Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-11-05
MAXWELL HAT lFIJfD..

MAXWELL E1AI &.
Tie Gbo.tls the hsIa'e 4
4 q Ok Prslisr g IN
Dr.. Walter Lenox Maxwell - con-
fined ia murdsrers row, i'm the Four 81.
Courts jan, ST. Louis, and y closely
watched.
A reporter called at the jail TO get.
a peep at the notorious charatcte
The chat was brief but full OF stlggss-5.
tiveness. # Fl Sd
4 Maxwell is as pale almost as 8 u.
corpse, his nervous ystenl Is wholly
unstrung, and his eyes have q sad,
far-away, melancholy expression, ana
he has lost all his dash and freshness.
He is humble, resigned, and apparent
ly aware of the fact that he zis not
quite so important q personaee as ne.
at first and for long time I'M % !. I
agined himself to he. s..s
Hepasses the time in q most stupid
manner; reads very little, and that 9 OF
light, trashy, character, and he reads
it by spurts, showing coEclusively IN II
every move his distress, anxiety and
wretchedness.: 4. s .==.
That he is nervous no one can gaze
upon him moment and not be thor +
oughly convinced Of His eyes show
it, and if they did not his talk would.
How do you pass the timer asked
the reporter.
"Oh, pleasantly" he remarked; at
the same time cold chill was obscrv-
ed to pass over him, and he quickly
| glanced at one corner of his cell, as
though expecting to see something
there.
Several times during the conference
Maxwell threw his eyes to that corner
and stared there for almost a minute
each time.
"What is in that corner?'' asked the
reporter:
"Nothing' he replied, mechanically.
"Ihen why do you keep looking In
that direction?"
ooh, don't know" he said, making
an effort to smile.
Here Maxwell looked again, and the
cold chill or nervous twitching, pro-
duced by such sensation was observ-
ed to shake his whole frame
Seeing that Maxwell didn't seem in
cIined to talk on the subject, other
persons were sought land finally gen.
tleman who is a frequent visitor at
the jail, and who is on friendly terms
with the condemned man, was found,
aild when asked about the corner, and
the murderer's s>,uddering and twllGfch-
| ing, said:
Yes. I have noticed that; I first
noticed it several weeks ago, and made
up my mind to learn the cause OF it."
*Did you succeed"'
the man, talked with him, and finally
the other day, in one OF his social or
confidential moods he told me the
cause"
Eyes, what was it?"
swell. Maxwell is terribly worked
up. His whole nervous 8 system is
wrecked; he is g. moral and physical
coward; his appetite is gone; he has.
| no desire to read, and don't want to
see any one, and what is worst OF all,
he don't sleep at all. He rolls and
losses wildly and frantically all night,
talks and starts in his sleep, and
frequently becomes almost delirious.
The other night he jumped up in bed
| and shouted Take it away, take it
| away Ills hair stood on end, his
eyes glared fiercely, and he was the
picture o. distress and agony. And
But what was it he wanted taken
away?'
"Oh, he sees Preller. Almost every
night Preller appears in that corner.
| Sometimes he is seen as a travelling
man, sometimes as q room compan-
ion and sometimes the horrid trunk
appears, with Preller in it. The whole
thing is said to be outlined in perfect
and vivid manner, and looks as real
| and as natural as though it was Prel-
| Ter in the flesh.
No matter, asleep, or awake,
head covered up or how, at a certain
hour Preller appears in that corner.
said Maxwell to me. Why he CON
tinued, I can see him as plainly as
were it but yesterday. His eyes, his
smile, his every characteristic is per-
feet and lifelike At first / banished
the thing as oni Y a dream, but night
| after night he came, and now can
| not Danish it. Like the ghost in Ham
let, it won't away, and stays to dis.
| tress me-
Eyes, indeed, Maxwell is in distress.
| His life is a curse to him, and he has
lost all desire to live, and is hopeless.
~ indifferent to the higher Courts ac-
ton, and if he gets half chance Hear
he will put an end to his earthly mis-.
| cry. That ghost is killing him. Il
don t come every night, or at least he
don't see it every night. but he fears it
| every night, and all the time. And he
sees in his minds eye Preller and the
trunk every time he shuts his ewes;
the form imprints itself on the wall in
the cleaning; when the gas burns
dimly @ fantastic figure appears ia
bold relief, in that corner, and wheth-.
er it is there or not, Maxwell fears
it is, and hence he constantly throvas
| his eyes to that corner, and the witch.
ing of the nerves follows # .
None Of Them Knew fle T.au