The Press., 1890-01-23

II 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 I summed Claude Morti- mer, for felt that there was dreadful stain upon his hands. Of this had no proof; yet in an unexplained manner I was convinced that it was true.
 Two months passed, and one night terri ble thunder storm passed over Upington. The morning came, bright and beautiful, and at an early hour Claude Mortimer's negro servant brought 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 strange present. ment that some terrible event had happened, tore open the envelope. This is what read:
 II am a murdererl I 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. l will make the confession as brief as possible, and then comes-deathi On the day preceding the fatal night when Victor
 
 concerning our fathers will In rage left the house and departed, mounted on the horse which was given me by my father some years ago. Twelve miles away l 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 low, sloping shed With but little trouble climbed out upon it and reached the ground. l had seen horse feeding in a neighboring pasture, and by the aid of an occasional gleam 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 answered.
 "Unsuspecting, he opened the door and l 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 feetl Then, ill order to make it appear that the crime was committed by robber, I took his jewelry and money. hid the iron pin in a safe place, and on the horses back fled away through the night like the crime stained thing that was.
 'What followed is well known. I was re- called to the scene of my terrible crime. played my part well, and no one suspected me. ''The iron pin with which I committed the murder troubled mo the most. l 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, so that might always stand 1 guard over it. Two days later l noticed 6 l 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. I watched the I change with feeling of horror that cannot | be described. It seemed to me that the thing was trying to tell of my terrible crime. Hun l 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 ac cusingly before my eyes
 1.-The odor which comes from the lily when inhaled from distance is pleasant, but makes one deathly sick when breathed from just above it. believe that enough of thi' will cause death, and tonight shall test my belief. If this fails, I have 8 little vial oi | poison which will do the work. am tirec of life.- murdered my brother that might obtain this grand estate, which fancied hae been unjustly given to him, and since ther the curse of God has been upon me. My vii will be found leaving the property to chari table institutions, and with 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 poisor grasped in his hand. The strange flower that had always stood erect dropped until Ii almost touched his white cheek, and iron which looked like blood, had fallen upon hi face. The iron pin was found in the pot and the roots of the lily were tightly twinet around it.-CincinnaM Enquirer.