The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-12-10

"'Why, you must be crazy!'
III answered Not q bit. / know
you two are my parents. Cannot fool
me that way. Confess the truth and
l keep your secret will have no ILL
will against you; will remain just
what ANA cabinrtmaker.
"f1e moved back toward the door,
supporting his wife in his arms she
was sobbing. l rushed to the door
locked il, put the key 10 my pocket,
and said again:
"'Look at her and dare to deny
again that she is my motherf'
"Then he lost his temper, turned
white--terrified at the idea that the
scandal which had been so long hush
ed up might burst out all of sudden
that their position, their honor
would all be lost at once he suffered
out:
"'You are q william trying to black
mail us. This is what comes of trying
to do good to the people-trying to
help and befriend clio wns and brutes.
"My mother, completely overwhelm-
ed, could only cry out, over and over
again:
"Oh let us get out of here let us
get out I
"TheD, as the door was still locked,
he cried:
"If You don't open this door at
once I'll have you ar ested for assault
and attempt to blackmail.'
81 still kept my temper; ! opened
the door and watched them disappear
in the darkness.
"Tben, all of sudden, it seemed to
me that | had suddenly been made an
orphan-had been again Abandoned
flung out into the gutter A. frghtful
oppression, mingled with anger, with
hatred, with disgust, came upon me; l
felt within me something like an up
rising of my very life-an uprising in
the name of justice, in the name of
honor, in the name of truth, in the
name of affection trampled upon. l
ran to overtake them-along the bank
of the Seine, which | knew they
would have to follow in order to reach
the railroad station of Chaton.
81 came up with them very soon.
The night had become perfectly black.
l walked stealthily through the grass,
so that they could not hear me. Ny
mother was still crying. My father
said: 1T was all your fault. Why did
you insist upon seeing himi 1t was
simply madness forpeople in our posi-
tion to do such thing. We could
have cone him all the good imaginable,
without showing ourselves at all.
Since we cannot possibly recognize him
what was the use of making these dan
gerous visits |!
Il saw everything red that moment
don't know how it happenen-I had
my compass in my pocket, and struck
him with it-struck him as hard as l
could, and as many times as l could
"Then she began to scream, Help.
murder f! and pulled out my beard. 1t
seems I killed her too. How do
know what did in that momenta
"Tben leaped right in front of
them and supplicated l stammered
out: 'You know very we'll you are my
parents-you have rejected me once;
you will now repel me second time 2
"Then, your honor, he raised his
hand against me The dbl swear
it by my manhood, by the law, by the
Republic He struck me and, when
II took him by the neck, he pulled a re-
volver out of his pocket
"Then, when saw them both lying
there dead-I pitched them into the
Seine, without reflection.
"That is all. Now, Judge mel
The prisoner resumed his seat. In
view of this revelation, the case was
held over to be tried at the next ses
sion. 1t will coon come up. If we
were on the jury what would we do
with this parricide?