The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1893-08-19
eral inches. In many places communi-
cation was interrupted.


nature in general had depressing eff
feet on James delicately-constituted
nervous organization. She felt restless
and oppressed The sight of the snow
filled her with kind of blind rage.
She went into the back yard, and,
stretching out her arms, tried with all
her feeble strength to check it's down
fall. Angered by the futility of her
efforts, she seized spade and dug
viciously into the soft, white mass at
her feet. Strange, fierce impulses fit
ted like red-hot sparks through her be-
ing.
That evening, Miss Lorton retired
early to rest, complaining of a bad
headache.
Left alone, Jane followed her exam
pie. During the early hours of the
night she could not sleep, but at last
she fell into troubled slumbcr, and.
as was often the case, she dreamed.
She dreamt that she heard the wind
bowling out of doors, and the sound of
1t. signing and moaning, like living
thing, caused spirit a unrest to de-
scend upon her. Still sleeping, in fancy
she rose from her couch and CROPPED her
way to the kitchen. A large meat
knife lay upon the table. She took it
up and felt the blade with her fore
finger. A shudder ran through her
frame. Then, all at once, with that
sudden transition of scene which in
dreams appears SO natural and lifelike,
she found herself transported to her
mistress room.
Miss Lorton was lying on her back,
fast asleep. A smile illamined her face.
Her thin, white hands were folded to-
gether. They rested on the bedclothes,
which left her wrinkled neck exposed
to vision. In her dream, Jane looked
at the peacefully-slumbering woman,
and as she looked sudden and hideous
desire seized her to try the temper of
the blade on that yielding flesh. The
impulse was irresistible. With stealthy
tread she advanced to the bedside One
swift cash from right to left and out
spurted the red blood, flowing in a
crimson stream upon the white coun-
terpane Jane smiled as she watched
the smile disappear from the face of the
old lady. Then her memory grew
blank, and she remembered no more
until she awoke with start in her own
bed, in her own room. and saw the
pale, winter sunshine shining through
the window. Her brow was damp with
perspiration. A horrible sense of op-
preston weighted her mind. She
trembled like an aspen leaf in every
limb. What had happened? She could
not shake off the impression left by her
dream. 1t possessed ghastly reality.
She said to herself: "Is it true? Have
or have l not done this awful deed?"
Then, she laughed Historically, and
cried aloud: "Ah! no, no, thank God! it
is nothing but nightmare"
So saying, she sprang out of bed, de-
termined to conquer the nameless hor-
ror that rested SO strongly upon her
spirit.
Merciful Heaven! What was this?
There, on the ground at her feet, lay
the very knife of her Dreams stained
red with blood. She almost tainted at
the sight. BY and by she gathered
courage, however, to dress herself; al
though she hardly knew whether she
were waking or dreaming. She suf-
fered such mental anguish that, after
time, she determined to go straight to
her mistress room, and ascertain the
truth. She found Miss Lorton stone
dead, with her throat gashed from ear
to ear. The body was already rigid.
Jane felt vaguely that she was con-
nected with the awful deed, yet she
was at a loss to understand how she
could have raised her hand against one
whom she loved SO well. With a
wild shrek the terrified girl fled from
the room. Now fresh fear assailed
her-the fear of discovery-and she
took refuge in the cellar. Her heart
beat thick and fast. Its pulsations
dwarfed every other sound. She shut
her eyes, but even in the darkness she
saw that frail old lady lying amidst
the crimson-stained sheets. Was she
still dreaming, or was she mad?
How long she remained concealed in
the cellar she never knew. 1t might
have been an hour, it might have been
week. A kind of paralysis deadened
her brain. She recovered from it. to
find herself being conveyed to jail on
a charge of murder. When the trial
came on, it created IN unusual degree of
interest. Three experts were instructed
to examine into the state of James
mind. They unanimously pronounced
her to be possessed of homicidal ten
dencies, which were strictly traceable
to her parentage, and which amounted
to condition of criminal INSANITY.
The girl, they argued, was irresponsi-
BILE and not accountable for her actions.
A great sensation was produced in
court by the evidence of Janet Hoggins,
who deposed that she was, employed as
laundress by the late Miss Lorton, and
was n'the habit of sleeping twice
week in Jane Gutteridge's room. On
these occasions she had frequently seen
Jane walk in her sleep, and had once
found her brandishing knife whilst
perfectly unconscious. In her opinion
the girl was hysterical and a confirmed
soanambulist She had even considered
it her duty to speak to Miss Lorton on
the subject.
That 1adv howavar had t.aa+oJ A.