The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1900-02-10
Jokes a END
Ehs Viotim Now al Inmate Of. an IN
cane Asylum.

Ina Victim Now an Inmate OF. n IN
ans Asylum
a tightly-elosed carriage drove up.
to the Reading terminal entrance.
shortly before noon the other day,
says the Philadelphia Inquirer. An
emaciated man, with eyes that seemed
to hold the terror of some charnal
horror unspeakable, issued from the
station. Two men Of professionally APP
pearance accompanied him. The car
riage door was slammed and the We
hicle driven rapidly away. When it
stopped it was before a private insti-
tuition forthei insane in this city. And
it closed the last chapter Of a story
grewsome, horrible, tragic.
The occupant of the carriage one.
month ago was a brilliant young law
yer in a city in New York state. He
was utterly without fear. He boosted
of it. Time and again tests were
made to break his iron nerve without
avail. It needed the ingenuity Of a
group Of medical students to con-
summate his fate and to crush his
spirit as a piece of steel in the breaker.
In his city is a college Of medicine.
Some Of his friends were students
therein. Secretly they formulated
their plan. When all was ready a
challenge was made and accepted.
The terms were these: The lawyer
was to enter the ~dissecting room Of
the college at nine o'clock that night.
He must be unaccompanied. A dim
light would be burning in the room.
AS he entered he was to be permitted
one glance around the room. He then
was to,proceed at once to the OPP
posite side of the room and take his
seat with his back toward the entire
dissecting room. At the end Of every
half-hour he WIS to be permitted one
glance around. This must continue
until daybreak. No second look
would be allowed until the half hour
had expired.
At nine o'cl0ckt the young man en-
tered the room The fetid smell
usual to the place greeted him. A
lamp burned dimly, throwing its
feeble rays on the ~dissecting table.
On it lay a shriveled cadaver. The
corners Of the room were filled with
grewsome shadows. But one look
could be taken. The young man drew
up his chair and ~resolutely turned his
back to the room. The half hour
passed. He raised his head and
glanced over his shoulder-the eye
lid Of the cadayer seemed to raise and
look at him. He could not give an
other glance to satisfy himself, and
turned his face away once more. The
next half hour passed slowly. The
fetid odor seemed to increase. At
last the time came again for the sec
ond look. Quickly he glanced over
his shoulder. The head Of the corpse
yeemed to be raising itself-the lamp
gave a sudden flicker.
The next half hour was an eternity.
The surroundings, the silence, the
indescribable odor, all combined to
excite the young mans imagination
to the highest pitch. At lastt the time
for the third look came. He was sure
now that the head was raised-the
eyes wide open, looking at him.
But only one look. Twenty min
utes passed. A shrek was heard by
the watchers outside the room. They
rushed in. The young lawyer was
insanely laughing and shrieking. The
form of the ~dissecting table had met
amorphosed itself into the chief Of
the students clique. But the law
yer never again recovered his reason.
As a last resort the victim Of this
terrible test was sent yesterday to
a private institution in Philadelphia,
there, if possible, to regain his rea-
son. The affair was kept a secret, as
all the participants came from excel
lent families.
THEN THE FUNNY MAN WENT.