Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-03-13
HIS ENEMY.

NJ. Bormutler smiled gravCly, as became
n judge, and began:
l WAS preliminary judge at Aiaccio, and
my chief duties wcro, of course, in connrc-
ton with affairs OF vendetta.
One day l learned that q littlo villa ut
tho end of the gulf had boon tnkcn by an
EnGlishlnan for several years. Every one
WAS soon specializing about this singular
person who stnid with u single mnnscrv-
ant. never leaving the house except to
hunt or fish. He never spoke to any one,
and every morning no used to practice
pistol shooting.
Rumor said he was SoHlo great person
nge who had left his country for political
reasons. Then he was reported to be hid
ing, after having committed some terrible
crime. l could learn nothing aboEt him
except that his namc was Sir John Rowcll.
l had him closely watched, but nothing
suspicious WAS ever reported to me. One
evening, in passing, l observed him smok-
ing in his garden and salutud him. He
invited me to enter and drink u glass of
beer. l ut once accepted. He received mo
most courtccusly, and we chattcd pleas
antly on many subjects. In reply to my
questions On his mode of life. he told me
that he had been II great traveller in Africa,
tho Indies and America. l again spoke of
hunting, and no related Some If his advcn-
lures In his pursuit of the hiplopotamus,
the tiger, tho elephant and even the 60
| rilla.
These arc nil most dangerous brutcs,
arc they not:" said l.
by no means, he replied. Tho worst
of all is man." And he laughed q good
humorcd English laugh.
II have hunted man, too, n great deal"
he added. He then invited mo to SEQ his
collection of firearms. Tho saloon Was
hung with black silk, embroidered with
gold. 1T is japanese cloth. he said.
But a strange object in tho ccntcr of n
large panel caught my eye. 1t was black
and stood out clearly on a square OF red
velvet. approached. 1t was a hand-a
mans hand; not a skeleton haaa, white
and clean, but IL black shrivc&l hand,
with yellow nails and muscles laid bare
The bones. which, had been cut clean near
the middle of the forearm as il by n hatch
ct, showed dark stains as if of old blood.
An enormous iron chain was welded round
tho wrist of this horrible member. faSten-
ing it to tho wall by a ring strong enough
TO hold an elephant. ...
"Why,' / exclaimed, "what is that"
at is my greatest enemy" the English
man answered quietly. lit came from
! America. 1t was severed by a snhcr, skin
ned with q sharp lint and dried in the sun
for eight days"
L touched tho human relic. 1t must
have belonged to some giant. Tho fingers
werc excessively long and were held by
enormous tendons. to which pieces of skin
still adhered i'll Some places Skinned
thus, the thing was frightful to SEQ
This man must have been very strong"
I said.
"Oh, yes" he replied, "but 1 was
stronger. l have had this chain made to
hold it,"
This chain is useless now I said,
thinking he was joking; 1.-THE hand can't
run away"
1T always wants to get away, though"
Sir John Rowcil answered sravcly. 9TH
chain is necessary"
! thought nc must be either u mailman
or n humbug, but his face remained as
placid and in,n"Hctr;,blc as ever before my
searching look. | changed the subject and
began to admire his weapons. l observed
three loaded rcvolvcrs lying at hand in tho
room rs if the man lived in constant fear
of an attack. | returned to See him several
times, and then my visits ceased. All had
now become accustomed to his presence.
a year passed. One morning my scrv-
mt awakened mo and announced that Sir
John Rowell had Eeen nssnssinatcd during
tho night. Half m hour later l was in
the E~nglishman's house along with the
chief police authorities. Tho valet was
standing distrac;cyiiy before the door. At
first l suspected thiS man, hut he was en-
tireiy innocent. The body of Sir John was
lying on its back in tho middle of the sn-
loon. Everything showed that n terrible
struggle had taken place The victim had
been stranSlcd. His face was swollen ana
discolored and bore u look of deadly fear.
He held something between his clinchcu
Spn y oy"l ft-.. ,r,f -.%. ..l ~
was pierced by five holes, which seemed to
have been made with some sharp iron
points. \ doctor arrived. After carefully
examining the five strange impressions in
the tlosh be said:
why, it looks as if the man had been
stranglcd by q skeleton"
I shuddcrcL and glanced at the spot
where l had formerly seen the horrible
dried hand. 1t was no longer there. The
chain was hanging in its place, broken.
l knclt over the body and found between
tho clinchcd teeth q finger Of the missing
hand, cut, or rather gnawcd, off at the sec
ond phalanX by the victims teeth. Wo
then mndo an investigation, but nothing
was discovered. Neither doors nor win
do>Ss nor furniture had been tempered
with. The two w~atchdoys had not even
becn aroused. The servant said that for g
month past his master had appeared de-
]ected. He had received many letters,
which he had AZ once burned Often in a
fit OF anger that looked like mndncs no
took q riding whip and furiousiy dashed
the hand chained TO the wall. Ho always
had arms in his locked room, and during
tho night he used to speak loudly, rs If
quarreling 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 no
one. Although II minute search was insti-
tuted throughout the whole island, moth
ing was ever discovered
We'll, one night, three months after the
crime, | had u frightful nightmare. l saw
that horrible hand running ike o scorpion
or a spider up and down my curtains and
walls. The hideous member galloped
round my room, using its fingers like
claws. Next day the vile thing was actu-
ally brought to me. 1t had been found in
the cemetery at Sir John Rowell's grave.
The forefingcr was missing.
This, ladies'" said tho judge, MS nc
CnnrIlHpf ia INV Gfnr- 7 ~r, x,-tI;-..