The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-05-04

sad affair was instituted. As ii happened. this
was the first OCCASION upon which the Coroner
had acted in his official capacity. The work
was equally novel to the members Of the Jury,
and certain of their proceedings were a trife
unique. However, all things considered, they
got along very well.
They first viewed the body critically and
found it dead beyond question. The remains
were those of man of about % years of age,
and of ordinary hight and appearance. There
was nothing uncommon about his dress. His
personal effects were found to consist of a
closel written manuscript which was dis
covered lying on the table, and valise con-
taining the usual changes of raiment, some
odds and ends, and manicure set.
This latter was narrowly scrutinized by the
jury. after which they all looked suspiciously
at the corpse. / learned later that they feared
these instruments were burglars tools-pick
locks and the like.
Mr.. Terwiliger the head of the house, de-
posed and said that the deceased, who had
given his name as George w. Sims had been
his guest for few days over a week; that he
had engaged board ON the plea that he needed
rest and country air; that he had carried him
self in an exemplary manner during his stay !;
that he had mentioned the name of the place
from whence lie had come, but what it was the
deponent had forgotten; in short, to the best
of his knowledge and belief there had been
nothing peculiar or strange about Mr. Sims, ex-
cept that he appeared to be somewhat nervous
and absen t. minded.
The testimony OF the other members of the
Terwilliger family was of no particular mo-
ment. / was requested to testify in turn,
which did by giving my name, age and place
of residence, stating that was rising young
author. who. feeling the need of recreation. had
sought the Terwilliger homestead, and adding
that / sometimes wrote poetry as a pastime
r t-ad 7 had ofr
productions to the deceased. and upon receiving
a negative reply the jury looked more mysti-
fed than ever. 1t WAS then suggested that
perhaps the deceased had died from a vista
ton OF God but after it had been proven be-
yond doubt that had been the only stranger
in the neighbOrhood for the past three days
this theory was abandoned.
1t was then very wisely decided that the
manuscript should be read aloud, and to me
this duty fell. The document was without
date or signature and seemed to have been
broken off abruptly, as if the writer thereof had
given it up in despair and hanged himself on
the spur of the moment. 1t ran as follows:
II, the unhappy writer of these lines be-
lieying that cannot much longer endure the
terrible mental strain to which | am subjected,
and fearing thai at any moment my reason
may totter on its throne and impel me to
make an end of myself, pen these words in ex-
PLANTATION of any rash act to which / may be
driven by the accused problem which has en-
thraI!cd and enslaved me.
1.-The problem, as mere proposition, has
worried and bothered me for more than week
At first it was to me simply puzzle that /
could pursue or drop as / chose, but presently
by degrees it had passed the stage of a mere
problem and become all enemy, at first defying
me- then threatening. and at last pouHcing
upon me and clutching me in its demonacaI en-
braces. In the beginning | was lured OIL by
curiosity, bat now | am impelled onward by
the knowledge that my entity, my personality,
my very individuality depends upon its sOlu-
ton.
1.-THE Internal thing had its inception in a
prosaic way enough. / was musiug over my
approaching marriage to Miss Gladys Mork in
the calmly blissful way Of one who knows he
holds lead pipe cinch on capital prize, when
the thought came to me: Why am | to wed
this one particular woman Of all the feminine
world?
Is it written on the scroll of destiny that
we should be one? Is destiny omnipotent and
we but puppets in its power? Is chance then,
lesser than fate? While destiny willei it that
this woman and l should be one, might not
chance have stepped in and moved that we
might never have met? In that event, she
would in all probability have married another
man, and l in my turn welded another wo-
man.
ALL Suppose my own father and mother
had each welded some person other than each
other, whom would l now be-the offspring
of which of those two unions? Again, what
relation would the offspring of the other union
be to me?
AT first the problem thus conceived amused
me in an idle way. Then. by degrees the fell
moment OF it dawued upon me. Whom might
/ have been had my parents married differ
might | not have been? Am I
really myself? What is 'myself'-thc nae of
my existence-the body OF the intangible some
thing called the soul, or both. the combination
of the two?
"Not the soul alone. surely, for hunger and
thirst distress me, and yet hunger and thirst
are not attributes of the soul. Physical pain
racks me, but the soul eau feel pain. Not
the body alone, tits just - evident. A member
may be Topped OF. and / still myself
think, / reason rs before. Still, again. not
the combination of body and soul. When
dissolution occurs body and soul 60 their sep
arate ways-the soul to the skies. the body TO
dust. What. then, is the me?
{" / am myself, because am the offspring of
my father and mother-of that particular man
and woman. But suppose that man had