Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-05-10

phemous and ignoble had. indeed. turned the
scale; but was not the motive. In all things
the final touch which DESTROYS the balance
IS commonly mistaken for the force which
mas originally produced a state of unstable
equilibrium, whereas there is very often no
connection between the one and the other.
Inc horavlan himself believed that the
Sacrlhce OF CnCrna, and of himself after
wards, was TO be an expiration of the out
rage onorna had put upon his faith in his
own person. He had merely seized upon
the flrst excuse which presented itself Tor
ending all. because he vas in reality past
hone.
We nave, As Yet. no absolute test OF
SANITY, as we have of fever in the body
ana OF many other unnatural conditions OF
the human organism The only approSi-
mately accurate judgments in the patient
favor are obtained from examinations into
the relative consecutiveness and consistency
of thought in the individual examined,
when the whole tendency of that thought
IS towards an end cOnceivably approvao.e
pE majority of men. y great many phil
osopherS and thinkers have accordingly
been pronounced insane at one period of
history and nave been held up as models OF
sanity Al another. The most Immediately
destructive consequences OF Individual
reasoning on 4 limited scale, murder and
suicide, have been successfully regarded rs
heroic acts. as criminal deeds, ana as the
deplorab!e but eXplicable actions Of ire
Sponsloie beings in consecutive ages OF
violence, strict law and humanitarianism.
II seems to be believed that the comblna-
ton OF murder ana suicide is more COM
monty observed under the last of the three
relgnS than il was under the first IT was
undoubtedly least common under the
second. IN other words, il appears
probable that the practice Of
considering certain crimes aS the
10 make those crimes increase in number,
as they undoubtedly increase in barbarity,
from year to year. Meanwhile, however,
no definite conclusion has been reached Is
TO the state of mind of 4 man who murders
me woman he loves and then ends his own
life
Israel kaflia may. therefore. be regarded
as mad or sane. in favor of the theory Of
his madness, the total uselessness Of the
deed he contemplated may be adduccd; on
the other hand, the extremely consecutive
and consistent nature of his thoughts and
actions gives evidence of his sanity.
When he found himself Il prisoner IN
Unorna's conservatory his intention UNDER
went no change. though his body was
broken with fatigue. and his nerves with
the long continued strain of Il terrible eX-
element His determination was Is cool
and as fixed as ever.
These somewhat dry reflections seem
necessary to the understanding Of what fol-
lowed
The key turned in the lock and the bolt
was slipped back Instantly Israel kafka's
energy returned. He rose quickly and hid
himself in the shrubbe,y III position from
which he could observe the door. tie mad
seen Unorna enter before, and had, Of
course heard her cry before the Wandercr
had carried her away, and he had believed
that she had wished to face him, either
with the intention of throwing herself upon
his mercy or in the hope OF dominating han
with her eyes. as she had SO often done be-
fore. OF course he had no means Of know
ing that she had already left the house.
He imagined that the Wanderer had gone,
and that Cnorua, being freed from his re
Strliut, was about to enter the place again
The door opened and the three men came in
kafta's first idea, on seeing himself disap-
pointed, was that they had come to take
him into custody, and his first impulse was
10 elude them.
The Wandcrer entered first, tall, stately,
Indifferent, the quick glance Of his deep
eyes alone DetraYing that he was looking
for some one. Next came keyOli> Ara bian,
muffied still in his furs, turning his head
sharply from side to side in the midst of the
sable collar that half buried it, and evi-
ucntlN nervous. List Vi al me HUN ltsust-,
who had Invested himself OF his outer coat
and whose powerful proportions did not es-
cape Israel kafka'S observations. II was
clear that If there was Il struggle 1t could
have but one issue. kafka would be over
powered. His knowledge of the DISPOSE
ton of the plants and trees ofeged him
hope of escape. The three men had en-
tered the conservatory. and if he could
reach the door before they noticed him. he
could lock ii upon them, as il had been
locked upon himself. He could hear their
footsteps on the marble pavement very
near him, and he caught glimpses of their
moving figures through the thick leaves.
With cat-likc tread he giided along in the
shadows of the foliage until he could see
the door. From the entrance an open way
was left in 4 straight line towards the mid
die OF the hall, down which his pursuerS
We're still slowly walking. He must cross
an open space in the line Of their vision in
order TO get out and he calculated the dis
lance to he traversed, while listening to
their movements, until he felt sure that
they were so far from the door as not 10 be
able to reach him. Then ne made his at
tempt, darting across the smooth pave
ment with his knife in his hand. There
was no one in the way.
Then came violent shock. and ne was
held as in vice, so tightly that nc could not
believe himself in the arms Of a human
being. His captors had anticipated that he
would try TO escape. and had posted the
in the shadow OF a tree near the
doorway. The deaf and dumb man had re-
ceived his instructions by means of a couple