River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-02-13


ular side-made him i'll. The woman he 10y
ed more than his life was suffering, and liza
Bile to violence at any minute, yet he could
not interfere without making matters worse
He talked, foolishly enough, about suicide.
and asked me, with great naivete, whether
| thought prussic acid or laudanum was pref eT
able!
use tobacco, by all means, " said |. "Pro-
| fessor Youmaus once demonstrated, in my
hearing, that a single pipeful OF tobacco,
smoked in the ordinary way, would Kill a
man. ! advise you to try it and dismiss
all nonsensical ideas of any other kind OF poi
son, now and foreyern
cheered him up as best could, aud gave
him open assurance that comic what might,
Charley Hale and myself were ready to be-
| friend him.
J Plainly, the best service Charley Hale and
| could render our friend was to send him of
| 10 the antipodes or anywhere else as soon as
| possible. He was Ia continual sort of low
nervous fever that bid fair to bring him down
unless something were done to change the
tide Of his life. Gage openly avowed ms IN
tention to be reyenged on the Door fellow,
He would not kill Eugene, he said, but weuld
follow him up with his malice, and never al
| low him a moments peace again
He was Just the man to do it, too. Rich and
cruel-a golden-hearted man-he had the
means, as well as the desire, to ruin his
enemy.
Eugene was fully alive now to the necessity
| of going away omewhere-anywhere out of
scandal. He was satisfied that Bertha would
| De treated more harshly while he was near;
SO, after an impassioned leave-taking with
her. he went off, away into the wilds Of Min
nesota, with heavy heart and blank future
! We tried to keep 1t a secret where he had
| gone, bat it was impossible. Gage found it
out, and sent police officer to arrest him for
having stolen a diamond ring belonging to
Bertha so Eugene was brought back; and
a Was NpllpO IN in gl0rt that
| she gave him the ring herself!
| This double humiliation nearly killed him,
and for a long time he was confined to his
bed by a severe Illness As soon as he recov-
| cred sufficiently Charlie and | sent him Oft
again, incognito to far Southern city.
But Gage was too Keen for us again. He
| found out where his enemy was once more
| and by hiring two abandoned women to swear
| that they were both married to him had him
| brought second time before a New York
Judge accused of bigamy. The greatest pos
| sible publicity was given to both these trials;
and although the two women were proved TO
be VIGOROUSLY bad characters, and would have
! been indicted for peruIers had it not been for
the lavish use Of Cages gold, yet Eugene's
fair fame was furnished. Nobody knew who
was right and who was wrong. 1t was dis
reputable charge anyhow, and the young
man found himself an object of distrust and
suspicion everywhere.
Il am sick of this said he, one day to him
self and myself; Eugene Isle is a bad name.
1t has fallen into bad company, and he who
bears it is worse than dead. | wish he were
really sou
"Then, why the deuce don'tyou dieg asked
Charley; eve will help you"
what do you mean@
"Simply that l have an idei. Stand up
alongside of George there--so; that's it-yes
--yes-I think | can do it."
EDo what?"
TiII ,l,oxr ,,o,,
"But what did you want us to stand up to-
gether iorw
"Only to see whether you could be made to
look alike | think with a little shaving and
a little artistic making up, l could fix it so
that George could be mistaken foryou."
''Were not unlike"
"No. Now | want you to write a note to
John Gage, in a trembling hand"
John Gage? What for?"
'sNever mind. Phi write the note, and you
must copy it,
Charles sat down and wrote few lines,
when Eugene copied In a faint and irregular
hand. They We're as follows:
'MR. GAGE; am upon my death bed, and
wish to see you. | have something import
ant to say, and cannot live but few hours.
EUGENE LIsLE."
'Now prepare yourself for a long Journey
to any place where you can go comfortably
until old Gage dies-he can't live forever or
until this cursed affair If forgotten"
Il am prepared already. | have unpacked
none of the baggage / took South with me.
can start off at two hours notice
"WeI get every thing ready, for you must
30 tomorrow"
The arrangements were soon made for Il
trip to ST. louis; and the name OF Eugene
Hawthorne was adopted by the Young man,
as a new title, under which he hoped for q
new life, with new fortunes.
Now" said Charely "let HE get you up for
a dying man, and then do YOU so to bed, while
] go and bring Gage"
A little chalk and India-ink made a cadav-
looking subject of Eugene-who, poor
boy, was almost pale enough in his normal
condition. He went to bed after receiving his
cue from Charley concerning his reception of
Gage, aud / was stationed in the next room,
where l could see and hear without being
seen or heard.
In half an hour Gage was brought in, look
ing disappointed that he was about TO have
his revenge cut short by his victims death.
"Ah, Mir. Gage" said Eugene family, ''you
have come, eh2 hardly expected you"
"You wished to speak with me-"
ayes. | want you to fotgite me before |
die. | can not leave this world with ill-feel-
ing for any one. You have injured me severe
iy, but freely forgive you all. viii you do
so by me, also%
The hard faced old stockbroker relaxed a
little Poor Eugeune seemed so weak-so
near to deaths door-.hat he felt as If his
hatred ought to die with its tictim so after
lengthy death-be scene, which Charley
rendered as painful as possible by his remarks
and by-play-at the great risk of making the
dying man laugh--Gage pardoned his foe,
gave him his hand, and promised to attend
his funeral.
two hours aftcrward Eugene Isle was no
more, but Eugene Hawthorn was ca route for
st. Louis.
The next morning Charley Hale called up
on me, and got me to accompany him to an
undertaker's. There he purchased hand
some mahogany coffin, and had 1t conveyed
to the lodgings Eugene had occupied since
his return from the South. He then sent
word to Gage that the nvalaid was dead, and
would be buried the afternoon following.
The death was duly announced in the papers,
and a certificate written out by Charley,
signed "Charles Hale, NJ. d. stating that
the deceased, Eugene Lisle, died on the
night of Wednesday, at eleven o'clock, of ner-
yous fevei.'
Snow for your part of the drama" said he.
81 want You to shave as nearly like Eugene
as possible, and let the get you up for his
cod corpse" We won't bury you, but we
shall have to come pretty near it."
| submitted myself into his hands, like a
lamb being led to the shambles, and in short
time was shaved, and whitened, and touched
up with India-ink, like bad photograph,
until bore quite strong resemblance to a
dead Lisle. The family in the house were
strong SympathzerS with Eugene, ana lent
all their aid to the deception. ! was presently
laid out,dressed in a.suit Oh Eugene's clothing,
left by him for the purpose, and was carefully
placed in the coffin, upon the lid of which Char
ley had fastened good limitation of silver
plate made of ttnfoil, TO the effect that "Eu-
gene Lislie, aged twenty-five years and two
months, died on the-of January, 1S-."
! had never been In coffin before, and
hope that shall find my occupancy of one
more comfortable. The position was unpleas-
ant and the thoughts that 1t gave rise to
were decidedly somber. Eugene had few
distant relatives living, but, fortunately, no
near or dear ones. The secret was too grave
to be intrusted TO any save those who have to
take part in the arrangements, and Charley
accordingly gave it out far and wide that all
who wished to see the remains OF the young
man must come to the funeral.
This was a grand affair. The minister
firmly believed that | was dead, and so did all
pres mt W it'll the exception OF the undertaker's
man. the family VINO kept the house, the driv
er Of the bearse, Charley and myself.
thought the ceremonies would never end.
Ny back and legs were frightfully stiff. My
shoulders ached-tbe coffin, being open only
over the face, was terribly close, and smelled
of new varnish strong enough to sieken me.
Then / was so afraid that Bertha-who was
present with her husband, ant who believed
Eugene to be dead-would get up scene and
discover the truth, that l trembled every time
any body approached the table where lay.
At length, however, the service was over.
Charley came up, and bending down to take
a last look, whispered to me: