Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-03-05
A MADMAN'S STORY.
His Mysterious Rival and His
Awful Secret.

SSoAoN
One afternoon last summer | had oc-
casion to visit the insane asylum at
-. Among the large number of
patients confined in that institution |
was particularly interested in one who
bore about him evidences Of having
been once a splendid specimen of man
hood. Despite the stoop of his shoul-
ders and his air of debility it was easy
to trace the outlines of a former mag
nificent frame. His forehead was lofty,
his chin prominent and bold. his every
feature in a a man would have midi
Gated strength and an irresistible will.
Yet if left in solitude for even a mo-
ment his expression became haunted
and his manner so tlmid that it COM
pletely contradicted the outlines of his
face.
When I questioned the warden about
this man he could give me no iEforma-
ton whatever. The young lady in
mourning who had caused him to be
left at the asylum had been
NEGATIVE, and us for the man himself.
he had either forgotten the past or did
not wish to speak of it. | might ques-
ton him, though, if | liked. 1t could
do no harm.
The subject of my curiosity was
walking stolidly about the gardens at
'tached to the institution, and ! lost no
time in approaching him. His manner
was affablc, but when l asked him to
tell me the story of his life he cast on
ne such a look of horror that l beat a
precipitate retreat. About half an hour
later. as ] was about to pass out of the
gate, ifelta slight touch onmy shoulder.
1 turned and saw the mailman.
81 will write you my history" said
he, ''although l can not bring myself
about to tell it. 1t will be painful to
me, but may be of use to Others" I
accepted with thanks and made az
engagements with the warden to have
his writings sent on to me by mail.
About II month later l received a
package from him containing about
forty sheets of folic-cap, covered COM
pletcly with close writing, of which the
greater part was a mere scrawl. Yet,
after much study, l made out enough
to construct the following narrative.
which ! give. not in his words, for they
would be unintclligible. but in my own.
1t is a narrative which | deem it my
duty TO publish:
l, John Whitman, am descended from
the peasantry Of England, to whom l
owe my former keen, though practical
and matter-of-fact, cast of mind.
During my college course, until my
senior year, | WAS without an equal in
either athletics, society or class stand
my. Yet, though l had no equal, l had
a rival.
Whenever I was first this one was
second, except in popularity, for his
manner was so egotistical as to inspire
disgust, while he was abnormally bri CHIT
and his brightness often took SO devil
ish a turn that he was even feared. He
was a small yet wiry youth, of sallow
complexion, jet black hair and an eye
SO deep set and SO peculiar that no one
could ever remember its color.
I ( seemed his evil fate in every con-
test, l took the prize in the athletic
field by Jumping only one inch higher
Fti,sl she; by running the half mile two
seconds faster. While it was clear that
/ was to be valcdictorian, It was no less
evident that he would deliver the sa-
:]utatorv address. To cap the climax
we were rivals for the hand of u Ger.
-tlin Young heiress in town, the despair
sof all the undergraduates, and had il
not been for me he would undoubtedly
succeeded in his suit, for he was the
most brilliant conv%ersationalist / evel
met. When he cXerted himself to tall
to you affably it was as if you LOOKED
into the eye Of a rattlesnake and wer
fascinated by the colors YOU saw there
I But Mollie one day gave him to un
iacrstand that he wa again second i
she race, and the disappointment drov
him almost insane. 1t seemed as
Inc could bear the companionship of II
diving thing after that repulse, and
WAS, perhaps, to be away as far as pc:
siblc from human beings thathe bougl
the old stone house about Il quarter
mile from college and lived thel
alone. The spirit Of gloom must hay
selected that place for his habitatlo1
To say nothing of its lonely positic
outside the city, of the huge sycamore
that surrounded it and kept out eve
sunbeam, tho home itself was low az
damp and seemed built more und
ground than above. The owner h;
never before been able to rent it
any price, and it had so bad a MAJ
among city urchins that no prom
which the chestnut trees held out cot
induce them to como into the vicini'
Here, as ] said, my rival lived alol
coming among us only at recitation
Ale seemed to take an extraordinary
.terest in chemistry. and twas rHlnor
chat he had even fitted up Il laborato
in the cellar of his house. OtlerWl
too, his actions became incNplicab
One afternoon, while l was standing
the campus, he came up to me FRI
behind, and pressed my head quioI
in several different places once w