The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-09-23

love letters, and then he thought out
his mean plot by which he effected the
scattering of the letters, SO that Mrs.
Goodwin. for Mr.. Goodwin he knew was
away, would be certain to discover
them the next morning. OF course the
natural supposition would be that the
house had been entered by common
burglar, and that before he had had
time TO steal anything he had been
frightened away by some noise. But
in spite of his precautions. the photog-
rapher failed to conceal his guilt, and
only a part of what he desired hap
pened. The divorce was brought
about, but Callahans hope that he
might subsequently marry Mrs. God
win, and derive benefit from the large
fortune which she held in her own
right, was blasted. He had cultivated
her husbands acquaintance for years,
for the purpose of finding an opportun-
ity for the qualification of his evil de-
sires. The opportunity had at last
come, but in his attempt to use it, he
had been thoroughly thwarted.
although he had stolen nothing, the
act of breaking into the house consti-
tutcd burglary and he was sent to
prison for few years. 1t is here i'm
tcrcsting To note that the mancuvcrs
which brought ill-luck to Callahan
brought good luck to me. soon after
he went To prison married Mrs. Cod
t-s..e, tiVcd happily with
her. During his Imprisonment the
photographer broodcd'ovcr his troubles,
and when he was released he was in u
murdcrous mood. One evening, while
my wife and were walking in thinly
settled district of the city, we were
startled by two pistol shots fired in
rapid succession by some one behind
us. ! turned around and running a
few feet back grappled with our as
sailant. ! threw him upon the ground,
and succeeded in holding him there I'M
til two men who happened to be in the
vicinity hurried to my assistance. The
villain was Callahan, who had secretly
followed me and my wife until there
attempt murder. He cursed me in a
frightful manner when he found that
he was a prisoner. a second time he
was punished by being incarcer-
atcd. Three years later know
ing that he had disease that
would soon end his life, he bequeathcd
his remains for mathematical purposes
TO the physician of the prison, to whom
he had taken a great liking. | was
well acquainted with this doctor, and
as token of his esteem he presented
me with Callahans skull he being well
aware that was at that time engaged
in making Il choice collection of skulls
of all sizes.
THE skull was placed in my collcc-
ton, which was kept in closet con-
nccted with my office, and thought no
more about it until one day | was
seized with the desire to see how the
skulls would look when arranged so
that they could all be seen at once.
Accordingly | placed them in three
rows on broad table in my office, Cal
lahan's being in the center of the front
row, being accorded, as it were, the
place of honor. had just seated my
self in a chair for the purpose of gazing
ut the array i'll an admiring manner,
when Il messenger arrived and asked
me to visit a patient whose symptoms
had suddenly become alarming.
1T was late at night when returned
to my Office. l lighted a gas jet, but
turned on SO little gas that the flame
was small. | seated myself in the
chair which had left when disturbed
by the visitor, and gazcd at the skulls
which were about ten feet distant
They looked uncanny, unearthly, per-
haps, is Il better word, in the dim light
| had always pridcd myself on not be-
ing supcrstitious, and had frequently
laughed at friends who stood in awe of
the supernatural. But somehow as
gaAcd at that CHASTITY array of grinning
skulls, listened to the solemn tick of a
great clock that rested on top of a desk,
felt that | was alone and that all of the
people in the city except Il few watch
men were sleeping, felt chill run
down my back and my heart began to
thump as the thought came to me that
those skulls might move against me-
Might not Callahan, who had tried to
kill me, who had hated me intensely
during his second term of imprison-
mcnt, be able to introduce his troubled
spirit into his skull, marshal the spirits
belonging to the other skulls, each
spirit in its appropriate receptacle and
as ii horrid deaths army, SO to speak,
swoop upon me and quickly batter out
my brains. 1t was II fantastic, an ut
tcrly absurd idea, but it was neverthe-
hess the kind of idea that dSturbs a
person when the nerves are shaky.
II soon recovered myself, however,
and smiled with contempt for my mo-
mcntary weakness. But the next in
slant Il frightful fascination compelled
me to stare at the skull of Callahan.
There was Il slight noise in it and 1t
actually moved II little. The lidlcsS
eyes appeared To glare and the jaws
about the gaping mouth to move mp and
dovn ,prang To my feet and, grasp
ing the back of the chair with both
hands, raised it in readiness for an at
tack The skull moved again, more de-
cidcdlY than before, and trcmblcd all
over There was loud rattle, a big
movement of the skull, it crashed to
the floor and bounded to my feet.
iuGIpcd So high that my head grazcd the
ceiling and Us | came down the skull
shook violently. turned over. and ont