The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-21
"A DEED WITHOUT A NAME

| pIdceu his nanu on the accused B 6nOuiuef.
The person spoken to started, flushed, paled
and stared with look of amazement that deep
ened into an expression of fixed horror.
The speaker was man of about twenty-five
years of age, of medium height, slender and ele-
CANT form, fair complexion, yellow hair and
mustache, and blue eyes,
his name was William Hanson. He was a
gentleman of fortune and of elegant leisure,
taking his ease at his inn" which in this
instance was 8 well-known Southern summer re-
| SORT
| The one whom he addressed was youth scarce
ly twenty-one years of age, of middle height and
we'll proportional frame, but very thin, even to
emaciation. His features were handsome, pict
uresque and striking He wore suit of rusty
| black cloth, will brushed and scrupulously clean
and neat
| He was a student at Southern university,
| and-now in his vacation time, being poor-he
| was clerk at the Crest House at the Isle of
| Storms, off the coast of Maryland
| The memorable interview we have referred to
took place in the Office of the hotel in the still,
small" hours between midnight and dawn.
| The two men were alone in the apartment.
| Young Harcourt would have been abed and
asleep, but that something emanating from mis-
aspect like a mist, overshadowing his presence
| like cloud, murdered Sleep and so he sat in
| the office trying to drown memory in absorbing
| work on his account books.
William Hanson might have been in his room
| and in dreams, but that a great desire kept him
up, great hope sent him to seek this private
| interview with the clerk of the Crest House.
And SO, when the house was supposed TO be
buried in sleep, he stole to the office and startieo
the solitary worker with the words quoted.
| The clerk kept his dark troubled eyes fixed
| upon the face of the speaker with glare OF
stupefed horror that soon grew into glare of
| terror and despair.
"Yes, repeat, Harcourt, Thou art the mani"
reiterated the accuser, letting his hand fall with
| some force on the shoulder of the accused.
The youth shrank under the touch, as his
| breath came and went in deep inspirations his
| flexible nostrils expanded and contracted, and
his sensitive lips quivered under his dark mus.
tache But his great gloomy eyes never moved
from t, = fixed glare, did his cheeks change
from their sshen, death like pallor
Nov taen! Wy don't yoE speak, what
4 1--we you to say9' demanded Hanson, the accus
eYs fixing his hight blue eyes significantly on sne
olaneaed face Of his companion.
do not-uppadderstand,' faltered the fright
/ 'Oh. yes. you do! ! see that you-dnderstand
perfectly that am talking about the oppressed
act in this weeksurama. the deed done in NO.
pointing his words with penetrating look, un-
der which Harcourt shrank into himself.
ut was" began the wretched youth, impul-
| sively, and then suddenly conscious that he had
half betrayed himself, he stopped short. threw
his hands to his face and covered his eyes, for he
was unable to bear the incisive gaze of his &C
cuser
at was-well. what9 What were you about
to say that it VAST" demanded Hanson.
There was no reply, only the stricken youth
| RI t0 hrip md NOR n
himself.
''It was What was it now9 Can't you
tell me2'
Still there came no answer from the wretched
'No9 You can't tell me9 Then will tell you
| William Harcourt 1t was'-a MURDER" whis-
cred Hanson into the ear of the other.
mo! no! no! AS the Lord hears me, it was
| not!" burst in passionate denial from the lips of
| the youth, who never moved from his shrunken
posture, or uncovered his hidden eyes
1T midnight murder" emphatically re-
peated Hanson.
in a sort of unsurpassed ferceness of denial
1T was not! Heaven truly knows that it was
not 1t was an accident"
ut was an assassination" sternly asserted the
accuser, gazing on the accused, who sat cold,
stony, frozen. only repeating, with desperate
effort:
las live and breathe. it was an Academia
pure and perfect accident"
III was q mlCnlghC aSSaSSlnaGlOn, and you,
| William Harcourt, the midnight assassin" re-
| peated the accuser. with determined persistence.
groan of irrepressible agony burst from the
bosom of the despairng youth His form shook
as with an ague.
MAY the Lord strike me dead this instant if
/ am murderer he groaned, wringing nis
hands.
You know the law would hold you as one,
and punish you as one," coldly continued Han
son.
1T was entirely accidental" moaned Har-
court
Accidental" sneered the accuser SWELL it
was accidental that l became hidden witness
| to that crime"
.You!" exclaimed Harcourt, dropping his
hands from before his eyes and staring at the
| speaker.
YES I. I, William Hanson saw ali that hap
pinned in room No % last Thursday night,
between 2 and 8 o'clock"
The wretched clerk sat with his head bowed
upon his bosom. his arms fallen each SIDE of his
chair. and his body sunk back in the collapse of
final despair.
shall tell you how became an eyewitness
of your crime!
Harcourt moaned. but failed to speak
II will tell you, that you may know for a GER
| tainty have the power of life and death over
you," continued the accuser. watching the &C
cused to mark the effect of his words. He saw
abject misery and despair; nothing more nor
less. He continued:
81 occupy. as you know, room Number 90,
| which is next to the corner room, Number %.
These rooms look out upon the south balcony.
am rather restless sleeper, easily disturbed by
light and sound, and needing darkness and silence
to insure repose. That Thursday night after the
card playing, | went to my room at about ii
o'clock. The house was very quiet but there was
full moon. and too much light came into my
room. l must give you these details that you
may understand the accident by which be-
came the unseen and unexpected witness of a
crime"
The speaker paused and looked keeny at his
wretched companion, but saw change in the
utter despair of his attitude and expression.
After preparing for bed, continued Hanson,
"as it was much too light for me, closed my
window shutters and drew down my shade and
made it nearly totally dark. But then-and
hereby hangs tale or rather a rope with a
moose at the end of it,"
He paused, and glanced furtively at his VIC
tim. who covered AS if he had received lash.
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