The state journal., 1884-12-13
THE CASE OF MR. VAN KLUGEN.


L.
More years ago than care to specify
was one of the officials of the Heming
ford County Jail In point OF fact wa
neither more nor less than a warden. .
had been well brought up and tolerably
well educated, but persistent colrs'
of wild oats sowing, involving the loss o
thee or iour good situations, had 81
disguised my people that by common
consent they turned their backs on me
and wished me bon voyage on my journey
to the deuce. When, therefore, Sir Mag
nus Marks, an old friend of my father.
as last resource, offered me the post OF
warden at the Hemlngford Jail, l
accepted the situation more to spite my
stuck up relatives than out OF any pleas
ure which the prospect afforded me. Inc
Van Klugen case, as ii was calico at the
time, had been the chief topic OF CONVEX
Sation in HemiDgfOrd society from the
day the accused man was committed on
the charge of Wilful murder up to the
time when the assiZes took place. If here
and there you met with one individual
who protested to believe in the limo
cence of the prisoner, you met twenty
who were fully prepared to vouch for
his guilt. This readiness to put the worst
construction on the case was no doubt
due in some measure to the unpopularity
of Mr.. Van Klugen. That he was rich
was a we'll known fact, but from the day
he settled down on a small estate which
he had bought In the neighborhood of
Hemin gford he had lived the life of an
utter recluse, stunning all society and
beng rarely seen beyond the precincts of
his own park.
As fact, Mr.. Van Klugen's days and
nights were devoted TO the pursuit of
abstract science. On an emincnce at
the back of the house he had built a
small observatory, in which he had
fixed powerful telescope, together with
other instruments for observing and
registering the transit of heavenly bodies.
There were rumors of locked-up room
in the house itself in which were fur
naces, crucibles, and articles of strange
shape, designed for unknown uses, and
from which, on winter evenings. there
often proceeded weird, unearthly noises,
as 1t might be of demonaic laughter, and
subtle deadly odors while from the low,
wide mouthed chimney lambert tongues
Of many colore1 flames were seen to
dance and culver, as though from veri-
table opening into Tophet itself. Add to
all this the fact that the house in which
Mr.. Van Klugen lived had stood empty
for twenty years before he became its
tenant, its reputation being tainted by
the presence of an undoubted ghost, and
it will be at once understood why that
gentleman was never likely to become
popular among provincial community,
where to be different from your neighbors
was to be something that you ought not
to be.
The assizes come on in due course. Mr..
Van Klugen stood his trial, was brought
in guilty, and was cast for death.
The case was a somewhat singular one,
but may be summarized here in a few
words Mr.. Van Klugen was accused
and found guilty Of poisoning young
lady who was his ward, and by whose
death he would benefit to the extent of
several thousand pounds. The young
lady had been ailing for a day or two.
but no medical aid had been considered
necessary. One morning she was found
dead in her bed. The post mortem ex-
animation brought to light unmistakable
traces Of poison. No cause could be
shown why the young lady should have
committed suicide. In Mr.. Van Klugen's
laboratory were found numerous speci.
mems of deadly poisons, together with
number of notes in his writing having
reference to certain Pathological expert
ments Of recent date A discharged
servant swore to having heard high
words pass between her master and the
young lady about week before the
death Of the latter. Circumstantial eyi.
Gence has sealed the fate of many man,
and it sealed the fate Of Mr. Van Klugen.
1t was not till after his condemnation
hat l made the acquaintance of Mr.. Van
Klugen. AS a prisoner under sentence
Of death he was never allowed to be
left alone, and it fell to my lot 10 be one
of the TWO night wardens appointed to
watch him.
The prisoner s age was put down in
the calender at 55, but he hardly looked
it. He was tall, dignif1ed. looking man.
with grizzled hair and mustache, and
with large gray, piercing eyes. He
spent the greater part of each day in
reading and writing. The books which
he had asked for and obtained permission
TO have were nearly all on scien tific and
obtruse subjects, and he read them, and
took notes of different points in them. a
calmly as though he had many years
lease OF life still before him. He was a
real smoker, and as a special privilege he
was allowed the solace of his favorite
meerschaum. He had never been married,
and after his condemnation he had but
one viSitor-his mother. She was yery
little, witheredup old lady, but remarka-
bly, active and vivacious for her age.
She was allowed to visit the Jail for an
hour every other day, on which occasions
the conversations between herself and
her son were always conducted in Ger
man.
These meetings had little or nothing of
sentimental character about them.
Mother and son kissed each other when
they met, and again when they parted,
but there were no tears or re-
pinings. Their talk was quiet and
earnest but never lachrymose.
never heard Mr.. Van Klagen make
any allusion to the crime on which he
had been found guilty, except on one
occasion, and even then | think that he
was unaware that he was speaking aloud.
Poor Julie n heard HIM mutter.
poor headstrong julio So self-willed,
and yet with such noble heart To
think that | would have hurt hair of
thy head And yet they say l poisoned
thee Fools"
n
MI Van Klugen was regular in all his