The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1907-10-05

o. asylum for the criminal insane,
I found myself more and more attracted
by one particular case-that Of the
young earl of Thornbourn&. believed
(and other w-practit{oners, too)
that Lord Thornbourne was utterly
blameless for the deed he BAD DONE
1t had made an immenSe talk two
years ago. Left at an early age under
the guardianship of his maternal uncle,
the celebrated chemist, aMr. Holme
Dyott, he had never liked this kinsman,
and frequent auarrels had occurred be-
tween them. During onejof these (as
evidence on the trial brought out) Mr..
Dyott had struck his nephew a terrible
blow on one temple with the butt-end Of
his riding-whip. The earl then about
Internationally, was unconscious for
two days. Afterward a slong illness
had ensued. He had recovered for a
certain period (about six months in alD =,
and then his mind began to fail him.
No one but certain servants at Thorn
bourne Park, in Devonshire, had known
Of his uncle's brutal blow! YSQ except, OF
course, the inevitable gossiping between
themselves and folk in the near vii
lage).
The physicians who attended Lord
Thornbourne were told by Mr.. Dyott
that his nephew's wound had resulted
from mis-step while descending one
of the stairways of his residence. They
never thought of disbelieving this. Mr..
Dyott's reputation was f1awless. His
fame as chemist of exceptional power
had grown greatly during the past ten
or twelve years.
At the trial, it will be remembered,
witnesses made us aware, for the first
time, that Lord Thornbourne's quarrel
with his guardian had been brought
about by the formers avowed intention
of marrying Margaret Boyce This girl.
though the daughter of small neigh
boring farmer, had received a fair edu
cation. She was also strikingly pretty
and graceful. To Hubert Wyndham,
earl Of Thornbourne, and possessor of
several titles besides, the idea of mar
rying Margaret privately had been re-
pellant in the extreme.
On recovering from his illness, the
earl, as have said, seemed for six
months to be in awholly normal state
of health. Between himself and his
uncle (who still resided at Thornbourne
Park) relations of distinct reserve ex-
listed, though they often dined in one
another's company, and now and then
drove out in the same carriage.
Meanwhile Margaret Boyce had van
tshed. Early one June evening she had
left her fathers house, and had never
been seen again. 1t was clearly under
stood, and much gossiped about the vii
lage, that she had suffered fiercely from
the tidings that Lord Thornbourne was
In peril of death. While he lay uncon-
scious she had disappeared. Her ia
ther had caused a wide search to be
made for her, but without the faintest
tangible result.
A fortnight after Lord Thornbourne's
second and final collapse the murder
had been committed.
The earl had crept into his uncle's
library and stabbed him, with great
suddenness and dexterity, three times
in the back. His weapon was a long
slender knife-an oriental family relic
At the third blow, with great cries
Mr.. Dyott had fallen. When the nurse
Mortified by these sounds, entered the
library, he had found the elder man
in his last throes, if not already dead
Lord Thornbourne, with his face dis
torted by impish leers and his tremu.
lous lips chattering wild things
crouched in corner of the ROOM
| I never saw Lord Thornbourne unit
I met him at the O. asylum. He hac
some slight ailment which I had beer
requested to relieve-a throat trouble
rather obstinate, though by no means
serious. At first our conversations
were brief, and of kind purely profes.
sional. He then appealed to me as {
singularly handsome man. After my
second visit to him I said to a brother
physician that there could scarcely bt
a doubt of his present sanity.
A~~I q A0uOt, CcAAC I4C AOPAy, AO :
as sane as we are"
"Then, why-?" But I paused, ant
we exchanged glances.
IA life sentence, you know" sait
my listener.
"Ah, true" I reminded myself, audi
bly,. "And he bears well the though,
of it,
Eyes. Do you notice that peculiar
look of sadness on his handsome face.
Examine it a bit closer and you viii
find curious resignation there
I did examine it closer, and agreed
with this judgment. Gradually we be
came in a way intimate. I felt myself
touched at first with the poignant pity
for him. This man (wh6 had done
frightful murder while completely
irresponsible for the act) must live
out the rest of his life in dreary dur
ance! The thought of it all fretteG
me like an eczema. had almost made
up my mind to present myself in per
son to the home secretary, whom
had known years ago fairly well as
co-disciple at Harrow. And one morn
ing, while was with my. patient, al