San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-08-08
hover tnat L naa seen pe1ore.

lily. Claude Mortimer was there before me
He stood between the flower and me, his whole
frame a-tremble.
Don't touch It'll" he gasped hoarsely 1T
is accursed"
"Let me look at it, Claude" | said endeav.
oring to choke down the feeling OF horror in
my breast. at is strangeI"
With reluctance he stepped aside and allow
ed me to again inspect the flower, but all the
while he cautioned me not to touch it or to
inhale too much odor from the flower. The
same sweet yet sickening odor came from the
flower, but now it was many times stronger
than before JUDGED, this odor was SO strong
that was soon compelled to seek chair,
feeling faint and dizzy.
~ should think you would die, shut in
here with that thing" cried. THE odor is
terribler"
mot so very bad after you get accus
toned to it," he replied, hesitatingly. SIN
deed, if you are not directly above it you will
not notice the odor at all after time"
st is the strangest thing | ever saw or
heard Of" | declared ut actually fills me
with horror Why, should dump the thing
out DOORS"
face.
ANO, no "Oulu
with it for anything"
That day when parted with Claude Nor
timer did so fully convinced that there was
a terrible secret locked fast in the mans
breast, and that in some way the black lily
was connected with the secret. How this
could be could not imagine; yet something
seemed to tell me that it was SO.
From that day | Stunned Claude Morti-
fpr | falt that thara q dreadful gro
upon his hands. OF this had no proof; yet
in an unexplained manner | was convinced
that it was true.
Two months passed, and one night terri
BILE thunder storm passed over Upington.
The morning came, bright and beautiful, and
at an early hour Claude Mortimer's negro
servant brought a sealed envelope to my door
and delivered it into my hands. He said that
his master had aroused him in the night and
given him the envelope, with the request
that he bring it to me the first thing in the
morning
With shaking hands and a strange PRESENT.
ment that Some terrible event had happened,
| tore open tie envelope. This is what read:
Il am a murderer | have resolved to
make this confession to the world, and to
morrow will be found dead in the room
where | am now writing, while the thunder
bellows in the heavens and the jagged light
ming rendS the 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 a terrible impulse seized
me. Beneath my window was a low, sloping
shed. With but little trouble | climbed out
upon it and reached the ground. | had seen
a horse feeding in neighboring pasture, and
by the aid of an occasional CLEAN Of moon
light which stole through the clouds sue
ceeded in finding and capturing that horse
As led him out of the pasture | noticed
long iron pin by which the gate was fastened
This | took with me- Within the hour !
rung at the door of Mortimer Hall. There
were no servants in the house at the time, and
Victor came to the door He asked who was
there and l answered
"Unsuspecting, he opened the door and !
stepped in. He was holding a 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 | 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 jewelry
and money | hid the iron pin in a safe
place, and on the horses back fed away
through the night like the crime stained thing
that | 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 a large pot in which stood a |
lily in full bloom. Then had the lily placed |
in my room, 50 that | might always stand |
guard over it. Two days later | noticed q |
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 | 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.
The Odor which comes from tho lily when
Inhaled from distance is pleasant, but
makes one deathly sick when breathed from
just above it. | believe that enough of this
will cause death, and tonight shall test my
hnli Of F,;l I e |