The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1889-04-06

ing themselves anti giving plteouS
little cries; She would liked to have
led them, but the family of the keep
Ell could use even the crumbs, and,
harshly, he forbade her to waste good
bread. She was now very thin and
her eyes were brilliant with fever
that consuming mental fever which
burns in the eyes of all great toilers
who fancy they see near them the de-
sired end for which they have striven
long and patiently.
At last, on a cold, block night, a
light figure crept between the loosen
ed bars of a cell window and dropped
noiselessly to the ground. Swistand
straight it took it's way across the
court, never swerving, never hesitat-
, ingin spite of the impenetrable dark
ness; for in the slow elaboration OF
this mighty idea, all had been cal
culated-recalculate the trip
lie patience which comes OF madness,
of solitude and of imprisonment.
Yelled in the darkness, No. 30 took
/ her silent way past the square garden
: plot. She moved with the noiseless-
, ness and certainty of q cat. She
never stopped, but rs she moved rap
idly she lifted her face to the free
night air as if she loved it and had
longed for it. Her face was like
moonbeam against the shadows OF
the night. It's peculiarpallor seemed
to radiate Il faint, unearthly light.
Almost as if she were conscious
of this, she bent her head
and quickly covered her face with her
long white hair. She passed on in
the shadow OF the asylum walls and
paused before his keepers quarters.
Here there was n small door. Well
she knew it! Long and patiently had
she waited to hear from some one
through which door she must pass
to accomplish her grand purpose.
She stood here listening for an in
slant, then thrust into the keyhole
something she held tightly in her
hand. There was a faint clicking
sound; then sharp speak, which
might have been made by a mouse,
and little rectangle of darkness
opened before her.
Silence!
The clouds gathered thickly over the
mournful walls of the asylum. A
wild night wind sobbed in the gaunt
arms of the leafless trees in the court
yard. A single star trembled for an
instant in the black mass of moving
clouds and was gone.
Suddenly woman's sharp cry
smote the night air. 1t seemed to.
come from the keepers quarters, but
one could scarcely tell whence il be-
gan, for it was instantly caught up
by the startled creatures in the asy-
lum and passed on from one to
another with varying and terrible
modulations of fear, of anger, of in
sensate joy! The night was soon
hideous with their cries!
The panic spread! From
every cell came curses, shrieks.
groans. wailings and sobbings; the
sickening sound of human bodies
beating against the invincible bars
which held them captive; despairing
cries mingled with snatches of OBJ
scene song. The sonourous voice OF
some trenzied orator delivering his
theories; the heartbreaking prayers
of maniacs begging to be delivered
from imaginary fortunes, allthe hor-
rors of the bestial scene, indescribable
as it is awful, enacted in these living
hells where men and women live the
lives of Gagged brutes, forsaken by
reason, and almost seemingly, by
God.
The doors opened. and the director
of the asylum made his appearance
among the keepers. His face was
pale. This was unusually bad, he
thought, even for the violent wards.
Awakened from a deep sleep by the
horrible uproar, hehad feared gen
eral riot among the patients. Sud
denly woman appeared at the end
of the passage. She was in her night
robe. She held candle in her hand,
and two children chung to her skirts.
"Here, sir! Here! And Oh! come
quickly!'
The doctor moved toward her. He
recognized the wife of the keeper, Des-
andre.
"Well?" he questioned. briefly.
The woman began a mournful litany
broken by titful sobbing. Alas! She
could hardly tell! She had been sleep.
ing! There had been something-she
knew not what! Her husband had
bounded up in the bed, had given q
heavy groan, had fallen back on his
pillow! Then dark thing had sprung
from the bed by her side, glideo
across the room down the stairs, per
haps-who knows. She had been un
able to rouse her good mani Would
not the director come to him? Alas
Alas! And again, alasl
The director followed the woman
to room in the keepers quarters
On the bed lay the body of the mar
Desambre. The mouth was open
The teeth had closed upon the tongue
"Alasl alas!'' walled the woman.
The director examined the body.
A small brad had been driver
through the left temple, obliquely in
to the skull There was no blood
The clumps of grizzled hair nearl,
concealed the wound. The nail wa
slender thing without n head, bu
it had been driven home with deadl.
force. A fine scratch extended to TN
eyebrow. 1t looked as if somethin:
had been picked from the wound ant
drawn sharply across the knott.
forehead.
"The man is dead-qnite dead,
said the director, gravely.
Heleft the woman bowling over tn
corpse, and notified the keepers.
awe will make the rounds immed
ately.'
The procession oflights moving u
and down the corridors was a gran
festival for the maniacs. They ha
grown quieter under the forcibe meas
ures employed by the keepers, an
now they gave fierce cries ofpleasur'
Only few were enraged, and te'
were sullen.
Number 30 was asleep.
l,n,,t h07. ho.1 wit