The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-08-22


times what any other storage cell can. Danger
ous7 Lord, yes. Handle with care you know.
A shock from it'll kill you dead as wink" But
what was Price to me nowi got out at my
street corner, and shut myself up to await the
body.
Surgeons are considered callous to suffering or
death. It is untrue, l believe, OF most OF my
professional acquaintances, and certainly OF my
self. and if the public knew the strain OF our
emotions in the case of those dear to US, it
would give more thanks and praise to the
courage by which we bring firm hand and cool,
unimpassioned judgment to the wrestle with
death.
Time enough for my own grief after my work
was over. This night with suspicion my
friends memory, this body might have been
prince or beggar; 1t had been q man, it was now
clay. The corpse lay on my dissecting-
with its clothing uudisturbed. In spite of Will
cox's bequest, the outcome of an old promise,
had no intention of using the body, except to
settle the question of his sanity, if possible, in
ascertaining the real cause of DEATH
Enough to give the important results OF my
autopsy; may spare the reader all unnecessary
detail To my surprise, found my theory of
softenlng OF the brain entirely disproved. Ihero
might or might not have been insanity, but to
all appearances the brain was in its normal
healthy condition. Examining the whole struct-
ure in detail infinitely, found nothing.
No, in that part of the cerebrum from which
the nerves of sight originate. found something
abnormal. narrow sunken welt like the scar
of knife cut, standing out bood-red against its
gravish white surroundings, running about an
inch zig-zae, like lightning fash
Like lightning fash2 Why did that old
abandoned theory of the eye photographing the
last object on which it rests, fash on my mind.
and why were the words had heard from Will
cox and again in the car, about Prices electrical
inventions, ringing in my ears4 The smell OF
ozone had noticed in the laboratory, and Price
was standing by his side when he fell!
For the first time, for the body was covered at
fho inuu nd for had al mi fha
head noticed the absence of that peculiar stiff
ness of dead mems muscles we call rigor mortls
Examining the heart, instead of the blood follow
ing the usual tendency to flow to that organ.
coagulate, and gradually disappear, l found it
entirely empty, and the blood diffused through
the circulation as in life.
With every symptom of death by electricity,
or by lightning, 1t was needless to search for
might not be. Evidently Price had admins
tered the shock; for with my doubts of
Wilcox's sanity removed, / could guess
his motives. Ignorant of my meeting
chance for safety and wealth, little thinking his
doomed rival had betrayed him. But Price
would not have trusted to any chance of pos
sible burn bearing witness against him. All!
that accidental acid burn. / looked for it.
The sleeve-lnk was almost melted away, and
under it, carefully directed to the carefully
planned wound, was the burn Only a slight
sign passing beyond the acid scar, but that was
the cause OF the commonest Of superstitions re-
garding death by lightning, q tree-like mark
result of the congestion of the capillaries.
Murdered, beyond doubt, to steal his secret
Luckily l had all night to reflect, or / should
have rushed forth to denounce the wretch. But
his plans would keep him quiet for long to
come / must prove the truth of Wilcox's story
to a certainty, prevent the theft of his instru-
ments and papers, or If too late secure evidence
of their removal Then to connect Price with
his weapon, and / had fatal chain of facts
against him.
Something, perhaps the rattle of some coins in
his trousers pocket, as lifted the sheet for an
other view of the noble face, induced me to
search his pockets. If they had escaped rifng
from Price, or at the morgue, there might still
be some papers of value
The pocket-book held few greenbacks vari-
Gus business cards. postage stamps, and few
other similar articles. In the other pocket were
match safe cigar case, handkerchief and pen
ellis In the overcoat were the old pipe and pouch
Wilcox had used since / gave them to him, the
irst Christmas at Berkeley. Aud in the other
side pocket, small, solid roll of manuscript,
note paper size. One glance at 1.-THE missing
prospectus. -
plan of the work. following a more elaborate
account Of the discovery than have given here.
Naturally, Wilcox had given rather detailed
account Of the results of his discovery, but of
the means used there absolutely nothing;
and of his general theory. what eminent chem
lists have agreed to be the vaguest and most un-
satisfactory of statements. In addition, several
formulas for cheap manufacture of one or two
of the hydro carbons were given. These have
been successfully attempted but unfortunately,
they of no great commercial Importance,
and what is worse, the process being merely
empirical as yet to any but the dead, they gSve
not the slightest clew to the secret.
But of one thing there was now absolute GER
tainty. My examination of the brain, and the
suspicious of murder, means and motive had
formed were merely cumulative evidence of the
truth of my friends story. Yet even then, be-
fore his few results were verified, of one thing
could no longer doubt. There was no cloud
over the intellect that had written this argu-
ment, clear, and convincing, and original, as
brief, exact and logical as geometry proving.
even in the light of our chemistry, that many
of the elements now so-called really COM
pounds. John Wilcox was sane as you or |.
He had made his discovery, and to thieve it, he
had been foully murdered
What to do now2 No doubt had evidence
enough to satisfy any reasonable man of Price'e
guilt. But was that enough2 No old Californian
could fail to remember that evidence at least as
good is offered in every murder trial on the
coast, and offered in vain, as long as money or
notoriety can induce an attorney to defend the
accused Would any jury believe such story
of murder committed to secure some fanciful dis
covery, OF which not sign remained! l should
have preferred consulting lawer, but what
must be done must be hurried.
Many and many bitter pipe ] smoked far
into the night. Mad with impotent fury, /
clencned my fist till the nails tore the palm. I
would battle Price yet-the gold for which he
had bartered his soul would elude him, the
fruits of his crime would wither in his hand and
grow bitter to his taste-even If l strangled
him with my own hands. But no; subtler
revenge might still be in my power. Baked of
his life, what was his life to me? He should
live-to see the secret wrested from him; TO see
the ends carried out for which he knew his vic
tim would gladly have died; his own prospects
ruined, the fame of Wilcox among the greatest
of Americas dead. / had the power over him,
and would use 1t unsparinely. The dead man
had worked out his own revenge.
To accomplish his purpose so skllfully, Price
must have been man of iron will and courage
did not lose sight of that But his confidence
rested only on his belief in the impossiblity of
detection. If he had been at all startled at the
beQuest of Wilcox's body to me. he was lulled
90 I int al 70 A.