Year: 1876




MS mistake and seen me; but steadily l
raised the syringe, and exactly at the time
when his gaze turned to me, gave him
1ull ounce of the acid straight in his ewes.


l have no words to describe the fearful
yell OF astonishmont, of fright and of pain
which he amitted. He would have faced
either a blow, stab or a shot boldly
enough, dare say, though in any case he
must have been terribly startled; but had
used weapon unknown in his armorv
and the effect was like that of n thunder
bolt


lie gave a spasmodic leap into the air.
the crowbar fell from his hands, and then
he fell prone. Then, with a repetition of
MS awful yell, accompanied by perfect
hurricane of oaths and improcations. he
staggered to his feet with the evident inton.
ton of finding his assailant


But it was i'll vain. The strong irritant
had done its work, and he could not omen
his blighted eyes for a second. He was
indeed blind; and after frantic rush
against the press, in which he cut his fore.
mead severely, he felt the door, and stag.
genng out, fell headlong down stairs. 7
heard the crash, and then all was still.


simultaneously with his fall I must have
tainted; and had Sturm had anv accom-.
plices, | must have fallen an easy victim TO
them. At last | reused myself. and sill
hearing no sound, ventured down stoirs
the way through the front room beinp tho
only means Of egress. | IMAGINED my
antagonist had gone out, but at any rate I
knew he must be blinded still; but before
got down stairs | could see him living fiat
on hls face, his head buried in his arms
"A bottle was thrown down beside him. and
ne was breathing stentoriusly; he had
evidently taken refuge from his agony in
the stupor of drunkenness.


was passing lightly out, when if sud.
denly struck me that, except when | saw
II III the moonlight, had never obtained
a good view of my antagonists face. He
hau shaded 1t, as | said, coming init was
terribly distorted when | saw if for that
single moment-and could not be certain
OF recognizing it; while it was hidden on
his arms now. | had blinded him vo,, will
say, but could not judge of the effect of
tie acid, nor how long it would last At
az events determined to mark my friend.
VINO was quite insensible, so that for ton
days or so | should be able TO ident;fv
hlm. ! took my little bottle of stroro
solution of nitrate OF silver and lust undor
ms handkerchief, at the back of his neck.
traced with camcls hair pencil accom-.
panylng the solution, the figure of n cross
you know the action of the sun upon salts
oil silver; if his eyes recovered ouiclxlv
Should still have something to identify nv
man by; for | did not know then whether
IL was Sturm or some lodger who had made
the attempt on my life. was, however, to
meet my assailant again sooner than I ex.
pected.


Immediately on reaching home, before 7
could see any one, | was called off TO
another case, which kept me till the morn.
ing of the next day. Arriving homo tbo,
l was told that DR.. Greenfield had gone to
an inquest of man who had met hi. death
atGabrieiSturm's inn. AtGabriel Sturn.s,
AS you may imagine, i hurried off. and
was just IN time to hear my late adversary
tell the following ingenious story. which
revealed to me, and to me alone. the fnor.
ful extent of his crimes.


The body Of man had been found in
the inn with his skull broken in bv n CROW.
bar. That Gabriel Sturm admitted to have
done, but said it was in selfdefense. and
that ms assailant had thrown yitriol or son,o
such substance into his eyes. In proof of
which there he was, nearly blind. with bis
eyes IN terrible state of inflammation.


mat plausible story, which he had
evidently concocted in desperation, trust.
ing 10 the chapter of accidents not to bring
ms real antagonist forward, would have
propably brought about his discharge; but
stepped forward and requested to be
examined, saying that l could throw some
light on the subject. There was general
murmur of establishment, and even the
doctor turned to me remember had seen
no one) and asked what | could know
about the affair.


However, it was impossible to overlook
the offer of such evidence, and was sworn
then told carefully and circumstantiallv
the story you have just heard, when to INV
astonishment and disgust could see that
IL was looked upon with a good 6eaI of
suspicion. You see, was quite STRANGER
in the place, and, if you look at the balance
OF probabilities, Sturm's story was in some
ways better than mine. His solicitor rid;
culed my whole narrative, but he could
believe the strange use of the syringe. &c.
II had any evidence that / was ever in
the place. ! had come back, too, and gone
oil again, and he asked was not wander.
ng on the moor all the time. In fact. 7
saw he was making an impression, and IL
seemed also that the jury were unwilling to
condemn neighbor on such extraordinary
evidence given by stranger. If could
prove was in the cottago--and Sturm,