Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-04-26

not gone home. but had slept in the
hexagonal house. He started.
"Well?" he asked eagerly.
gave him my experience.
When i had finished he arose from
| the table and paced the floor.
What do you think about the bro
ken window and blood on my night
shirt?'' l asked.
"Have you the nerve to hear how
you have narrowly escaped death?"
Yes; have"
"Well. then, listen. The last man
who lived in the hexagonal house was
one who had lost his reason. He fan
cied himself to be Napoleon l. One
morning his body was found under the
window of the room you slept in"
"Great heavensy' / exclaimed, with
a shudder.
My uncle went to the telephone and
called up Professor Starkweather OF
the University of D., located a few
miles distant, and conversed with him,
after which / was informed that sew
eral of the professors would be down
within an hour to take my statement.
! was too shaken up to eat any
breakfast, so / went and walked In
the garden till the professors arrived.
They took me into a room and heard
my story from beginning to end. Then
Professor Starkweather asked me
some questions.
"Have you read much OF Napoleon's
lifeT' he asked.
Nothing but a little history, which
have forgotten"
Ibid you know that Napoleon be-
lieved that the English were poisoning
him while he was at st. HelenaT
''No."
Did you know who were With him
there?
mo"
Ibid you know that Constant was
Napoleon's valet and that Napoleon
gave him a bag supposed 10 contain
poison with which Napoleon tried to
commit suicide just before his abdica-
tion at Fontainebleup
mo"
Did you know that in 1910 King
Louis Philippe brought Napoleon's
body to France from st. Helena and
that the NapOleonic enthusiasm ex-
cited largely contributed to the revo-
luton which dethroned that king and
made Louis Napoleon president?"
mo"
did you know that NapoIeon's
shooting of the Duko dEnghien con-
centrated the European powers against
himT'
mo"
Gentlemen" said Professor Stark
weather to his colleagues, ITS a clear
case Of reincarnation."
Rather" said Professor MARYLAND,
dean of the medical college, ut proves
that insanity may in certain forms be
a brain disease and that the germs Of
the patient who had formerly inhabit-
ed the room worked upon this young
man.
'Why, then, has he recovered so
suddenly?'
Insanity in any event is affected by
pure air, sunlight and other revivify-
ing causes. The young man was not
exposed long enough to enable the
germs to get a permanent foothold."
But how do you account for the
knowledge the young man did not pre-
viously have of events in the life Of
Napoleon p
''PsychOlogically considered, 1 admit
my position is weak, but you must re-
member that there is such thing as
a transference Of soul. However, that
part Of the problem is in your field
rather than in mine. We study the
body. you the soul"
There is one point in the story that
looks suspicious" said Professor
Blenker. Napoleon calls on Con-
slant. Constant was not at st. Hele-
ma"
THAT may be explained" replied
Professor Starkweather, ''by the fact
that Napoleon was near his end and
likely delirious. He had formerly
called on Constant for everything"
While they were wrangling four
more of the faculty of the university
arrived. and all agreed that my state
ment should be taken down at once
while the impression was fresh on my
mind One of their number was ap-
pointed to write. and as I told the
story any one who wished would ask
question. When the statement was
finished it was taken in charge by
Professor Starkweather, the meeting
broke up, and, bidding goodby to my
uncle, started for home, glad to get
as far as possible from the scene OF
my adventure.