The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-12-31
TERROR ~
=By=
MAURICE LEVEL
Copyright. The Frank - AIunsey Coz

The conviction had flashed on hisi that
he could not speak that some one had
ordered him 70 be silent A word would
save hIu-a word which he alone could
utter. but which he could not speak. be-
cause some one did not want him u
speak
call ''autO-Sugges he fanCied him
self a tool in the hands OF another be
ing whereas he was merely the tool Of
his SuOcOnSClOuS SELF From the very
outset he had but one enemy-his own
1 imagination he vas a captive OF his
own morbid mind His last effort 10
rid himself Of what he conceived 10 be
malign influence. thai. supreme effort
which had resulted in his sUmmonirE
the guard, had failed miserab.y- He
was more nan ever convinced that only
an occult power, q mysterious hypnotic
Will was thwarting him
OF all lunatics the most unfortunate
IS me man who is sufficiently clear
headed at times to realize his past de-
mentia and 70 dread another attack
What more frightful torture can such
man suffer than the thought:
In short time my reason viii be
ODSCETeG- Perhaps some brutal instinct
nature and transform me into a mon
steT- J shall not know 20 what IN
speaEabie purpose I may lower myself
Like this hypothetical mailman. Bar
ton was sure that he could not fee from
this mysterious power Whenever he
wished TO express his thoughts in speech
the words refused to come. his voice was
thrOttled by some Overpowerine emo
ton He saw the words that he would
utter before his eyes. he read them in
his mind, he heard them YET the SEN
tence which, once spoken y ould disPei
the euChantment he could not form with
his lips He tossed on his bed, distract
ed He grasped his head in his hands
and mOaned over and over again
At the time when the murder was
committed I was with my friend Ie-
I Il rnTH hn dna
Of this frightful comedy came to me-
As often as he repeated the thought
( to himself, he could hear the slightest
infection Of his voice But whenever
son his lips refused to pronounce the
words IN his mind InvOluntarily, he
assisted, as II were, IN the agOniZing
I oeE-atlon Of his VIII
Il was IN this safe Of mind that he
was brought 10 the court before which
| he was 20 re tried for the murder OF old
| Forget IN Boulevard Lannes-
Tor three months the mysterious crime
had kept Paris agOg- Local elections
were all but forgotten The races were
curs0rily dismissed in the newspapers 10
make room for long arguments on the
motive or the crime Even divorce scan
/ dalS. seasoned with spicy details
aroused only a ripple Of interest The
| newspapers engaged learned crfnlnOlO-
/ gtsts and psychologists 70 write articles
on the latest scientific theories OF muir
der and to prove that the psychologist
/ OF the future would arrogate to himself
! the functions OF the secret service, for
/ the simple reason that he would be able
I TO determine a criminals guilt OF limo
/ cence by ingeniously measuring blood
/ PressUres and by properly Interpreting
| the unmista kable signs OF mfsshapen
! ears. warped noses squirting eyes. mall
/ formations OF the jaw and other facial
/ bones and the curve OF the chin All
Paris was divided into two camps. the
] one holly maintaining the innocence Of
IL 4 4
I known Forget and because there was no
motive for the crime the other StOutly
! insisting that Barton vas a man Of IN
tanned criminal instincts and therefore
. quite capable Of shedding an old mans
blood without any logical reason Bets
/ were laid on the outcome Of the trial
I The examination had resulted mere
/ IS in q formal accusation against
/ Barton and had fixed no motive for
the crime The state had engaged
7 the best alienists TO determine
/ whether Barton was insane ard
( therefore Ought TO be incarceTated
| in the public lunatic asylum. or
/ whether he was sane and Therefore
/ legally accountable for his acts But
! the alienists were as divided IL their
: opinions as the public Some main
/ murderer; others thought that there
were signs of psranOia It was
{ therefore. decided to bring the re-
I porter TO trial and to allow 2 jury
: or men Win no pSEcnOtCglcal pre-
] tensions whatever TO decide a ques-
{ tion which presumably intelligent
/ scientists could not settle
Never was Partisan courtroom so
{ crowded as on that day when the
! famous case opened At daybreak
J crowds gathered IN the street ready
TO rush in when the doors were to
/ omen hours later Morbid eurfosifv
B was the force that drove nearly all
! Paris TO the trial Women were in
the majority, many OF them gOr-
3 geously arrayed IN gowns Of the
Z latest fashion. The presiding Judge
/ had been overwhelmed with appeals
/ from distinguished politicians and
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