The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1889-06-07

IN AN INSANE ASYLUM.
HaiIucinations Of Unfortunates
Condemned to Lifo incarcera-
ton.
In an asylum for the insane The
lusterlcss light of IL dying day falls
through the high. narrow. iron-barrcd
windows into u long, gloomy corridor.
With the tirclcssncss of IL Gagged tis-
CIR, says the Philadelphia American. u
few men, most of whom are barefoot,
afflicted with milder type of de-
mentia, pace the floor and gibber to
themselves.
Ranged on either side of the corridor
are cells. and here and there con be dis
cerned pair of wild eyes glarin. sui
lenly through the small apertures in
the door.
The weird notes Of /, flute fill the air.
The tune Is impromptu. aud is we'll
adapted to the discordcd fancy OF Inc
players.
Now its sounds are low and pathetic,
such US to make tcnder-hnartel women
weep, and now it is shrill and cxultlnt
u wild series of high-pitchcd trills.
The music ceases, and the player,
casting aside his instrument, with
grating, meaningless laugh, hastens
down the corridor with IL desperate
energy.
When he arrives at the other end he
has forgotten his errand, and he slowly
retraces his steps to obey the next
capricious dictates OF his imbecile
mind.
The reporter. conducted by keep
CT. ascends to the floor above.
The cell nearest the stairway is ten
anted by dark-featurcd man. who
clutches at the bars OF the door with d
fury that threatens to snap them like
so many match sticks.
There is no danger, however.
''fhis," said the keeper, ais one OF
our most violent patients. He is
Germrn, and was educated in Heidel-
berg. His story is rather romantic.
Upon the completion of his scholastic
career he made n tour of the CONT
ncnt. While ut Nice he saved tho
daughter Of some nobleman from
death. He fell deeply in love with
her.
"She returned his affection, and
they were engaged to be married. Be-
fore that event could be contaminated
the girl was taken i'll with a malignant
fever and died. Her death deeply af-
fected the man before you, and ut the
solicitation of friends he left Nice. He
wandered from place to place. finally
coming to this country. Being in
opulcnt circumstances. and rendered
inscnsible to every thing good and
pure by the untimely death OF his be.
trothed, he plunged into dissipation in
tho Widest form, which eventually
made him mental and physical
wreck"
During this conversation the insane
man gave utterance to EXPLANATIONS Of
I'm incohercnt character, and as soon
as the keeper had ceased, burst into
passionate recital. He fancicd that he
had cast his affiancied into u flaming
pit and that her death shrek still rlins
in his ears.
"Ha! ha! hal" he laughed, wildly.
'They think she is dead, but she didn't.
ha! ha! ha! killed hor. Yes. killed
her. Oh, my. but wasn't it fine
night for such DEVILS deed? The
darkness was frightful. Lightning
blazed forth with dcmoniacal fury from
the heavens. The thunder made the
earth culver like reed in the blast.
All the imps Of Pat ia were out"
The maniac paused in his excessive
frenzy and dashed from his distorted
face the great beads Of perspiration
that trickled from his forehead, and
continued in the same wild manner:
II stole her when she was asleep,
and fed like some arch-demon from
the blacklist abyss of Hades with her.
out-out into the night. She, ha. ha,
no. no. struggled like some frightened
bird. But what good did it dop IL
had her. On VIC went through tho
fierce nocturnal storm, until we came
to u plateau. A blazing pit yawned
before US. Oh, how merrily the yellow
and blue-tongued flames curled up,
The air was filled with an internal din
-whoops. agonized screams, yells and
laughter. Saturnalian demons played
with cleaning rods Of flame on shin.
ing death heads, and serpents Kissed in
their ambuscadcs. ! held the one
loved aloft. and with arms OF iron hurl-
ed her into the pit. Her cry-that Of
a lost soul-still haupts me-"
And the maniac sank exhausted 10
the floor.
at seems strange" said the keeper.
rs the twain descended the stairs,
"that man afflicted SO violently with
insanity can talk so cohcrently at
times. That mans Imagination is as
powerful and wonderful as WIS Poe's. ("