"Werry good--but are you sure that the chap is down there still?"
demanded Ragged Pete; "hadn"t we better go down and see if he hasn"t took leg bait?"
"Pshaw, you fool!" rejoined the first speaker, angrily; "how could he escape after I had locked him in? There"s an iron door, fastened with a padlock as big as your head; so hold your tongue, and help me raise the stone to its place."
This was done with considerable difficulty; and the two men sat down to rest after their labor.
"The parson won"t live over night; if he is not devoured by the rats, he is sure to be suffocated," remarked the man who had fastened the doctor in the tomb.
"Somehow or other," said Ragged Pete, "whoever offends you is sure to be punished in some dreadful and unheard-of manner. By thunder, I must try and keep in your good graces!"
"You will do well to do so," rejoined his companion, "my vengeance is always sure to overtake those who cross my path. Pete, I have led a strange life of crime and wickedness, from my very cradle, I may say, up to the present time. See, the storm is over, and the stars are shining brightly. It lacks several hours of daybreak; and as I feel somewhat sociably inclined, suppose I tell you my story? I have a flask of brandy in my pocket, and while we are moistening our clay, you shall listen to the history of one whose proudest boast is, he never did a good action, but has perpetrated every enormity in the dark catalogue of crimes."
Ragged Pete expressed his desire to hear the story; and even Dr.
Sinclair, in his place of concealment, prepared to listen with attention. Probably the reader has already guessed that the robber was no other than the terrible _Dead Man_; such was indeed the case; it was that same villain, who has occupied so prominent a place in the criminal portions of our narrative. We shall devote a separate chapter to his story.
CHAPTER XVIII
_The Dead Man"s story; being a tale of many Crimes._
"I never knew who my parents were; they may have been saints--they may have been devils; but in all probability they belonged to the latter cla.s.s, for when I was three weeks old, they dropped me upon the highway one fine morning near the great city of Boston, to which famous city belongs the honor of my birth! Well, I was picked up by some Samaritans, who wrapped me up in red flannel, and clapped me in the Alms House.
Behold me, then, a pauper!
"I throve and grew; my const.i.tution was iron--my sinews were steel, and my heart a lion"s. Up to the age of twelve, I was as other children are--I cried when I was whipped, and submitted when oppressed. At twelve, I began to reason and think; I said to myself,--Before me lies the world, created for the use of all its inhabitants. I am an inhabitant and ent.i.tled to my share--but other inhabitants, being rogues and sharpers, refuse to let me have my share. The world plunders me--in turn, I will plunder the world!
"At fourteen, I bade adieu to the Alms House, without the knowledge or consent of the overseer. I exchanged my grey pauper suit for a broadcloth of a young nabob, which I accidentally found in one of the chambers of a fashionable hotel, in Court street. Behold me, then, a gentleman! But I had no money; and so took occasion to borrow a trifling sum from an old gentleman, one night, upon one of the bridges which lead from Boston to Charleston. Do you ask how he came to give me credit?
Why, I just tapped him on the head with a paving stone tied up in the corner of a handkerchief, after which delicate salutation he made not the slightest objection to my borrowing what he had about him. The next day it was said that a man"s body had been found on the bridge, with his skull severely smashed--but what cared I?
"Gay was the life I led; for I was young and handsome. You laugh--but I was handsome then--my features had not the deathlike expression which they now wear. By and by you shall learn how I acquired the hideousness of face which procured for me the t.i.tle of the _Dead Man_.
"One day I made too free with a gentleman"s gold watch on the Common; and they shut me up for five years in the Stone University, where I completed my education at the expense of the State. At twenty I was free again. Behold me, then, a thoroughly educated scoundrel! I resolved to enlarge my modes of operation, and play the villain on a more extensive scale.
"Hiring an office in a dark alley in Boston, I a.s.sumed the lofty t.i.tle of Doctor Sketers. My shelves were well stocked with empty phials and bottles--my windows were furnished with curtains, upon which my a.s.sumed name was painted in flaming capitals. The columns of the newspapers teemed with my advertis.e.m.e.nts, in which I was declared to be the only regular advertising physician--one who had successfully treated twenty-five millions of cases of delicate unmentionable complaints.
Certificates of cure were also published by thousands, signed by people who never existed. Having procured an old medical diploma, I inserted my borrowed name, and exhibited it as an evidence of my trustworthiness and skill. The consequence of all this was, I was overrun with patients, none of whom I cured. My private entrance for ladies often gave admission to respectable unmarried females, who came to consult me on the best method of suppressing the natural proofs of their frailty. From these I would extract all the money possible and then send them to consult the skillful agent of Madam R----. A thriving, profitable business, that of quackery! From it I reaped a golden harvest, and when that became tiresome, I put on a white neckcloth, and became a priest.
"Behold me a deacon, and a brother beloved! Who so pious, so exemplary, so holy as I! I lived in an atmosphere of purity and prayer; prayer seasoned my food before meals, and washed it down afterwards; prayer was my nightcap when I went to bed and my eye opener in the morning. At length I began to pray so fervently with the younger and fairer sisters of the flock, that the old ones, with whom I had no desire to pray, began to murmur--so, growing tired of piety, I kicked it to the devil, and joined the ranks of temperance.
"For over a year I lectured in public, and got drunk in private--glorious times! But at last people began to suspect that I was inspired by the spirit of alcohol, instead of the spirit of reform. A committee was appointed to wait on me and smell my breath--which they had no sooner done than they smelt a rat--and while some were searching my heart, others searched my closet, and not only discovered a bottle of fourth-proof, but uncovered a pile of counterfeit bank notes, there concealed. Reacting like a man of genius, my conduct was both forcible and striking; I knocked three of the brethren down, jumped out of the back window, scaled a fence, rushed through an alley, gained the street and was that afternoon on a steamboat bound for New York.
"On the pa.s.sage, I observed a gentleman counting a pile of money; he was a country merchant, going to purchase goods. The weather was intensely warm, and many of the pa.s.sengers slept on deck; among these was the country merchant. He lay at a considerable distance from the others and the night was dark. I stole upon him, and pa.s.sed my long Spanish knife through his heart.--He died easy--a single gasp and all was over. I took his money, and threw his body over to the fishes. "Twas my second murder--it never troubled me, for I never had a conscience. I entered New York, for the first time, with a capital of three thousand dollars, got by the murder of the country merchant; and this capital I resolved to increase by future murders and future crimes.
"I will now relate a little incident of my life, which will serve to show the bitterness of my hatred towards all mankind. For several years I had lived in various families, in a menial capacity, my object, of course, being robbery, and other crimes. It chanced that I once went to live in the family of a wealthy gentleman, whose wife was the most beautiful woman I ever saw; and her loveliness inspired me with such pa.s.sion, that one day, during her husband"s absence, I ventured to clasp her in my arms--struggling from my embrace, she repelled me with indignant scorn, and commanded me to leave the house instantly. I obeyed, swearing vengeance against her, and her family; and how well that oath was kept! About a week after my dismissal from the family, being one night at the theatre, I saw Mr. Ross, the husband of the lady whom I had insulted, seated in the boxes. Keeping my eye constantly upon him, I saw him when he left the theatre, and immediately followed him, though at such a distance as to prevent his seeing me. Fortunately his way home lay through a dark and lonely street; in the most obscure part of that street, I quickened my steps until I overtook him--and just as he was about to turn around to see who followed him, I gave him a tremendous blow on his right temple with a heavy slung shot, and he fell to the earth without a groan. I knew that I had killed him and was glad of it--it was my third murder. After dragging his body into a dark alley, so that he might not be found by the watchman, I rifled his pockets of their contents, among which was the night-key of his house, which I regarded as a prize of inestimable value.
"Leaving the corpse of Mr. Ross in the alley, I went straight to his house in Howard street, and admitted myself by means of the night-key which I had found in his pocket. A lamp was burning in the hall; I extinguished it and groped my way up stairs to the chamber of Mrs. Ross with the situation of which I was well acquainted. On opening the chamber door, I found to my intense delight that no light or candle was burning within; all was in darkness. Approaching the bed, I became convinced that the lady was in a sound sleep; this circ.u.mstance added greatly to my satisfaction. Well, I deliberately stripped myself and got into bed; still she awoke not. Think you I was troubled with any remorse of conscience, while lying at the side of the wronged woman whose husband had just been slain by my hand? Not a bit of it; I chuckled inwardly at the success of my scheme, and impatiently waited an opportunity to take every advantage of my position. At last she awoke; supposing me, of course, to be her husband, she gently chided me for remaining out so late; I did not dare suffer her to hear the sound of my voice, but replied to her in whispers. She suspected nothing--and I completed my triumph! Yes, the proud, beautiful woman who had treated me with such scorn, was then my slave. I had sacrificed her honor on the altar of my duplicity and l.u.s.t!
"Morning came, and its first beams revealed to my victim the extent of her degradation--she saw through the deception, and with a wild cry, fell back senseless. Hastily dressing myself, I stepped into an adjoining room where the two children of Mrs. Ross were sleeping; they were twins, a boy and a girl, three years of age, and pretty children they were. I drew my pocket knife, to cut their throats; just then they awoke, and gazed upon me with bright, inquiring eyes--then recognizing me, their rosy cheeks were dimpled with smiles, and they lisped my name.
Perhaps you think their innocence and helplessness touched my heart--hah! no such thing; I merely changed my mind, and with the point of my knife cut out their beautiful eyes! having first gagged them both, to prevent their screaming. Delicious fun, wasn"t it? Then I bolted down stairs, but was so unfortunate as to encounter several of the servants, who had been aroused by their mistress"s shriek. Frightened at my appearance, (for I was covered with the children"s blood,) they did not arrest my flight, and I made good my escape from the house. That sc.r.a.pe was my last for some time; for people were maddened by the chapter of outrages committed by me on that family--the murder of the husband, the dishonor of the wife, and the blinding of those two innocent children.
I was hunted like a wild beast from city to city; large rewards were offered for my apprehension, and minute descriptions of my entire person flooded every part of the country. But my cunning baffled them all; for two months I lived in the woods, in an obscure part of New Jersey, subsisting upon roots, and wild herbs, and wild berries, and crawling worms, which I dug from the earth. One day in my wanderings, I came across a gang of counterfeiters, who made their rendezvous in a cave; these were congenial spirits for me--I told them my story, and became one of them. The gang included several men of superior education and attainments, among whom was a celebrated chemist.
"This man undertook to procure for me a certain chemical preparation which he said would alter and disfigure my features so that I never could be recognized, even by those who were most intimately acquainted with me. He was as good as his word; he furnished me with a colorless liquid, contained in a small phial, directing me to apply it to my face at night, but cautioning me particularly to avoid getting any of it into my eyes. His directions were followed by me, to the very letter;--during the night, my face seemed on fire, but I heeded not the torture. Morning came--the pain was over; I arose, and rushed to a mirror. Great G.o.d! I scarce knew myself, so terribly changed was my countenance. My features, once comely and regular, had a.s.sumed the ghastly, horrible and death-like appearance they now wear. Oh, how I hugged myself with joy when I found myself thus impenetrably disguised! Never did the face of beauty have half the charms for me, that my blanched and terrific visage had! "I will go forth into the great world again--no one will ever recognize me!" thought I; and bidding adieu to my brother counterfeiters, I returned to New York. Ha, ha, ha! how people shrank from me! how children screamed at my approach; how mothers clasped their babes to their b.r.e.a.s.t.s as I pa.s.sed by, as though I were the destroying angel! The universal terror which I inspired was to me a source of mad joy. Having ample means in my possession, I began a career of lavish expenditure and extravagant debauchery, until the eye of the police was fastened upon me with suspicion; and then I deemed it prudent to act with more caution.--About that time I became aware of the existence of the Dark Vaults, and the "Jolly Knights of the Round Table." Soon after my meeting with that jovial crew, the law put its iron clutch on me for a murder--a mere trifle; I pa.s.sed my knife between a gentleman"s ribs one night in the street, just to tickle his heart a bit, and put him in a good humor to lend me some money, but the fool died under the operation, having first very impolitely called out _Murder!_ which resulted in my being captured on the spot by two of those night prowlers known as watchmen. Well, my ugly face was against me, and I could give no good account of myself--therefore they (the judge and jury) voted me a hempen cravat, to be presented and adjusted one fine morning between the hours of ten and twelve. But his Excellency the Governor, (a particular friend of mine,) objected to such a summary proceeding, as one calculated to deprive society of its brightest ornament; he therefore favored me with a special permit to pa.s.s the rest of my useful life within the walls of a place vulgarly termed the State Prison--a very beautiful edifice when viewed from the outside. I did not long remain there, however, to partake of the State"s hospitality--to be brief, I ran away, but was carried back again, after being a year at liberty, through the instrumentality of Sydney, whom may the devil confound! But again I escaped--you know in what manner; and you are well acquainted with most of my adventures since--my cutting out the boy _Kinchen"s_ tongue, my murder of Mrs. Stevens, and other matters not necessary for me to repeat."
"But," said Ragged Pete, with some hesitation, "you haven"t told me of your wife, you know."
"Wife--ha, ha, ha!" and the Dead Man laughed long and loud; there was something in his laugh which chilled the blood, and made the heart beat with a nameless terror.
"True, Pete, I have not yet told you about my wife, as you call her. But you shall hear. What would you say if I told you that Mrs. Ross, the lady whose husband I murdered, whose children I blinded, and whom I so outrageously deceived herself--what would you say if you were told that the woman who pa.s.ses for my wife, is that same lady?"
"I should say it was a thing impossible," replied Pete.
"It is true," rejoined the Dead Man.--"Listen:--when I left my counterfeiting friends in New Jersey, and returned to New York with my new face, I learned by inquiry that Mrs. Ross was living with her blind twins in a state of poverty, her husband"s property, at his death, having been seized upon by his creditors, leaving her entirely dest.i.tute. I found her in an obscure part of the city, subsisting upon the charity of neighbors, the occupant of a garret. The woman"s misfortunes, through me, had ruined her intellect;--she had grown fierce and reckless,--as wild as a tigress. I sat down and conversed with her; she knew me not. "You are hideous to look upon," said she, "and I like you for it. The world is fair, but it has robbed me of husband, honor and taken away my children"s eye-sight. Henceforward, all that is hideous I will love!" I saw that her brain was topsy-turvy, and it rejoiced me. Her children were still pretty, though they were blind; and it almost made me laugh to see them grope their way to their mother"s side, and turning their sightless eyes toward her, ask, in childish accents,--"Mamma, what made the naughty man put out our eyes?" Well, the woman, with a singular perversity of human nature, liked me, and commenced to place herself under my protection. She could be of service to me; but her children were likely to prove a burden--and so I got rid of them."
"What did you do with them--no harm, I hope?" asked Pete.
"Certainly not--the Dark Vaults were not a fit place of abode for the blind babes, and so I sent them to take up their abode in another place, and that was heaven; to explain, I cut their throats, and threw their bodies into the sewers."
"Monster--inhuman villain!" was the involuntary exclamation of Dr.
Sinclair, in his hiding-place behind the tomb-stone.
"Ha--who spoke?" cried the Dead Man, jumping to his feet, and gazing eagerly about him. "Pete, did you hear anything?"
"I heerd a noise, that"s certain--but perhaps "twas only the wind a whistling among these old tomb-stones," answered Pete.
"Most probably it was," rejoined the other--"for who the devil could be here to-night, besides ourselves? Well, to resume my story: after I had made away with the children, their mother never asked for them; she seemed to have forgotten that she ever had children at all. She manifested a strange unnatural liking for me; not love, but the fierce attachment of a tigress for her keeper. She obeyed me in everything; and finding her such an easy instrument in my hands, I took pains to instruct her in all the mysteries of city crimes. By parading the streets like a woman of the town, she enticed men to my Anthony street crib (which you know communicates with the Vaults,) and by the aid of the drugging powder our victims were soon made unresisting objects of robbery and murder. You know how she allured Sydney into the house, disguised as a sailor, and how the rascal caused her to swallow the dose intended for him--also how he cut the ropes of the platform the same night, which nearly cost me my life. Ever since the woman took the powder, she has been a raging maniac, and I am deprived of her valuable services. May the devil scorch that Sydney!"
"You have had two children by her," remarked Pete.
"Yes, the first one, that infernal dwarf, whom I call my Image; we kept him shut up in the cellar, in Anthony street. Our second child, whom I have christened Jack the Prig, takes after his mother, and a smart little fellow he is. Why man, he can pick a pocket in as workmanlike a manner as either of us. He will make a glorious thief, and will shed honor on his father"s name. The day when he commits murder will be the happiest day of my life."
Ragged Pete, having imbibed the greater part of the contents of the brandy flask, now suggested to his companion that they should take their departure. The Dead Man a.s.sented and the worthy pair took themselves off, little thinking that every word which had been said, was heard by him whom they supposed to be imprisoned in the tomb below.
The rector emerged from his place of concealment, and went to his home with a heavy heart. Though he had himself become, in a measure, depraved and reckless of his moral and religious obligations, still he was horrified and astounded at the awful evidences of crime which had been revealed to him that night.--The miscreant"s tale of murder and outrage, told with such cool indifference, and with an air of sincerity that left no doubt of its perfect truth, appalled him; and the proof he had obtained of the guilt of Josephine and her mother struck his soul with horror. Ere he sought his couch, he prayed long and earnestly for the forgiveness of his past transgressions, and for strength to resist future temptations.
CHAPTER XIX
_Showing how Mrs. Belmont was pursued by a hideous ruffian._
The time appointed for the marriage of Mr. Hedge to Mrs. Belmont approached. The enamored old gentleman paid her frequent visits, and supplied her liberally with funds, nor did he neglect to make her most costly presents. Julia"s position and prospects, with reference to her contemplated marriage, were certainly very gratifying to her; yet there was one thing which troubled her exceedingly and was a source of constant apprehension and dread.
The uneasiness proceeded from the fact that she was completely in the power of the Dead Man, who knew that she was the cast-off wife of Sydney--cast off for the crime of adultery with a black--and who could at any time, by exposing her true character to Mr. Hedge, ruin her schemes in that quarter forever. She knew too well that the deadly villain was as deceitful as he was criminal; and she knew not at what moment he might betray her to her intended husband.
The Dead Man was disposed to take every advantage in his power over her.