The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1900-11-03


Forgive you? By heaven, mop
Pray, pray, while you have yet time,
for in one minute more your guilty
soul will be hurled into eternity.
The next instant, while too paralyzed
for the time with horror to speak, /
continued kneeling there at the door
looking and listening, I saw the new
conner draw a long knife that he had
concealed somewhere about his person,
and then, while he uttered a Economical
cry of rage, catch the woman by the
throat and plunge the cleaning blade
up to the hilt in her breast.
AS he did 50 q widest scream of
terror broke from the woman's lips,
that died away in muffled choking
gasps as the tightly gripping hand and
sharp weapon did their cruel, deadly
work.
The sound of her dying cries broke
the spell Of horror that had held me
helpless for the time.
And with a loudest cry Of murder!
murderr that might have walked the
dead, l dashed madly out into the hall.
In a moment, that seemed like an
age to me, the landlord came dashing
up the stairs.
His appearance was followed by a
scene of widest confusion, as all the
guests and servants came rushing in
In all stages of undress' from their
rooms to inquire the cause of the CON-
motion.
Among the former came the occu-
pant of Room 13, who was still fully
dressed in his funeral-like suit of deep
est black, and whose face it seemed to
me wore even q still more deathly pal
lor.
AS 1 caught sight of him, with chat
tering teeth / pointed in his direction
and gasped:
1.-THE murderer! Don't let him es-
capew the woman he killed is in'his
room.
1.-The womanr' echoed mine host,
with a look of indescribable amaze
ment on his round, ford race.
BY this time as many of us as could
enter had all crowded into Room IL.
The woman, whose death cries
had heard through the keyhole, was
no where to be seen.
But the coffin shaped box, with its
lid now closed, was standing still at
the foot of the bed.
AS caught sight Of it, with tremb-
ling limbs and voice, exclaimed:
Gentlemen, you will find his victim,
the woman he has murdered is in that
box"
"Yes, gentlemen, you WILL" answered
the newcomer with an air of deepest
resignation as Of one prepared to meet
his doom.
Even at that terrible moment l could
not help but admire the mans GOODNESS
and courageous demeanor.
Mine host was the first to raise the
lid of the box.
AS he did so, and peered down into
1t, loudest laugh broke from his lips.
Fearing that he had become sud-
denly insane at the awful blood
stained sight within, as well as the
disguise the tragedy would bring upon
his hotel, gazed in CONSERVATION at
him, while some of the guests and
servants pressed about him to also get
a glimpse of the contents of the box.
When the others had looked they
too followed suit by loudly laughing.
Believing myself to be the victim Of
some horrible jest at last managed
to peep into the box myself.
1t were impossible for words to pic
ture my feelings as did so; also my
regret at having acted in such hasty
manner in rousing the hotel with my
cries of murder"
The woman 1 had seen through the
keyhole was no delusion Of the senses.
She was lying there within the box re-
posing as quietly as one in the sleep
Of death.
But, alas, for me! and the merciless
chatting was forced to undergo from
my fellow statesmen.
She was a woman of wax.
The occupant of Room IL, his card
informed us) was clever hypnotist,
magician and ventriloquist, and the
seeming tragedy 1 had witnessed was
a rehearsal of short drama of ven
triloquism, entitled 1.-The Jealous Hus-
band"
But 1t was a most gruesome expert
ence for me. as much as If it had been
a real tragedy, and, l suppose, will
prove an equally gruesome tale for
those who read before they become
aware how badly l was sold.