The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-09
THE STOLEN BODY.
BY H G. WELLS.


grasped a bonehandled walking cane
by the ferrule end. and his mouth was
pulled awry. He ran with agile strides
and very rapidly. Their encounter was
the affair OF an instant. 'Besseli" cried
Vincent
The running man gave no sign Of
recognition, either Of Mr.. Vincent or OF
his own name. Instead, he cut at his
friend saVagely with the stick, hitting
him in the face, within an inch OF the
eye. Mr.. Vincent. stunned and aston
ished, staggered back, lost his footing
and fell heavily on The pavement. II
seemed to him that Mr. Bessel leaped
over him as he fell. When he looked
again Mr.. Bessel had vanished, and Z
policeman and a number Of garden pOr-
rers and statesmen were rushing past,
toward Long Acre, in hot pursuit.
With the assistance of several garden
Dorters-for Tie whole street was
speedily alive with running people-Mr
Vincent struggled to his feet. He at
once became the center of d crowd
greedy 10 see his injury. A multitude
of voices competed to reassure him OF
his safety. and then to tell him Of the
behavior OF the mailman, as they re-
garded Mr.. Bessel He had suddenly
a3eared in the middle of the market,
screaming Life, Life!" striking right
and left with a blood stained walking
stick, and dancing and shouting with
laughter at each successful blow. 4 lad
and two women had broken heads, and
ne had smashed q mans wrist, a little
child had been knocked insensible, and
Tor time he had driven every one be
fore him. so furious and resolute had
his behavior been. Then he had male
a raid upon a coffee stan, hurled its
paratfin flare through the window after
stunning the foremost of the two Do-
licemen who had the pluck to charge
him.
Mr.. Vincent's first impulse vas, nat
uraily. TO JOIN in The pursuit of his
friend. in order, if possible, TO save
him from the violence OF the indignant
people. But his action was slow. The
blow had half stunned him, and while
this was still no more than a resolution,
came the news. shouted through the
crowd. that Mr.. Bessel had eluded his
Dursuers. At first MIR. Vincent could
scarcely credit this, but the universal
lty of the report and presently the dig
nified return OF the two futile police
men convinced him. After some aimless
inquiries he returned towards Staple
inn, padding a handkerchief 10 a now
very painful nose.
He was angry and astonished and
perpleXed. 1t appeared to him indis-
putable that Mr.. Bessel had gone
violently mad in the midst of his eXper-
iment in thought transference, but why
that should make him appear with a
sad white face in Mr.. NincentS dreams
seemed problem beyond solution. He
racked his brains in vain to explain
this. 1t seemed to him at last that not
simply MIR, Bessel, but the order OF
things must be insane. But he could
| think of nothing to do. He shut himself
carefully into his room. lit his fret
was gas fire with asbestos bricks
and fearing fresh dreams if he went
10 bed, remained bathing his injured
face or holding uD books in q vain
ATTEMPT to read until dawn. Through
out that vigil he had a curious per
suasion that Mr.. Bessel was endeavor-
ing to speak to him, but ne would not
let himself attend TO any such belief.
About dawn his physical fatigue as
serted itsele. and he went to bed and
slept at last in spite of dreaming. He
rose late. unrested and anxious, andin
considerable facial pain. The morn
ing papers had no news of Mr.. Bessel's
aberration-it had come too late for
them. Mr.. Nincent's perDlexities, to
which the fever of his bruise added
fresh irritation, became at last inteler-
able. and, after a fruitless visit to the
I churchyard, to Mr.. Hart, Mr.. Bessel S
partner, and, so far as Mr.. Vincent
knew. his nearest friend.
He was surprised to learn that Mr.
Bart, although he knew nothing Of the
outbreak. had also been disturbed by a
vision, the very vision that Mr.. Vincent
had seen, Mr.. Bessel, white and DISNEY
eled. pleading earnestly by his gestures
FOR help. That was his impression OF
| the in1lert Of his signs. Il was just
! gong to look him uD in the Albany
when YOU arrived" said MIR. Hart.
WAS sure Of something being wrong
! with him.
AS the outcome of their consultation
tie two gentlemen decided to inquire al
! Sc"tiard Yard for news Of their miss
! iu% friend. He is bound to be laid by
| the heels said Mr. Hart. He can't
! 81 Oh at that pace for long But the
! police authorities had not laid Mr.. B1S-
sci by the heels. They confirmed Mr.
! Nincent's over-li gnt experiences, ana
added fresh circumstances. some of ar
/ even graVer character, than those Il
! lI1aW-a list Of smashed glass along tn6
! upper half of Tottenham Court road, ar
attack upon a policeman in Hampstead
road. and atrocious assaults upon {
number of peaceful citizens. All these
/ outrages were committed between 1873
and las in the morning, and between
! those hours, and. indeed, from the very
moment of Mr.. Bessel's first rush from
/ his rooms at $3.50 in the evening, they
could trace the deepening violence OF
/ his fantastic career. For the last hour
at least, from before l, that is, unit
Lac, he had run amuck through Lon
don. eluding with amazing agility every
/ effort to stop or capture him.
But after quarter to two he haC
vanished. Up to that hour witnesse:
We're multitudious; dozens of people
had seen MIN, fled from him or pur
sued him, and then things suddenly
! came to an end. At a quarter to ht
/ had been seen running down the Eus
ton road towards Baker street, flourish
4 ing a can of burning COLA oil anC
/ jerking splashes of fame therefrom a
the windows of the houses he passed
! But none of the policemen on EustoI
road beyond the waXwork exhibition
I nor any of those in the side street.
/ down which he must have passed ha(
, he left the Euston road. had seen any
thing of him. Abruptly he disappeared
Nothing Of his subsequent doings came
to light in spite of the keenest inquiry
Here was a fresh establishment fol
( Mr. Vincent He had found consider
/ able comfort in Mr.. Harris conviction
He is bound to be laid by the heels be
fore long" and in that assurance h,
had been able to suspend his menta
perplexities. But any fresh develop
ment seemed destined to add new i'm
possibilities to a pile already heape'
beyond the powers of his acceptance
he found himself doubling whethe
his memory might not have playet
him some grotesque trick, debatin,
whether any of these things coult
possibly have happened, and in tn
afternoon he hunted up Mr.. Hart again
to share the intolerable weight oil
his mind He found Mr.. Hart engaged
with a wei known private detective
but as that gentleman accomplished
nothing in this case, we need not en-
large upon his proceedings.
All that day Mr.. Besseps where
abouts eluded an increasingly activ
inquiry. and all that night. And al