The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-12-17
HIS GREATEST ENEMY

ooh, do tell us about It'll" cried several
ladies with one voice.
NJ. Bermutier smiled gravely, as became
a judge, and began: I was preliminary
judge at Ajaccio, and my chief duties
we're, of course, in connection with affairs
of vendetta.
One day I learned that little villa at
the end of the gulf had been taken by an
Englishman for several years. Every one
was soon specializing about this singular
person who staid with single manserv-
ant, never leaving the house except to
hunt or fish. He never spoke to any one,
and every morning he used to practice pis-
toll shooting.
Rumor said he was some great person
age who had left his country for political
reasons. Then he was reported to be hid
ing, after having committed some terri
bio crime. 1 could learn nothing about
him except that his name was Sir John
RowelI. I had him closely watched. but
nothing suspicious was ever reported to
me. One evening, in passing, observed
him smoking in his garden, and saluted
him. He invited me to enter and drink a
glass of beer. I at once accepted. He re-
ceived me most courteously, and we chat
ted pleasantly on many subjects. In reply
to my questions on his mode of life, he
told me that he had been a great traveller
in Africa, the Indies and America. again
spoke of hunting. and he related some of
his adventures in his pursuit of the hip
popotamus, the tiger, the elephant and
even the gorilla.
"These are all most dangerous brutes,
are they not?'' said I.
by no means, he replied; 'fthe worst
of all is man" And he laughed a good
humored English laugh
81 have hunted man, too, great deal, "
he added. He then invited me to see his
collection of firearms. The saloon was
hung with black silk, embroidered with
gold. cit is Japanese cloth" he said.
But a strange object in the center of
large panel caught my eye. 1t was black
and stood out clearly on a square of red
velvet. I approached. It was hand-a
mans hand; not a skeleton hand, white
and clean, but black shriveled hand,
with yellow nails and muscles laid bare.
The bones, which had been cut clean near
the middle of the forearm as if by hatch
ct, showed dark stains as if of old blood.
An enormous iron chain was welded round
the wrist of this horrible member, fasten-
ing it to the wall by ring strong enough
to hold an elephant.
'fWhy," I exclaimed, "what is that?"
sit is my greatest enemy" the English
man answered quietly. "It came from
ned with sharp flint and dried in the
sun for eight days
I touched the human relic. It must
have belonged to some giant. The fingers
were excessively long and were held by
enormous tendons, to which pieces of skin
still adhered in some places. Skinned
thus, the thing was frightful to see.
"This man must have been very strong"
I said.
"Oh, yes,' he replied, sbut was stron-
ger. Ihave had this chain made to hold it. B"
''This chain is useless now," said.
thinking he was joking; "the hand can't
run away
1t always wants to get away, though"
Sir John Rowell answered gravely. 1.-THE
chain is necessary
I thought he must be either mailman
OF humbug, but his face remained as
placid and impenetrable as ever before my
searching look. I changed the subject and
began to admire his weapons. observed
three loaded reviewers lying at hand in
the room as if the man lived in constant
fear of an attack. I returned to see him
several times and then my visits ceased.
All had now become accustomed to his
presence, and his presence had therefore
become Indifferent to all.
A year passed. One morning my servant
awakened me and announced that Sir
John Rowell had been assassinated during
the night. Half an hour later I was in the
EnglishInans house along with the chief
police authorities. The valet was stand
ing distractedly before the door. At first
suspected this man, but he was entirely
innocent. The body of Sir John was lying
on its back in the middle of the saloon.
Everything showed that a terrible struggle
had taken place. The victim had been
strangled. His face was swollen and dis
colored and bore a look of deadly fear. He
held something between his clinched teeth,
and the neck, covered with blood, was
pierced by five holes, which seemed to
have been made with some sharp iron
points. A doctor arrived. After careful
examining the five strange impressions in
the flesh he said:
"Why, it looks as if the man had been
strangled by q skeleton"
I shuddered and glanced at the spot
where 1 had formerly seen the horrible
dried hand. 1t was no longer there. The
chain was hanging in its place, broken.
I knelt over the body and found between
the clinched teeth finger of the missing
hand, cut, or rather gnawed of at the sec
ond phalapx by the victims teeth. We
then made an investigation, but nothing
was discovered. Neither doors, nor win
dows, nor furniture had been tempered
with. The two watohdogs had not even
been aroused. The servant said that for a
month past his master had appeared de-
jected He had received many letters,
which he had at once burned. Often in q
fit of anger, that looked like madness, he
took riding whip and furiously dashed
the hand chained to the wall. He always
had arms in his locked room, and during
the night he used to speak loudly, as Il
quaFreling with some one. That night
however, he made no sound. 1t was only
on coming to open the windows that he
found his master dead. He suspected nc
one. Although minute search was insti
tuted throughout the whole island, moth
ing was ever discovered.
Well, one night, three months after the
crime, I had frightful nightmare. 1 saw
that horrible hand running like a scorpion
or a spider up and down my curtains anC
walls. The hideous member gallopeC
! round my room, using its fingers lik,