Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-08-06
A MAsTERPI. CE OF CRIME
I'm FIVE PARTS ]

was his vulgar name to handicap him In
life's race at the outset. Then ne was
poor and had no brains to speak of, and
unkindest of all-he considered himself a
man of genius.
His first anxiety on reaching the age of
puberty-which for him did not mean the
age of discretion-rwas to adopt pseudo
nym his second, to adopt another and so
on for ten years, until he had exhausted all
the sobriquets within his fantastic reach in
the effort to throw the curiosity-the fan
cied curiosity rather-of his contempora-
ries off the trail of his identity.
No matter what name he took-nobie,
middle-class or basely mechanical, foreign
or homemade, romantic or prosaic-Cav
endish, Thompson or Skies, Giovanni Ro.
mano or John Bull, Guy Chastelar or Tom
Merry-he remained in the depths of OBJ
security. The least known of workers at
the pen, the most unrecognized of novices,
the poorest of the horde of Grub street,
glory would have none of him.
"E pur, 81 muove - he used TO eKclsim,
as he tapped the bony casket of his skull
with his index finger. 81 have something
here" He believed his skull was profound
because it was hollow.
ures in their parliamentary beginnings
And |. Jonathan Smith, shall despair
No. Perish the thought -
The alterations to which literary vanity
can push those who are afflicted with 1t
are incouceivable. There are men Of gen.
uine ability whom it has made ridiculous,
if not worse. 1t has sometimes induced
them to give way TO shameful or odlous
folies. What may not its effects be, there
fore, when it racks an unfortunate wretch
Of notorious incompetency! Worn out pa
tience, wounded pride, the growing sense
of impotence, career wasted IN futile at
tempts to succeed renewed again and again
at the stimulus Of ambition-these accumu-
lated trials are surely enough TO drive
weak man to thought of suicide OF crime.
Jonathan Smith shrank from the idea OF
death. He was not physically brave enough
TO throw down the gauntlet TO the King OF
TerroIs. Besides, his pretensions to intel
lectual superiority might find qualification
IN doing something bad and base, not to
himself, but to his fellows. He reasoned
that his genius had SO far gone astray in
following the dreams of art, and that des-
tiny marked him out for the violenees Of
action On the other hand, crime might
bring him fortune, and, at last, riches
might conduct into the full blaze of noon
light this transcendal mind which was
whitening in the chill of poverty. From
the artistic and moral point of view, the
unappreciated Jonathan convinced himself
that 1T was absolutely necessary that he
should commit a crime.
He did commit one. And as if Fate
wished to justify his reasoning for the first
time IN his life he accomplished a master
piece.
About two years before the day when
Jonathan Smith sold himself to the devil,
ne had lived in the fourth story OF tene-
ment house in Stockfish Court, in the
parish of ST. Giles. Lost IN the crowd of
sdualid dodgers, known only under one of
his pseudonyms, he had there cultivated
the acquaintance of buxom and youth
full, but garrulous, serving.wench, who
made him the recipient Of all her small
confidential gossip. She waited on an
aged widow, very eccentric and excessively
rich, who occupied a floor in a house in
Great Corsm street. When this female had
finished her days work she returned to
Stockfish Court. Jonathan Smith had re-
sided in the place for about month.
One evening. as he was quitting the
Strand Hospital, where he had been to
visit a friend, resident pupil, he recog-
nized his former acquaintance of Stockfsh
Court in dying state in one OF the wards
through which he was passing. She
beckoned him over and told him she had
left the widows service but three weeks
1 Al l. III L., ! l..
woman from a Home, that her mistress
was too infirm to come and see her, and
that she felt quite miserable.
81 can understand that, said Jonathan.
" Naturally, you would like to have an
interview with her.
"No, no, not that at all. muttered the
Inoribund female "but I'm afraid if
die here, that she will read all the letters
l left at her place, and despise me after
my death
'qAnd why should che despise you p
bend over me, and viii make clean
breast of it. l want to make my wicked
ness known to somebody, and TO whom
rather than to you l may confess now
that / always had laundering after you
but you were above me in station. You
are scholard, and ! was only in service.
But there was another man ID the 'ouse at
Great Coram street. mechanic cabinet.
the name OF Virgins. If the
missus only knew that horrid fellows car
ryings on with me, 'twould be my ruin.
He was all for money, he was-the wretch
but l was fool to listen to him. He is
the father of my child. That was his hold
upon me. He always kept promising that
he would acknowledge the baby, and
marry me. Now | know it is all make
believe on his part but never mind.
have enough money to leave after me to
keep my little one above want, and my
missus, who is good soul at bottom, will
look after her for have letter written
to her, telling her all about my misfortune.
"The letter is under my pillow, and /
want her to get it when / am dead, but
only if my papers are burned beforehand.
ii that is not done, would eat the letter
first. | don't want the missus to suspect
how bad a girl / have been. She would
have no pity for my child if she knew it
to be the daughter Of an unmarried woman
and thief.
Don't take on so, my poor friend,
said Jonathan brusquely but explain to
me exactly how the land lies. You are
talking too fast, and mixing things hig-
gledy- piggledy. II am to do you any ser.
vice, | must know the truth, the whole
truth, and nothing but the truth. I'll do
all can for you, but must know every |
thing first"
At that moment Jonathan Smith had no
notion of crime. He was simply yielding |
to his literary curiosity, for he scented
plot of tale and prepared himself to hear
the materials of sensational copy"
Hold up my head, and I'll try and tell |
you my story That's better. l fell down
in the street with an attack of apoplexy, |
and they brought me here. The missus
left me here, for the doctors said was too
i'll to be removed. wrote to her and she
answered me. The woman who is in my
place came to see me on her behalf. But
neither to her nor to missus could / speak
OF what is on my mind. ] have bundle
OF letters from the cabinet. maker-from
the father, you know They are full
OF villainy, of encouragement to commit
thefts, and Of thanks when | had commit
ted them for l robbed. YES. ! robbed my