Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-08-16
that he bring it to me the first thing In the

that he bring it to me the first thing I'M the
morning.
With shaking hands and a strange PRESENT.
ment that some terrible event had happened,
tore open the envelope. This is what read:
II am a murderer | have resolved to
make this confession to the world, and to-
morrow l will be found dead in the room
where am now writing, while the thunder
bellows i'll the heavens and the Jagged light
ming rends thu darkness asunder. The brand
of Cain is on my brow, for slew my own
brother. will make the confession as brief
as possible, and then comes-death! On the
day preceding the fatal night when Victor
Mortimer was murdered he and quarreled
concerning our fathers will. In a rage
left the house and departed, mounted on the
horse which was given me by my father
some years ago Twelve miles away
stopped for the night, putting up at a sleepy
little hotel
when retired to my room that night |
Sat at my window until all was still about
the house. Then terrible impulse seized
me. Beneath my window was low, sloping
shed. With but little trouble climbed out
upon it and reached the ground. had seen
horse feeding in neighboring pasture, and
by the aid of an occasional CLEAN of moon
L
ceeded in finding and capturing that horse
As led him out of the pasture noticed a
long iron pin by which the gate was fastened
This took with me- Within the hour l
rung at the door of Mortimer Hail. There
were no servants in the house at the time, and
Victor came to the door. He asked who was
there and answered
"Unsuspecting, he opened the door and I
stepped III. He was holding light in his
hand. AS he turned to close the door struck
him with the iron pin fairly on the back of
the head, putting all the force l could into
the blow. He fell dead at my feet Then,
in order to make it appear that the crime
was committed by robber, took his iewelry
and money. I hid the iron pin in safe
place, and on the horses back fed away
through the night like the crime stained thing
that I was.
What followed is well known. was re-
called to the scene of my terrible crime. /
played my part well, and no one suspected me.
"The iron pin with which / committed the
murder troubled me the most. feared that
it would be found, and finally buried it in the
very bottom of large pot in which stood
lily in full bloom. Then had the lily placed
in my room, so that | might always stand
guard over it. Two days later noticed a
change in the appearance of the flower /
thought it was dying, but it was not Slowly
it turned black, and the small tongue in the
center became blood red l watched. the
change with feeling of horror that cannot
be described. 1t seemed to me that the thing
was trying to tell of my terrible crime Hun
dreds of times have been tempted to destroy
it, but something always kept me from doing
SO. hoped that it would die, but week after
week, month after month, it stood there &C.
cusingly before my eyes.
1.-THE odor which comes from tho lily when
inhaled from distance is pleasant, but
makes one deathly sick when breathed from
just above it. l believe that enough of this
will cause death, and tonight shall test my
belief If this fails, have a little vial of
poison which will do the work am tired
OF life. murdered my Brother that l might
obtain this grand estate, which fancied had
been unjustly given to him, and since then
the curse of God has been upon me- My will
will be found leaving the property to chart
table institutions, and with a final petition
to God to have mercy on my guilty soul,
write my name for the last time on earth.
"CLAUDE MORTIMER"
He was found quite dead on the floor be-
side the black lily, an untasted vial of poison
grasped in his hand. The strange flower
that had always stood erect dropped until it
almost touched his white cheek, and from
the crimson tongue a few scarlet drops,
which looked like BLOOD had fallen upon his
face. The iron pin was found in the pot,
and the roots of the lily were tightly twined
around it.-Cincinnati Enquirer.