Charmed By A Waltz

Ho was the mostintcrostingmurderei I ever mot. Before the crimo he was a private in iny corupany and sqnad, and .'ven the captain thought him au excolJent Dnring his conflneaient ia the post grmrdhonse, whioh lastert over a jü'jüU), lus actions were tho&e of aciuta manía, so that the ofïicer of the guard riid not enter his cell, and thecook'spolioe fod him by meaus of a chute froni abovo, about the base of whioh the food had uow aocumnlated, for he would go for dayg at a time without eating. He was restloss as a hyena and paced his cell with a njonotouy of movoment almost hypuotic to ono watching him through ttitï iron bars of his cage. When sergeant of the guard, I would lie on my bunk and look throngh tho small iron latticed window in the oen ter of the door that opened into the pris on room and see him in his cell, whera the view of his leg.s and feet was ca aff by the lintel of the window. All throngh tho sultry uight the aenIry oaiio. 1 conld hear the sharp click 3Í his stops on tho concrete floor of hig aell. beatiiiR rogular accompaniment to the accenteil notes of a Mexican waltz. Before trial Davis, our surgeon, was irdered to examine the prisoner's sani:y, and I went with him. He was still jacing his ecu and slowly humming. 'Sabré las Olas. " It was dun ij g this very waltz, playod y the Mexioau orchcstra the night of he "baile," that ho had brutally bntchired Corporal Jenkins with a bowie cnife, so it struck me as appropriate hat this samo air should now be a aonomania in his madness and oontrol lis brain. As he pacod his cell he was ieating time to the swing of the waltz fith a pencil by way of baton. Davis fiked the offleer of the guard to have he prisoner brought into the general irison rooin, but tho latter replied that tne mau was raving raad, and that ït was folly to think of letting him from hie cell or of senrting men to enter it Davis then asked for the key, qnietly unlocked the cago and opened it As he iid so tbeprisoner wheeled in his promenade and sprang toward him. Davis atepped quickly asi de and strook him a half blow behind the ear which felle'd hiiu. ïhen we nanied him into tbe geui "-il prison room, where Davis made exatuinatiou, during which tbe prisouer wrenched for treedom with a nervous, weakeuing strength, as, assisted by a tile of the guard, I held him pinioned to the floor. "ïlie man seems insane, " said Davis, speaking quiotly to the officer of the Kaard. "Does any one know the exact honr and ruinute at whioh the stabbing of Corporal Jenkins occurred?" "It was exactly 11 o'clock." replied the ofiicer of the gnard. "Sergeant Morrow stated in examination before the oolonel that taps was sonnding at the post jnst as he entered the danceroom, and that at that moment the stabbing occurred. " " Were they playing 'Sabré las Olas' at the timo?" Davis asked. 1 replied that Sergeant Morrow had told me they were. 1 had mentioned to Morrow thafc Henderson raved constant-ly in this tune. "Ah, theu, " said Davis, speaking in a low tone to the officer of the gnard, 'then I nnderstand his casa This is a very peculiar form of mouomania. The waltz, the dominant sound during the act of murder, wil] rnle his waking nours day and night, for it was then r.he naadness struck in and pbotographed it on the brain. lu this form of insanity the brain acts like the sensitivo píate of a phonograph to receive the ruling sound of the moment and will repeat it mcessatitly nntil the brain wears itself ont. If the madness be complete, thora wil! be but one break. That will occur at exaotly 1 1 o'clock, when the prisoner will oease humming the waltz and renact t,he tragedy. Af ter a few moment the ïmpression of tho niurder -will pass away, when he will again resume tlio waltii. " J was impressed by the clear statement Uavis made on what seemed to me a most difficnlt case. Lientenant , offioer of the gnard, was also strnck by it, for he asked if he should send the prisoner iuto the hospital. "No," replied Davis. 'Keep him oonfined in his cell and without being observed watch him closely about 11 o'clock for the completing syraptoma ïon can report to me at sick cali in the morning. " Then he replaced Henderson in his cell, who at once took up his musical promeuade. J was detailed that night to watoh bim and did so from my bunk in the guardroom. I had cantionod the trumpeter of the guard to warn me quietly when he left tho gnardhouse to blow "taps." All through the evening I wituessed the sanie monotouous I ment and listened to the same ' nous waltz, chauted slowly as always bel'ore. At intervals I would rouse myself and step outsido the squadroom and tand in the cool sally port to assuro myself tbat 1 was awake and my visión nnimpaired, so drowsy would I becomo undor the effort of strained attention. L must finally have fallen asleep, for the trumpoter touched me on the shoulder and startled me. I did not see him enter, but could have sworn i was still viewing Htudurson's movements in the oage. I placed my face against the atticed ■window, lookiug into his cage, which he was etill mechanically pacing. Then, as tho first noto of "taps" souudcd, tio fitopped and rearad as quickly as a stug is starUed wheu ho first hears a hostilii shot that has struck wide and knowi not vhnoo it cama The waltz Cfiased, aud in a moment I had all bnt secn th Ktabhinp of Jonkins. Then, as alwayj beforo, th waltz again. In the morning I reported. It wa clearl}' a case of acute maduess, or ho one wbo orer perforrnod a tour of gnard duty with Henderson had over secu ïuadness, bnt to our aatonishment and horror the post urgeou thonght otherwise aud so oflioially reportad. Tho colonel was furious. He had in speoted the man. The man was mad. Ho oalled np Davis and infornjod him of theso facts. Davis replied firmly, "The man is sane, colonol, and I so roporf.ed. ' ' "He'8 not sano," the comniandcr rotorted. "Why infltrenoe me to Mtir np a civil mnrder trial whi(h disinteprates a oouiinaiid and dintuibs disciplino? Ha fcliould be sent to au asylum. " Ten years ago Davis would have explaiuod and at length why he tbonght Hondorson i-ane, bnt siuoo these caüow days he had ouoö offered gratuitons information to a suporior in command, so be 8aid siniply. 'Tm not influonoing yoa to auything, oolonel, uuless it ia perniittiii;: yon to do your duty by doïug riiino. " Davis spoke with the gentle firmnesa of oue struggliug tobe respectfnl and Khowed the effect of severe staff training in duty untaiuted by the despotism of absolute oommand. The word "permitting" had been delicately ohosen and passed bolow the colonel's gnard. "That will do. doctor. " Raid thn nel stiffly, his color rising, as Davi .lef t tbe office. Even af ter Arizona servic lias killed your respect for a man hi opiniou8 are still entitled to it, for they aro the resnlt of experiencos that have oost tho man. Yet my faith in Davis weakoued. It takes more than five years' ooufiilence iu a human being to ontweigh our own fallible dednctions oven on subjects of whioh we are va riously ignorant. The egotisni of being ratioual is so plensingly pleasant. Stil tha colont'l sent Henderson to civil tria aud Iinlli-1 Davis in the hopos that ho would stop it. The trial was held near the post, and many attended it. Bafore it procoeded to the arraiguiuent thocourt snnimonec Davis for opinión. Again tho same reports he had made so oonfideiitly to the colonel. Every one was dissatisfied, and the couit jirooeeded to trial. The colonel again called Davis up. "Davis, " said ho bluntly, "this bas gone far enough. I was a witncss in that man 's trial today, aud the man is mad, and the court aud every ono kuows it exoept yon, who of all persons should kuow it. From the testimony the jury must couviot, wliirh means the man shall be hung. I don 't want a man of my regiment hung unless I'm convinced that he deserves it. Now, stop your professional stubbornness and request raine ona in consultatiou before tho verdict VVoald yoa have a crazy man hung?" "The man 's as sane as you are, colouel, and even grantingho isnot - which l don't - the class of insanity which he airéete, U real, would be subsequeut to the aot, su be would be punishable wlieuevor reason or a lucid interval reappeared. It would be only a little too íind to hang hini now, that is all, " replied the surgoon So the trial concluded, and Henderson was sentcnced to behanged. On petitiou of the jury the judge granted a stay of execution until medical experts could be sumnioned from San Francisca Dheso, after cousultation with Davis, wouounced the prisoner sane. Dnring the week before the day set !or his execution Henderson confessed lia feigned insanity to me while I was ;aking hitn some tobáceo and said that ie feit kindly toward evory one for his treatment in trial, except that d d ost surgeon, who had played it on hini hat he naight hang. "If I ouly had my iberty long onough to kill Davis, " be 8aid to me one day, "I'd die happy. " He said tliat I had been good to him. I had fetched him some clean olothes and tobaoco, and that he would reward me. Then he outlined how he had killed a Mexican miner uear Las Cruces three years before, but that he had robbed him of but half his buried gold, and that he had intended to return for the balance and had never done so. Then he gave minute directions as to the place and exact locality and amount of the bnried treasure. "Heodersou, " I askod when be had fiuished, "aro you still crazy, or are yon only lying?" "Neither, " he said simply. "As 1 rnount the scaffold 111 incline my bead toward you, which is to affirm in the presonce of etornity that I speak tho truth." Affcr my ditscliarge 1 acually went from Deming up to Las Cruces and fol lowed the rasoal's directions, bnt fonnd no bnried money, though oíd Pérez had beon niurdered, as stated. Shortly afterward I met Dr. Davis and told him of my ohase. He laoghed pleasantly, and thon L asked him, "Doctor, would you mind telling me how you could be so certain thíit Houderson was not roally insane?" "Why, yon should kuow that, " he said, with a slight twinklo. "Youhelped me establish the fact. Do yon recall that I gave you a diagnosis of his case beforo his cell and had yon placed on gnard to observe the coinpleting symptoms?" "Yes, bnt he really showed them. " "So would you had you been feigning iusanity. as he was doing, :iud overhoard 1110 and believed, as uutil uow yon evidently did believe, that I spoi.8 the trnth. " I uow auderstand Henderson.'s extreme bitteruess toward Davis, vvho had