearful l was
still in a dream. that might Danish and
leave me again in misery and despair.
e'And how did you follow me here?"
demanded, when sufficiently collected
to make the inquiry.
"There is your address, my wife re-
piled, handing me All Eastern paper con-
tanning the following paragraph, copied
from San Francisco paper:
"FOr Stockon-An unknown man was
taken from boarding house on Sansomc
street yesterday, and brought before the
commissioners of lunacy, and by them
committed to the asylum at Stockton.
From what could be gathered from his
incoherent talk, his name is Charles Har-
den, from New York city, and he ina
gines himself to have committed some
serious crime. His insanity is caused by
fracture of the skull, which has been i'm
properly trepanned."
"And who was it that l struck down
and killed?'
'Your own reflection in our pier-glass
mirror, which was shattered to atoms the
night YOU disappeared"