The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1889-05-02
Don't Be Too Sure Of the Fish
Until It's Caught.

| was sitting up with corpse. The
position was really sinecure. Once
in an hour or two Invent and moist
ened, with solution of saltpetre and
water, the cloth placed upon the face
OF the deceased as u means for remov-
ing the traces 81 decom position which
had set in; that was all the labor the
situation involved. The rest of the
time | sat before a blazing fire, in a
room separated from that where the
.'remai MS lay by a narrow hal, a
meerschaum in my mouth from which
cds7V fun or tense smoker
either busily thinking, or reading
from some one of the books or papers
which had beensplaced at my disposal
as the means for willing away the
lonely hours. go
Yet, though alone / was not lonely;
my thoughts kept me too busy to adj
init OF that. was medical student,
in impecunious circumstances strug-
Cling in every way to obtain the funds
necessary to the prosecution of my
studies; no easy task, as had at the
same time an invalid mother to sup
port; and it was scarcely. ever absent
from my mind the query: How
shall l do itp" Even while reading,
this question, like speeter, stole be-
tween my eyes and the printed page
How different, thought, had
been the prospects of my
friend. now lying rigid in
death only few steps away from my
own He had just entered upon the
practice of law; but, if never a case,
came to him, there was no danger that
he would 'ever become financially
embarrassed, as he had recently in.
hcrited an immense fortune, and, il SO
he pleased, he could live life OF
magnificent idleness. Whyshould he,
with such bright probabilities before
him, be taken. and l; with dark reali-
tics staring me in the face, be left? 1t
was surely one of the unfathomable
mysteries!
Taking up a recent issue of the New
York Herald, became Interested in
an account of an interview with Prof.
Proctor, on the subject OF Edison and
his electric light. One sentence in the
articleI read over and over again,
till the words seemed branded into my
brain. 1t was this. remember
hearing it said that Mr.. Proctor would
believe in a plan for galvanizing the
dead, If that Yankee inventor pro-
posed such one, and would credulous-
ly contemplate the possibility of shak-
ing his deceased grandfather. by the
hand. &C.,
/ allowed the paper to fall from my
hand, and my thoughts to take new
direction. sGalvanizing the dead =
why might it not be accomplishedpn
WAS aware that numerous I'M
successful endeavors to this end had
been made; but that was before the
principles of galvanism we've as, thor
oughly understood as in these later
years. Was the restoration of the
dead to life utterly impossibleP If
not, whosoever should discover the
method for achieving such a. result
would secure a'wider reputation than
mortal had ever realized; and, besides,
1t would furnish him with limitless
wealth. Then an idea came to me that
made me trcmble-w might not be
that fortunate person.
! had quite an extensive philosophi-
cal apparatus, among which was a
Bunsen battery of six jars and very
powerful. There was a..subject' up
on which to operate close at hand, and
every thing seemed to favor the prof.
ect. Surprising failed, no one would
be the wiser therefore,; il l should
succeed, fame and opulence would
both be mime and would gain-my
without being continually
tormented by the CHASTITY where's
the money to come frompn To be sure,
the realizatiop(ofmy plan would, in
a degree, do away with the necessity
for a physicians services; but there
was another incentive to my Of
forts, in the shape OF gentle girl,
with golden ringlets, blue eyes
and dimpled cheeks. whom had loved
for many years. and whom j hoped
to mako MY wife as soon as should
obtain the means for a livelihood;
confident that she would not say
may when | asked her to become
mipc
Putting on my overcoat and hat
quietly stole from the house, without
Z disturbing any Of the inmAtes--all Of