The Southern herald., 1886-01-23

I-StVW1HB uFPou IOI ScVeral Mluub0Ss
not daring TO stir for fear Of betrsying
her presence, but finally decided to
make a sudden dash and gain the door
and liberty. She was on the point oi
quitting her desperate resolve into exc
cution, when she suddenly remembered
that the door was locked on the out
side, and that she was practically
prisoner and at the mercy Of the un-
known intruder. She lay quietly in
bed moving neither hand nor foot, the
horror Of the Situation steadily increas.
ing, till she feared she would lose her
reason. The seconds and minutes
dragged their agonizing length along,
till the first streak of daylight ap-
peared. The monster several times
during these awful hours raised the
bed, causing its occupant to experience
untold agony of apprehension.
Finally, the object crawled out from
under the bed, a chain clanking dis
mally in the intense stiffness. It proved
to be a man clothed in tatters, with
the fragments of heavy iron shackles
hanging to his wrists and ankles. The
hair and beard of the strange visitor
were tangled and unkempt, the former
hanging below his shoulders. The
brute stretched his full! length out by
the fire, and giving grunt Of satisfac.
tion fell into a deep sleep. The occu-
pant OF the bed, realizing that at day.
light she would inevitably be discov-
cred, cast her eyes wildly around for
hiding-place. The heavily-curtained
recess in one of the windows caught
her eye, and she instantly resolved to
make an effort to reach it. Raising
herself on her hands, she crept noise
lessly from the bed, and reached the
window in safety. From this point Of
vantage she looked with agonizing
dread on the sleeping brute Over
come with fatigue and fear, she was al
most in the act of sinking to the floor
when she suddenly became aware OF
the baying of hounds and the rapid
hoof-beats of galloping horses. They
approached nearer and nearer, till
she could distinguish the ex.
cited voices of the riders. She
realized suddenly that they were
on the track of the strange in.
truder, and silently prayed for imme-
diate succor. The voices died away in
the distance, grew louder, and then
sank fainter, the alternate conflict OF
hope and despair nearly rendering her
frantic. They again approached closer,
till they seemed to be just outside the
cabin door. While listening she had
unconsciously dropped the curtain
folds from her face, and suddenly
glancing in the direction of the fugi
tive, she saw that he had also been
awakened by the confusion, and hav-
ing risen to his feet was glaring at her
face with an expression that left NO
doubt as to his madness. For mo-
ment she gazed fixedly into his eyes,
and then made an involuntary move
ment toward the door. The spell
which held the maniac was broken,
and he sprang toward her with wild
snarl. The unfortunate lady gave a
scream of despair, and sank senseless
to the floor As her eyes closed to un-
consciousness she became dimly aware
of bursting crash and a terrific strug-
gle around about her. When she again
came to she was lying in bed
in her aunt's residence, sur
rounded by weeping relatives. The
terrible shock incident to the night of
horror resulted in an aggravated at
tack of brain fever, the effect of which
was such as to unsettle her reason. The
strangest part of the story is, that dur.
ing her illness her hair, which was OF
a beautiful chestnut, tinge, began to
change color, and ultimately became
white as you see it now. This, too, in
the period of few weeks. She is at
long intervals apparently conscious OF
our presence, but has been pronounced
hopelessly incurable by eminent physi-
clans. The maniac was the son of
neighbor, and had been mad from
birth He was considered so danger
GUS as to cause his being chained to the
wall Of an outbuilding The night my
aunt arrived at her destination he had |
broken his chains and made his escape.
His friends who made the discovery
shortly after it happened secured a
bloodhound and started on his trail. |
They traced him to the cabin. and had |
sent servant for the key when my
aunt's scream told its own story, and |
caused them to break the door down |
and overpower the madman, who
fought like tiger. The hostess never
got over the terrible shock even to the
day of her death, and could never hear
it mentioned without her eyes filling |
with tears. st. Louis Globe Democrat
s-s-$-
"A female member of the Salvation
Army at Kennebec, Me-, was expelled
a short time ago because she persisted