The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-01-06
THE FELLOWS STORY.


tened on the cold iron floor. Suddenly he
raised them.
''Did you say why?'' he cried, with a
ferceness that made us start. Ibid you ask
why it was I killed her, and she my wife2''
You would have known by his eyes that
there was q dark shadow either of crime
or approaching death upon him. Again
he paced the hard iron beneath him.
''And she my wife Yes, curse her, she
was my wifei All, how hated herl
With what pleasure crushed the life out
of her body and heard her last gurgling
moanl"
He turned suddenly and faced us. His
eyes were fiery red But that we knew he
was sane we might have supposed him to
be maniac
''You do not KNOW he went on spas
medically, ''you do not know what hatred
is until you have hated the wife whom
you once thought you had loved. Among
the demons below there is nothing that
can equal it. To live in her repulsive
presence, to calmly endure her little acts
of tenderness by which she Unprecedented
soul-to drive the tempest from your
brow. and to feel the loathed touch of her
arms about you-all this will turn your
heart into black and burning hell.
SLOWLY it grew upon me, and the poison
was already deep into my soul when I first
felt the revulsion of feeling. One day the
brow. 1t had always soothed before. That
was the first outward sign of the dark
night that was coming. could not ex-
plain til do not believe there lives man
who can. She had done nothing to cause
it. She was as true and faithful as ever
wife was, and loved her. was sure OF
that.
''But it had come, and felt it's icy fin
gers chill my blood. struggled to throw
it off, but in vain. Day by day she grew
more 1oathSome more repulsive to me,
until at last I despised her very presence.
She must have seen the dark moods that
came over me, and she tried to dispel them
with kisses that burned and scared and
with whispers of love that fell upon my
ears like the hiss of serpents.
cit was an awful thing to hate this
woman as did, and she my wife, Her
every movement was repulsive, every word
that she spoke WAS discord to my being,
every touch of her hand sent a flaming
hell into my heart.
"Soon began to plan dark things, half
unknowing what it was at first, and the
very thought frightened me when it came
into my brain. Il was not long before
grew accustomed to it, and calmly and de-
Hberately, yet with gloating pleasure, I
would form plots against the life of this
woman whom I hated, this wife of my
bosom.
IL grew TO De an absorbing Iudu1as \
dreamed of nothing else, found pleasure in
no other thought, and all the while the
dark and naurderous passion was famed
to deadlier purpose by her every loving
word and movement.
Carefully and cunningly laid my
plans for hey murder. I would kill her
while she slept, in the early part of the
night. Then would give her trunk the
appearance of having been rif1ed. 1 would
go out into the town, get friend to come
home with me, and when I walked into
her room would make the CHASTITY disoov-
cry and shout for my friend to come in.
Together we would investigate and find
that she had been dead only short while.
1 would call in an officer, accuse one of
the servants, and then let the law do the
rest.
SIT was about half past 10 at night, and
I knew by her deep and regular breathing
that she slept souEdly. The light was burn
ing dinly, and even in her sleep hated
her with hatred that belongs to the souls
of the damned. did not have to muster
up my courage to do the deed. I gloated
at the prospect and had to restrain myself
until the time came.
81 pressed my fingers fercely and fran
tically against her throat. I could hardly
keep from shouting when / did. She
struggled violently, but held her with a
demons grip. With one of her hands she
Cau2I1G ME Dy Gl0 Wf1SG Win SuCn IOrCO
that had to pull violently to get it away.
But soon it was over, and she had ceased
breathing. Even death did not end my
hatred. lenged for her to be hid from
my sight.
"The other parts of my plot were carried
through without a break. The servant
was arrested before morning, and then
was jubilant and happy, though I took
good care to conceal it.
ttEarIv the newt f17v several officers Tvor1
there looking into the murder. 1 knew of
course that they could not suspect me, and
was in the room with them as they were
seeking some clew to the crime. One of
them. looked at me little curiously once
or twice, and it made me just trifle nerv-
Gus, but how could he suspect meP ]
chuckled to myself at the idea. And If he
did, what proof had he?
presently, as he was bending over the
dead body of my wife, he looked round
suddenly and glanced, I thought, at my
left hand. But I looked, and there was no
scratch or mark upon it to betray me, and
| was treasured. Then he called US to him
| where he bent over the body. In the
closed and stiffened fingers of the right
hand he had found something. With a good
| deal of difficulty and with the help of the
| other officers, he forced it out. did not
see what it was, for he held it in his hand.
''Before could realize what had hap
| pened he and the others had seized me
and forced my right hand up. There they
| saw my cuff and in it gold button
| Then he raised my left hand, and we al
saw that the other button was gone.
81 had not noticed it before, and my
| face must have blanched. But the Officer
only smiled. He held up the object thai
he had just forced out of my dead wife,
| hand.
SIT was gold button, the exact coun
| terpart of the one worel
I'm her struggles the night before sh'
| had torn it from it's place and held it IL
| her hand to convict me of her murder.
Eyes, tomorrow will die, - he repeated