The Indiana State sentinel., 1894-06-20

the purpose or blowing air into his lungs
| to see if persons who were drowning
| could not be resuscftated in that way.
| The boy contracted blood poisoning from
| the brass tube and came near dying, but
| was saved.
For these escapades, as they were
| called at the time, / was severely pun
| ished and several times shut up in a
! room for weeks at a time, but my father
would come to my assistance and help
me out He regarded my researches into
science, as he called them as the natural
pent or powerful mind, and looked for
ward to the time when 1 would be at
the summit Of scientific fame.
Began Studying Subtle Drugs.
And then 1 became acquainted with
| poisons. Ali that was a revelation 10
| me. How 1 reveled in them The min
! eral potsons and vegetable pOisons I con-
sidered as my personal property. ! hated
! the druggists for being able to sell them.
| L wanted them all to myself. For two
/ years / devoted all my time TO them,
| until L was perfectly familiar with every
| one. from the subtle hypercyprianic acid
| to the powerful and terrible prussic acid.
We'll, what followed was but the nat
| ural consequence of my early training
! and tendencies. Having become familiar
! with the several poisons. I must expert
| ment with them. l wanted 10 see the
| slow action Of each. longed to see the
| color of the victim gradually change, his
| steps grow more feeble, his appetite
| leave him. his eyes become glazed and
| his vital nergy succumb. 1t was para
| disc to me. And then I thirsted for an
| opportunity to try the more powerful
! drugs. Those that consumed the victim
| with a burning fire or frOZe his life
] blood in his veins; those that frenzied
| his brain or merely deadened all sense
| OF pain within his paralyZed limbs. The
| desire almost consumed me and I could
| not sleep at night. But l was cautious
| knew the penalty Of the poisoner, and
| 1 did not wish TO suffer it until I had
| satiated myself with experiments IN tort
! ure and death This was my sole
| thought; my one ambition; my religion
! knew nothing else. Was L doing wrong?
| Did l realize that I was violating the
| laws of God and man? I knew no
| wrong; knew no law but nature and its
| forces; I knew no religion but science;
| no God but results.
There were five children In our family
| two older and two younger. They were
all happy and loving, while I was-dif-
| ferent. 1 could not enjoy their simple
| sports or laugh at their iests While
| they accompanied my father and mother
! on gay excursions I pored over my chem
| istry and enviOusly watched the living
| beings passing the window. Ny object
/ and ambition was TO seize the vital
| spark Of life possessed by Others wheth-
er human beings or animals. I envied
| them this; / coveted it; ] thirsted for II.
| 1 grew to think that it belonged to me to
| be used in my researches; that they
| were wasting ii, while / could put il to
use by making it subservient to science.
| As l became satisfied that it was mine
| l lost all knowledge of right or wrong.
| All I realized was that each person pass
| ing possessed a vital spark called life,
| which beonged to me and I was entitled
| to it,
| His First Innocent Victim
"Well, it was natural that / should
| begin first upon those with whom 1 was
| thrown in contact. These were the mem
| berS of my own family. They, like all
| others, had these sparks which 1 must
| haVe-and L got them. Ny oldest broth
| er died first His was simply the subtle
hypercyprianic acid l held back his
| head. touched his tongue with it and
| he died with a smile He was found in
| the hall where / gave him the drug. He
| gave - his spark without a struggle.
| This was but partially satisfactory one
| by one my other brothers and sisters
died, each in more terrible agony. You
| see my studies had not been in vain. L
| could make the separation as painless or
| as terrible as l chose. OF course the
| other members Of my family were cast
| in gloom and bowed down with sorrow.
| They could not look upon it in the same
light l could. Our house was supposed
| TO be stricken as by fate. My fathers
| prominence kept the bloOd-hounds of the
| law away and there was no investiga-
| ton. All were gone within year but
| my father and mother. 1 was still study
| ing. I wanted To see the operation of
poisons on the brain. 1 had conquered
| the body with them and now 1 must
! overcome the brain. My father was re-
| served until the last. 1 had prepared
| combination poison, which l began eN-
| perimenting with upon my mother. The
| second dose drove her mad and tnat
| night she tried to murder my father in
| bed. He escaped by miracle and before
| had completed my work they took her
| to the asylum. / visited her once in the
| institution with another preparation, but
she refused to take it and drove me out
| of her cell 1t was strange and have
| sometimes thought that her diseased
brain hsd been given some innate intel
| ligence denied il when norman. My fath-
er and I spent some time IN stuaylhg
the fortitude with which he bore up un-
der what he called his terrible affiiction.
But he would give way TO ii and this
made me despise him. Then 1 began on
him. But l made a mistake and one
night got hold of the wrong bottle. He
lived long enough to send for a cowardly
physician and he saw the effects Of
poison. Father died, but he spoiled all
Convicted at Last.
"Wen, they searched the house and in
the laboratory found the bottles with my
writing on the labels. They convicted
me and l was sentenced to be hanged.
L received it with glee as l had great
| curiosity how hanging would go.
But my lawyers, against my advice and
entreaties. got a new trial and / was
sent to the prison for life. That was
twenty years ago.
During the past twenty years / have
! continued my studies in chemistry at
odd times and 1 now have perfected what
| l consider the key TO painless death, as
we'll as the drug which will cause death
in its most nauseating form. The last
poison have already tried on one of the
convlcts and he will die next year. He
has now been seven years dying. He be-
gan rotting at the hands and feet and the
putrefaction has now reached his Vitals.
II is now but a question of few months.
"All this time / have been model
nrisoner and this has led to my pardon.
| i was liberated this morning. Twenty
| yearsi No wonder seem different from
other people. ! was but a boy when L
left the world. Most prisoners who have
been shut up so long come out with inn
paired minds. L have all my faculties
.hecause | have used my will power.
nave exercised my brain and kept my
| mind employed And now
The POisOner Unsatisfied.
The eyes glittered and shone with an
Intensity that was horrible. A look OF
wild expectancy darted from those eyes
and he glanced ravenOusly at the per-
sons sitting around the car And, now?
well the current of my life has been un-
changed, although it has been checked in
its course. My hunger for those life