Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-06-30

from America III was Nut "" WIN
sabre. skinned. and dried in the sun
for week. 1t was pretty good piece
of work for me-"
touched that human fragment,
which mast have belonged to giant
The fingers, disproportionately long
were attached by enormous tehuonS'
TO which shreds Of skin sun ciung,
Scorchcd as it was, 1t was irightiul
thing to behold, suggesting irrcsistaoiy
some savage revenge.
'He must have been very strong
| man, said |.
"Oh, yes" said the Englishman'
gently "But was stronger than he;
| had that chain put on to hold MN.
thought he was jesting, and said:
"lhe chain is wholly useless now;
the hand will not run away
But he gravely replied:
tue chain was necessary IL was
always trying to get away
With rapid glance questioned his
countenance, asking myself:
"Is he a lunatic or an ugly jestcrP'
But his face remained impenetrablc.
calm. and benevolent talked of
other things, and admired his guns. !
noticed that three loaded revolvers lay
on the tables, as IL this man lived in
constant fear of an attack.
| visited him several times and then
went there no more. People had be-
come accustomed to his presence and
had grown Indifferent
A whole year passed. Then one
morning, toward the end of November,
nv servant awoke me with the an
nouncement that Sir John Rowell had
been assassinated in the night
Half an hour later. with the central
commssary and captain of soldicry
| entered the Englishman' house
His servant, bcwildered and desparng,
was weeping before the door. sus-
pected him at first, but he was inno-
cent. The guilty man never could be
found.
A. entered Sir Johns sitting-room,
saw at the first glance his body
stretched out on its back in the middle
of the floor. His waistcoat was torn,
one torn sleeve of his coat was hang
ing; all told that a terrible struggle had
/, taken place.
He had died of strangulation! His
| terrible countcnancc, black and swoI-
len, seemed to express an abominab!c
fear, he held something between his
set teeth, and his neck. pierced in n
, hundred spots, as if with iron points,
was covered with blood.
A physician joined us. He examin-
= ed long and closely the marks OF tn-
= gers in the flesh OF the dead man.
1 throat and spoke these strange words
r "One would say that he had beer
t strangled by skeleton"
= a shudder crept over my back, anC
o | raised my eyes to the wall, to tn,
o place where had formerly seen tn,
= horrible, shrveled hand. 1t was NJ
Il longer there. The chain hung broken
# Then leaned over the dead man
and found in his distorted mouth one
/ of the fingers of that missing hand, cut
If or rather sawed, off by his teeth clos
c to the second joint.
a They proceeded to make investiga
r tions, but discovered nothing. N
IS door or window had been forced, N
e, article of furniture moved. The tw
z watchdogs had not been awakened.
D The testimony of the servant coul
y be summed up in few words.
II His master had seemed agitated TO
month past. He had received an
n. burned many letters. Often scizing
ly horsewhip, with fury that resemble
O. madness, he had lashed that dric
at hand chained to the wall, which ha
v been removed, no one knew how, Il
I'd the very hour Of the crime.
H. 1t was his habit to retire early a
night and to lock himself in with care
n He always had weapons within hi
tie reach. He often talked very loud i
ut the night, as if quarreling with som'
lis BODY.
,t- That night it chanced that he ha
ID, made no sound, and it was only O
" coming to open the windows in II
morning that the servant had fOun
IL Sir John assassinated. He suspccte
,e. nobody.
ke reported to the magistrates an
n public officers all knew about tt
he death, and a minute inquiry was pro
ecutcd over the whole island. Not
tv. ing was discovered.
r. One night, about three months aft
he the crime, | had fearful nightmar
,bt | seemed to see that hand, that hori
nv ole hand, running like scorpion or
cd spider over my curtains and wall
ia Three times l awoke. and three tim
on going to sleep again saw the hi
air eous member running about my roor
ct moving its fingers like feet.
90 The next day it was brought to IN
.it- 1t had been found in the cemetery
", the grave of Sir John Rowell. III
nj, foretinger was gone.
of Had l an explanation to suggest
,cs would but overthrow your wild ina
inings, and would not be likely to fiji
his acceptance with you. My belief
no simply that the lawful owner OF
ted hand was living, and had come
a search of it with the one that remain
AIT to him. But have not been able
picture to my satisfaction the mann
En- OF his revenge. FROM Hse French.
and "