The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-09


plaine did not appear at their little table
that morning.
Gwynplaine that day burned the note
from the duchess and did not keep the
appointment at London bridge.
1T should be said that the Duchess
Josianna was a most peculiarly consti-
tuted person. Amid all the scandals
three monarchs of England she had stood
proudly aloof from suspicion.
But this was only because ordinary
vice was too common for her; she longed
for something startling In the way Of
viciousness.
When she heard of the Man Who
Laughs--of his hideousness-she went to
see him and wrote the letter which has
been told.
By Order of the Court
The day after Gwynplaine had received
the letter an officer of the law appeared
at the Green Box and bade the Laugh
ing Man to follow him.
He was amazed and scared, but there
was no help for 1.-THE officer of the
law must be obeyed. Ursus was dis
turbed greatly.
Let this man follow me and no one
else said the constable, "the others
of you stay where you are"
As Gwynplaine, in charge of the Off
Ger, left the Green Box the wolf, Homo.
gave a plaintive howl. But Ursus said
to the animal, Never mind; he will re-
turn
Gwynplaine was taken to the old Jail
AN old place of torture as we'll as con-
finement.
A few people followed the arrested man
and his captor to the Jail. Among those
was Ursus. He had decided to venture
to disobey the officer to risk arrest hirn-
self, In order that he might discover
why Gwynplaine had been Sarrested and,
possibly, be of help to him.
But Ursus learned nothing. He only
saw with sinking heart Gwynplaine
disappear beneath the black arch of the
prison door.
In the Torture Chamber
The Laughing Man was now surround
ed by several officers, who conducted him
to chamber deep in the recesses of the
building.
There he saw horrible sight. Be-
tween four pillars, directly beneath a
lantern, a white and terrible form lay
flat upon the ground.
One could see head whose eyes were
closed. q torso concealed under some
shapeless mass, four limbs attached to
the body In the form of a st. Andrews
drax foxU rd ia fol r.
by four chains bound to the feet and
hands.
This was torture chamber. and on a
raised platform between the pillars sat
the judges.
Gwynplaine was petrified by fear and
horror. A doctor bent over the man on
the floor and finding that there was
still enough life in him for him to see
and hear so reported to the Judges.
One of the Crew
Then the sheriff of the county addressed
the culprit and, having enumerated all
the tortures through which he had passed,
asked him if he was now ready to an
swer such questions as should be put
to him.
If not. he would be pressed to death.
The man who lay suffering there was
Harquanonne He had been member
of the crew of the Matutina; but before
that vessel quit England forever he had
been arrested and was at that time lying
in Chatham JAIL
The Matutina encountered heavy
weather as soon as she put out from the
land and finally went down. But before
she foundered the crew were filled with
is our crimes which are sinking the ship
let us throw our crimes overheard
Upon a piece of parchment the doctor
wrote the story of one crime in detail
and the rough accounts of many others
He put the document-after it had been
signed by the crew-into a sealed bottle
which he threw overheard
Son of Lord Clancharlie
The ship went down, but the bottle
fioated and was finally picked up on the
shores of England. The bottle bore upon
it the name of it's former owner, Har-
quanonne.
1t was taken to the admiralty and
opened. Upon the parchment inside the
story of Gwynplaine was written and the
gist of the story was at once communi-
Gated to the authorities and became
known to the Queen.
1t was in brief this: A child had been