Year: 1860

ever really believing it, that truth il
stranger than fiction but We challenge
any of our writers OF tales of imagina'
ton to produce a sadder or stranger
story than the life of this poor boy, who
was confined to the care of the man
Hopley, and who died under his violence
Reginald ChanneIl cancellor was she
son Of a man Of fair position in society.
Nothing was spared to place him in one
Iof those ordinary grooves along which
boys are pushed to proficiency. His
father sought out for him a school OF
reputation and master who had the
eredit Of being aman Of high attainments
land a asuccessful teacher Of youth. Mr..
Hopley was 10 receive $3.50 a year with
bis pupil, and there was every incentive
therefor to the tutor to endeavor to do
his best by the boy. Unfortunately the
lad who had come under his control,
young Caneellor was laboring under
disease. He had water on the brain.
He was stolid and stupid, and he could
not learn. He was silent when asked to
repeat sum in arithmetic which he had
just been taught, and be did not know
or, as his schoolmaster thought, affected
not TO know, the difference between a
sixpence and a shilling.


This was case for medical custody
and gentle treatment. Mr.. Hopley
took pedagogae's view of il, and thought
it was case of obduracy, to be broken
down by force. He aogged the boy, and
as it did him no good, he told the father
that the punishment must be increased
until the authority of the schoolmaster
was established. Up 10 this point there
IS not much to be said. The fate of the
poor brain-hampered, heavy, mindless
boy, urged and hogged to work operations
in his confused and formless intellect.
must have been very wretched but
Hopley probably believed that all boys
are alike, some brighter and some duller
than others, but that all could take in the
ordinary quantum of knowledge with
more or less trouble if they pleased
At first he seems to have thought it his
duty to conquer the boys obstinacy; but,
as the contest went on, there appears too
much reason to believe that it became
question Of temper with the schoolmaster
and that violence and cruelty were the
effect of vindietiveness and irritation.


One morning young Cancellor was
found dead in his bed. The body was
carefully covered over. 1t had white
kid gloves upon its hands, and long stock
ings drawn far up over the thighs; moth
ing was visible but the face. Hoply
suggested that the boy had died of disease
OF the heart, and wished a certificate
from the surgeon and immediate burial.
At one moment it appeared likely that
the whole affair would be hushed nd.
But mysterious stories of midnight shriehs
and blood-stained instruments of punish
nient began to be whispered about. The
servants had seen blood upon the linen
IN Mrs. Hopley's room, and had heard
sounds which convinced them that the
miserable wife had spent the night ia the
frightful task Of preparing the body TO
pass superficial investigation, and in
getting rid Of the traces of violence
which would testify against her husband.
Then came the real investigation. The
gloves and the stockings were stripped
off, and the arms Of the corpse were
found to be coated with extrayasated
blood, the cellular membrane under the
skin of the thighs were reduced TO per
feet jelly; in fact, all torn to pieces, and
lacerated by the blows that had been in
fiicted.'


There were two holes 10 the right leg
about the size of sixpence and an inch
deep, which appeared to have been made
by jabbing thick stick into the flesh.
The appearance was that Of human
creature who bad been mangIed by an
infuriafed and merciless assailant. ALI
these appearances conceded bat too faith
fully With what was now learnt Of the
scoolmasier. A servant girl who slept
next to the pupil-r0om heard the boy
crying and screaming under blows and
her master talking and beating. She
listened al 10 O'Clock, when the torture
was going on, and she awoke al u, and
il was still proceeding. Then the cries
suddenly ceased, and nothing after was
heard during that unquiet night bat the
steallhy movements Of the vie, who was
with womanly deyOtions, doing her fear
fal task Of hiding the traces Of he
tragedy.


There Is nothing 70 be said for shis


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