The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-10-24
Prolonged Torture.

green young country boy. and had
commenced studying law in Attica,
that little place we just passed. In
the summer time a friend of mine,
who knew l was devilish hard up,
suggested that / go out to his farm
and spend couple of months while
he and his wife made visit to Phil.
adelphia.. | was only too glad to do
it. He lived about four miles from
Attica, half the way over a turnpike
that had been disused-a lonely, but
rather pretty location.
"The only other person there was
was farm hand. There wasn't much
to do, and l had a high old time.
One day, remember it was boiling
Gotj ty.t lIuly. Ithinx-the hired man
t.desS DS !. 4;..o,, : 'ono ~,
$50 l47r, picnic aid'ieit me ahos.~ :. .
the farm. Toward noon l got a dia-
bolicai toothache. 1t was the jump
ing kind felt every moment or two
as If somebody had hit the nerve
with tack hammer, and | went
raving about the place like mad
man. l tried everything 1 could
think of until l recoIlected all of a
sudden that there was a small bottle
of whiskey on the pantry shelf.
81 had sampled it before, and knew
just where it was, so l rushed in,
grabbed the bottle and took a swig.
AS l set it down 1 glanced at it, and
to my unspeakable horror read the
word 'Laudanum' on a big black
label. 1t struck me instantly that l
had got the wrong bottle, and also
that j had strange taste in my
mouth. They kept a lot of medicine
and odds and ends in the pantry, and
that accounted for the mistake.
"For moment my brain was in
a whirl, and then | collected my
thoughts and rapidly surveyed my
chances. l did not know exactly how
much opium there was In laudanum,
but realized that l had certainly
swallowed enough to Kill a dozen
men, and that my only hope lay in
obtaining prompt medical assistance.
| thrust the bottle into my pocket to
indicate how much | had taken and
ran for the barn.
"There was only one horse on the
place-an old, wind broken, dirty
white bag of bones. that hadn't been
out of a walk since the year one. The
Way slUng the harness on to him
was caution to snakes. My hands
trembled so that l could scarcely fas-
ten the buckles, but / finally got our
rattletrap of two seated buggy
hitched up and started for town.
81 didn't stop to shut the gate. |
just leaned over the dashboard and
hammered the old horse with the
whip stock until he broke into a
scared gait, half run and half trOt. In
a moment or two he got used to the
licking and it was almost impossible
to keep him going. If Bergh had
seen me l would certainly be in the
penitentiary to-day for cruelty to an
imal. L smashed him over the back
until great welts stood out like fur
rows on plowed field, and howled
and raved and swore. 1t seemed to
me we snaiIed along so slowly we
were scarcely moving at all, and the
minutes sped in diametricalIy oppO-
site ratio. 1 would have got out and
walked, but dare not trust my legs
for the distance.
meantime 1 felt the poison work.
ing in my system. A deadly lassi-
tude crept over me. l had read OF
such things and l felt them in all
their magnitied horrows. 1t seemed
in some strange, inexplicable way
as if l had a dual existence, one
weakly. eager to lie down and sleep,
come what might, and the other fired
with all heenergy of despair to reach
the town. No tongue can tell the
battle 1 fought between those two
imP.lses."
"The stranger took out his hand
kerchief and slowly wiped the beads
of perspiration from his forehead.
"Inch by inch the horrible inertia
crept over me. My body seemed
enormously enlarged. My arms were
yards long and my hands of gigantic
size. You know. perhaps, that this
is one of the effects of opium poison.
ing. 1t appeared to mel fear that
l cannot make myself understood
that the sense of will travelled very,
very slowly, and waned and died out
before it reached its end. When !
wished to raise my hand, for in
stance, it seemed to take ages to COM
municate the desire to the muscles,
and then they were too feeble to re-
spond. Do you follow me?"
81 believe I understand yOu.O