The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1907-02-08

LA L, TEBkUAK1 o. lSUI
dislike the part of creature which had once so loved
But this feeling soon gave place to irritation And
then came as if to my final and rrevocabe overthrow.
the spirit of Peverseness Of this spirit philosophy takes
no account Yet am not more that my soul lives
than am that perveseness is of the primitave i'm
pulses of the human heart of the ndvisibe primary
faculties sentiments which give direction the char
acter of Man. Who has not, hundred times found him
self committing vile silly action for no other reason
than because he knows he should not? Have we not
perpetual inclination, in the teeth of best Judgment
to violate that which Law, merely because under
stand 1t to be such? This spirit of perverseness say
came to my final overthrow 1t was this unfathomable
longing of the soul to tsef-to offer violence to its
own natureto do wrong for the wrongs sake onlthat
urged me to continue and finally consummate the in
jury had inflicted upon the unoffending brute One
morning, in cold blood, slipped moose about its neck
and hung it to the limb of tree; hung it with the tears
streaming from my eyes, and with the bteret reose at
my heart hung it because knew that it had loved me-
and because felt it had given reason Of offence
hung 1t because knew that In doing was committing
ia sna deadly sin that would eopardze my immortal
soul t. place it. if such thing were possible even be-
yond the reach of the infinite mercy of the Most Mercful
and Most Terrible God.
On the night of the day on which this cruel deed was
done, was aroused from sleep by the cry of fire. The
curtains of my bed in flames The whole house was
blazing. 1t with great difficulty that my wife,
van and myself made escape from the conagration
The destruction was complete. NV entire worldly wealth
was swallowed up and resigned myself thence forward
to despair.
am above the weakness of seeking to establish Sc
quence of and effect between the disaster and the
atrocy. But am detailing chain of facts, and wish
not to leave even possible link imperfect. On the day
succeeding the fire. visited the ruins The walls with
naa
the middle Of the house. and against which had rested the
head of my bed The plastering had there in great
ure resisted the action of frea fact which attributed
to its having been recently spread About this wall
dense crowd collected and many persons seemed to
be examining particular portion of it with very minute
o1 x.of%1
and other similar expressions excited my curiosity. |
approached and saw if craven in bas relief upon the
white surface the figure of gigantic cat The impress
sion given with accuracy truly marvellous. There
was rope about the animals neck
When first beheld this apparton- could scarcely
regard it less--mv wonder and terror extreme
But at length reflection came to my aid The cat
membered had been hung in garden adjacent to the
house. Upon the alarm of fire. this garden had been i'm
mediately filled by the crowd, by of whom the
animal must nave been cut from the tree and thrown
through open window, into my chamber. This had
probably been done with the view of arousing from
Sleep The falling of other walls had compressed the vic
tim of my cruelty into the substance of the freshly spread
plaster the lime of which, with the flames and the
monia from the carcass had then accomplished the por
tralture as saw 1t.
Although thus readily accounted to my reason if not
altogether to my conscience from the startling fact just
detailed did not the less fail to make deep impression
upon my fancy For months could not rid myself of the
phantism of the cat and during this period there
back into my spirit half sentiment that seemed but was
not went so far to regret the loss of the
animal, and to look about me, among the vile haunts
which habualy frequened for another pet of the
same Species and of somewhat similar appearance, with
which to supply its place.
One night sat, half stupeed, in den Of more than
infamy my attention suddenly drawn black
object reposing upon the head of Of the immense
hogsheads of Gin, Of Rum, which constituted the chief
furniture of the apartment. had been oolg steadily
at the top of this hogshead for minutes and what
now caused surprise the act that had not soon
er perceived the object thereupon approached it and
touched it with my hand 1t black caa very large
one--fuy as large Pluto and closely resembling him in
every respect but Pluto had not white hair any
portion Of his body; but this cat had large although in
definite spo, of white covering nearly the whole breast