Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1895-08-02
HARNIEDBYAWALTZ

4 ever met BEFORE the crime ne was n
private in my company and squad, and
even the captain thought him an excel
Dent trooper During his confinement in
the post guardhouse, which lasted over
a month, his actions were those Of acute
mania, so that tho officer Of the guard
did not enter his cell, and the cooks po-
lice fed him by means OF q chute from
above. about the base Of which the food
had now accumulated, for no would go
for days at a time without eating.
he was restless as O hyena and paced
his cell with a monotony Of movement
almost hypnotic TO one watching him
through the iron bars Of his cage
When sergeant Of the guard, l would
lie on my bunk and look through the
small iron lattioed window in the CEN
ter of the door that opened into the pris-
ON room aud see him in his cell, where
the view Of his legs and feet was cut
OF BY the Intel Of the window.
All through tho sultry night the SEN
Try on No ! could hear the sharp click
Of his steps on the concrete floor of his
CELL beating regular accompaniment to
tho accented notes Of a Mexican waltz
Before trial Davis, our surgeon, was
ordered to examine the prisoners sani-
y, and / went with him. He was still
pacing his cell aud slowly humming
''Sabre las Olas."
Il was during this very waltz, played
by the Mexican orchestra the night Of
the ''baile. " that he had brutality butch
cred Corporal Jenkins with q bowie
knife. so 1t struck me as appropriate
that this same air should now be a
monomania in his madness and control
his brain. As he paced his cell ho was
beatingdime TO the swing Of the waltz
with q pencil by way Of baton. Davis
asked the officer Of the guard to have
the prisoner brought into the general
prison room, but the latter replied that
the man was raving mad, and that it
wa folly TO think Of letting him from
his cell or Of sending men to enter it
Davis then asked for the key, quietly
unlocked the cage and opened it As he
did so the prisoner wheeled in his prom
enade and sprang toward him. Davis
stepped quickly aside and struck him a
half blow behind tho ear which felled
him Then we carried him into the gem
eral prison room, where Davis made ex-
animation, during which the prisoner
wrenohed for freedom with a nervous
weakening strength, as, assisted by a
hle Of the guard. | held him pinioned
20 the floor.
"Tho man seems insane, " said Davis,
speaking quietly to the officer Of the
guard docs any one know the exact
hour and minute at which the stabbing
Of Corporal Jenkins o~ccurred?"
"It wal exRctly III o'clock, " replied
the officer Of the guard. Sergeant Nor
row stated in examination before the
colonel thss taps was sounding at the
post just as no entered the danceroom,
and that at that moment the stabbing
occurred
"Were they playing Sabre las Olas'
at the timer Davis asked. | replied
that Sergeant Morrow had told me they
were had mentioned to Morrow that
Henderson raved constantly In this tune.
"Ah, then, " said Davis, speaking in
q low tone to the officer Of the guard,
''then ! understand his case. This is q
very peculiar form of monomania- The
waltz, the dominant sound during the
not Of murder, will rule his waking
hours day and night, for it was then
the madness struck in and photographed
it on the brain In this form Of insani-
" the brain acts like the sensitive plate
Of q photograph to receive the ruling
sound Of the moment and will repeat 1t
necessarily until the brain wears itself
out If the madness be complete, there
will DO but one break. That will occur
at exactly III o'clock, when the prisoner
will cease humming the waltz and re-
enact the tragedy. After a few moments
the impression Of the murder will pass
away, when he will again resume the
waltz"
] was impressed by the clear state
ment Davis made on what seemed TO me
. most difficult case Lieutenant -,
officer Of the guard, was also struck by
L. for he asked if he should send the
prisoner into the hospital
"No," replied Davis Keep him
confined in his cell and without being
observed watch him closely about II
O'Clock for the completing symptoms
You can report to me at sick call in the
morning. Then he replaced Henderson
IN his cell, who at once took up his mu.
steal promenade
was detailed that night 70 watch
him and did so lrom my bunk In the
~guardroom- had cautioned the trum.
peter Of the guard to warn me quietly
when he left the guardhouse to blow
''tapG" All through the evening /
witnessed the same monotonOus moVe-
ment and listened TO the same monoto-
nous waltz, ohanted slowly as always
before At intervals I would my
self and step outside the s~quadroom and
stand In the cool sally port TO assure my
self that l wa awake and my vision
unimpaired, 70 drowsy would l become
under the effort Of strained attention /
must finally have fallen asleep. for the
tFnmpeter touched me on the shoulder
and startled me. / did not sec him en-
ter, but could have sworn | was still
viewing Hendsrson's movements in the
cag0
n- - Al H..H-m