_ CHAPTER VIII
The Subterranean Cellar--Capture and Imprisonment of the Black--the Outcast Wife--The Villain Husband--the Murder and Arrest.
The next day after the occurrence of the events detailed in the last chapter, Frank Sydney caused to be conveyed to the negro footman, Nero, the letter which his wife had addressed to him--which letter it will be recollected, had been stolen from the lady, in her reticule, by the young thief, who had sold it and another epistle from the black, to Frank, at the
crib of Bloody Mike.
The plan adopted by the much injured husband for the punishment of his guilty wife and her negro paramour, will be developed in the course of the present chapter.
The black, upon receiving the letter, imagined that it came direct from the lady herself; and much rejoiced was he at the contents, resolving that very night to watch for the signal in the chamber window of the amorous fair one.
Beneath the building in which Frank resided, was a deep stone cellar, originally designed as a wine vault; it was built in the most substantial manner, the only entrance being protected by a massive iron door--the said door having been attached in order to prevent dishonest or dissolute servants from plundering the wine. In the course of the day upon which he had sent the letter to Nero, Frank paid a visit to this cellar, and having examined it with great care, said to himself--'This will answer the purpose admirably.'
He then summoned Dennis and the
Kinchen--the latter of whom he retained in his service--and desired them to remove the few bottles and casks of wine which still remained in the cellar and deposit them elsewhere.--This being done, a quantity of straw was procured and thrown in one corner, and then the arrangements were complete.
'Now listen,' said Frank, addressing Dennis and the
Kinchen; 'a certain person has injured me--irretrievably injured me--and it is my intention to confine him as a prisoner in this cellar. The matter must be kept a profound secret from the world; you must neither of you breathe a syllable in relation to it, to a living soul. My motive for confiding to you the secret, is this: I may at times find it necessary to be absent from home for a day or so, and it will devolve upon you two to supply the prisoner with his food. Be secret--be vigilant, and your faithfulness shall be rewarded.'
Both of his listeners expressed their willingness to serve him in the matter, and Frank dismissed them, with instructions to await his further orders.
Mrs. Sydney, having lost the letter which she had addressed to Nero (never dreaming that it had fallen into the hands of her husband,) that afternoon, while Frank was engaged in the wine cellar, wrote
another letter to the black, couched in nearly the same language as her former one, and making precisely the same arrangement in reference to an interview with him in her chamber. This letter she gave to her maid, Susan, to convey privately to the black. It so happened that Frank, who had just finished his business in the wine cellar, encountered the girl as she was emerging from the rear of the house; she held her mistress' letter in her hand, and, confused at meeting Mr. Sydney so unexpectedly, thrust it hastily into her bosom. Frank saw the action, and suspecting the truth, forced the letter from her, broke the seal, and hastily glanced over the contents. It instantly occurred to him that, if he permitted this letter to reach its intended destination, the negro would naturally suspect something wrong, from the fact that he had received that morning a precisely similar letter; and thus Frank's plan might be frustrated. On the other hand, it was necessary for Mrs. Sydney to believe that the letter was safely delivered, in order that she might still suppose her husband to be ignorant of her amour with the black. In view of these considerations, Frank put the letter in his pocket, and then turning to the trembling Susan, said to her, sternly--
'Woman, your agency in this damnable intrigue is known to me, and if you would save yourself from ruin, you will do as I command you. Remain concealed in the house for half an hour, and then go to your mistress and tell her that you have delivered the letter to the black; and say to her that he sends word in reply, that
should the signal be given to-night, he will come to her chamber. And do you, when you hear him knock thrice upon the gate, admit him, and conduct him to your mistress's chamber. Do this, and you are forgiven for the part you have taken in the business; but if you refuse, by the living God you shall die by my hand!'
'Oh, sir,' sobbed the girl, frightened at the threat, 'I will do all you wish me to.'
'Then you have nothing to fear--but remember, I am not to be trifled with.'
Half an hour afterwards, Susan went up to the chamber of her mistress, and said--
'Well, ma'am, I gave the letter to Nero.'
'And did he send any message?' asked the lady.
'Yes, ma'am,' replied the girl, in obedience to the instructions of Frank--'he said that if the signal is given to-night, he will come to your chamber.'
'Very well, Susan--you are a good girl, and here is a dollar for you,' said the lady, and then added--'you will be sure to admit him when he knocks?'
'Oh, yes, ma'am,' replied the maid; and thanking her mistress, she withdrew.
Left alone, the guilty, adulterous woman fell into a voluptuous reverie, in which she pictured to herself the delights which she anticipated from her approaching interview with her sable lover. The possibility of her husband's remaining at home that evening, thereby preventing that interview, did not once obtrude itself upon her mind--so regularly had he absented himself from home every night during the preceding two or three weeks; and as he had never returned before midnight, she apprehended no difficulty in getting her paramour out of the house undiscovered by him.
The conduct of this woman will doubtless appear very extraordinary and unaccountable to those who have not studied human nature very deeply; while the eccentricity of her passion, and the singular object of her desires, will excite disgust. But to the shrewd and intelligent observer of the female heart and its many impulses, the preferences of this frail lady are devoid of mystery. They are readily accounted for--pampered with luxury, and surrounded by all the appliances of a voluptuous leisure, a morbid craving for
unusual indulgences had commingled with her passions--a raging desire, and mad appetite for a
monstrous or
unnatural intrigue--and hence her disgraceful
liaison with the black.
Were we disposed, what astounding disclosures we could make, of beastly amours among the sons and daughters of the aristocracy! We have known many instances of unnatural births, unquestionably produced by unnatural cohabitations! We once visited the private cabinet of an eminent medical practitioner, whose collection comprised over a hundred half-human monstrosities, preserved;--and we were assured that many were the results of the most outrageous crimes conceivable.--But why dwell upon such a subject, so degrading to humanity? We will pursue the loathsome theme no longer.
Evening came, and after supper Mrs. Sydney retired to her chamber. To her surprise, her husband joined her there; but her surprise increased, and her annoyance was extreme, when he announced his intention of remaining with her that evening, at home!
Disguising her real feelings, and affecting a joy which was a stranger to her heart at the moment, she only smiled as if in approval of his determination. But in her heart she was most painfully disappointed.
'At all events,' she said to herself, 'I will not place a light in my window, which was the signal I arranged with Nero--so I am safe, at least.'
What was her astonishment and dismay, when her husband deliberately took the lamp from the table, and placed it in the window!
Amazed and trembling, she sat for some minutes in silence, while Frank, having lighted a cigar, began smoking with the utmost coolness. At length the conscience-stricken lady ventured to say--
'My dear, why do you place the light in the window?'
'Because it is my whim to do so,' replied Frank.
'It is a singular whim,' remarked his wife.
'Not so singular as the whim of a white lady of my acquaintance, who amalgamates with a negro,' said her husband.
'What do you mean?' demanded the guilty woman, ready to faint with terror and apprehension.
'I mean this, woman--that you are a vile adulteress!' exclaimed Frank, now thoroughly enraged--'I mean that your abominable conduct is known to me--your true character is discovered. Before your marriage you were defiled by that negro footman, Nero--and since our marriage you have sought the opportunity to renew the loathsome intimacy.'
'What proof have you of this?' murmured the wretched woman, ready to die with shame and terror.
'These letters--this one, addressed to you by the black, and this, which you wrote to him this very afternoon; but it did not reach its destination, for I intercepted it. The one which you wrote a few days ago, and which was stolen from you in your reticule, came into my possession in a manner almost providential--that letter I sent to the place this morning, and he, supposing it came from you, will come to-night to keep the appointment. He will observe the signal agreed upon, and will be admitted into the house, and conducted to this chamber, little imagining who is waiting for him. So you see, madam, both you and your
friend are in my power.'
It is impossible to describe the expression of despair and misery which overspread the countenance of Mrs. Sydney during the utterance of these words. She attempted to speak, but could not articulate a single syllable--and in another moment had fallen insensible upon the carpet.
Frank raised her and placed her upon the bed; he had scarcely done so, when he heard some one stealthily ascending the stairs, and in another moment the door softly opened, and Nero, the African footman, entered.
Great was his astonishment and alarm on beholding the husband of the lady whom he had come to debauch. His first impulse was to retreat from the room and endeavor to make his escape from the house; but his design was frustrated by Frank, who rushed forward and seized him by the throat, exclaiming, in a tone of furious rage--
'Eternal curses on you, black ruffian, how dare you enter this house?'
The African, recovering somewhat his presence of mind, struggled to release himself from the fierce grasp of Frank, and would probably have succeeded, had not the
Kinchen entered, and, seizing a chair, dealt him a blow with it which knocked him down. He then drew from his pocket a stout cord, and, with Frank's assistance, bound the negro's arms securely with it.
Nero, though a black, was both educated and intelligent; he knew that he was now in the power of the man who had been so foully wronged, and he conceived that there was but one way to extricate himself from the difficulty--namely, by promises and entreaties.
'Mr. Sydney,' said he, in an humble, submissive tone--'it is evident that you have discovered my intimacy with that lady, by what means I know not. You have just cause to be indignant and enraged; but I throw myself upon your mercy--and consider, sir, the lady made the first advances, and was I so much to blame for acceding to the wishes of such a lovely woman? Now, sir, if you will suffer me to depart, I promise to leave the city of New York forever, and never will I breathe to another ear the secret of my intimacy with your wife.'
'Think not, accursed miscreant, thus to escape my vengeance,' replied Frank. 'That you are less guilty than that adulterous woman who lies there,' he added, pointing to the bed, 'I admit, and her punishment shall be greater than yours, for she shall endure the pangs of infamy and disgrace, while you only suffer the physical inconvenience of a lengthened imprisonment. I cannot suffer you to go at large after this outrage on my honor as a husband and a man. Attempt no further parley--it is useless, for your fate is sealed.'
Frank took from a bureau drawer a brace of pistols, and commanded the negro to follow him, threatening to shoot him through the head if he made the least noise or resistance.--Nero obeyed, trembling with apprehension and dread. Descending the stairs, Frank conducted him to the cellar, and unlocking the massive iron door, bade him enter; the poor wretch began to supplicate for mercy, but his inexorable captor sternly ordered him to hold his peace, and having unbound his arms, forced him into the dark and gloomy vault, closed the door, and locked it. He then gave the key to the
Kinchen, requesting him to use the utmost vigilance to prevent the escape of the prisoner, and to supply him every day with sufficient food and water.
'You perceive, my boy,' said Frank, 'that I am disposed to place the utmost confidence in your integrity and faithfulness. From the moment I first saw you, I have been impressed with the belief that you possess a good heart, and some principles of honor. Destitution and bad company have led you astray--but I trust that your future conduct will prove your sincere repentance. I will see the gentleman from whom you attempted to take the pocket-book, and I will compromise the matter with him, so that it shall never come to trial. Be honest--be faithful--be true--and in my house you shall ever have a home, and in me you shall ever have a steadfast friend.'
'Oh, sir,' said the
Kinchen, his eyes filling with tears--'your kindness and generosity have made me a different being from what I was. I now view my former life with abhorrence, and sooner would I die than return to it. Ah, it is delightful to lead an honest life, to have a comfortable home, and a kind friend like you, sir. My faithful devotion to your interests will prove my gratitude. I should like, sometime, to tell you my history, Mr. Sydney; and when you have heard it, I am sure that you will say that I deserve some pity, as well as blame.'
'I shall be pleased to hear your story,' replied Frank. 'As you are now regularly in my service, you shall be no longer designated as
Kinchen,[2] for that name is associated with crime. What is your own proper name?'
'Clinton Romaine,' replied the boy.
'Well, Clinton, you shall hereafter be called by that name. To-morrow I will give you an order on my tailor for a new and complete wardrobe. You had better now retire to bed; as for myself,' he added, gloomily--'I shall probably enjoy but little rest or sleep to-night.'
Clinton bade his patron good night, and retired; Frank ascended to the chamber of his wife, and found that she had recovered from her swoon, though she was still pale from apprehension and shame. Averting her eyes from her husband's gaze, she sat in moody silence; after a pause of several minutes, Frank said--
'Julia, it is not my intention to waste my breath in upbraiding you--neither will I allude to your monstrous conduct further than to state it has determined me to cast you off forever. You are my wife no longer; you will leave this house to-night, and never again cross its threshold. Take with you your maid Susan, your wardrobe, your jewels--in short, all that belongs to you; you must relinquish the name of Sydney--cease to regard me as your husband, and never, never, let me see your face again.'
These words, uttered calmly and solemnly, produced an extraordinary effect upon the lady; so far from subduing or humiliating her, they aroused within her all the pride of her nature, notwithstanding her recent overwhelming shame. A rich color dyed her cheeks, her eyes sparkled, and her bosom heaved, as she arose, and boldly confronting Frank, said, in passionate tones--
'You cast me off forever!--I thank you for those words; they release me from a painful thralldom. Now am I mistress of my own actions--free to indulge to my heart's content in delightful amours!--I will not return to my father's house--no, for you will doubtless proclaim there the story of my shame, and my father would repulse me with loathing; and even if 'twere not so, I prefer liberty to follow my own inclinations, to the restraint of my parent's house.'
'Wretched woman,' exclaimed Franks--'are you indeed so lost--so depraved?'
'Fool!' returned the frail lady--'you cannot understand the fiery and insatiate cravings of my passions. I tell you that I consume with desire--but not for enjoyment with such as
you, but for delicious amours which are
recherche and unique! Ah, I would give more for one hour with my superb African, than for a year's dalliance with one like you, so ordinary, so excessively common-place! Now that the mask is torn from my face, reserve is needless. Know then that I have been a wanton since early girlhood. What strange star I was born under, I know not; but my nature is impregnated with desires and longings which you would pronounce absurd, unnatural, and criminal. Be it so: I care not what you or the world may say or think--my cravings must be satisfied at all hazards. As for relinquishing the name of Sydney, I do so with pleasure--that name has no pleasure for me; I never loved you, and at this moment I hate and despise you. Do you ask me wherefore?--Because you had wit enough to detect me in my intrigues. I shall leave your house tonight, and we meet no more. My future career is plainly marked out: I shall become an abandoned and licentious woman, yielding myself up unreservedly to the voluptuous promptings of my ardent soul. I part from you without regret, and without sorrow do I now bid you farewell forever.'
'Stay a moment,' said Frank, as she was about to leave the room--'I would not have you to be entirely destitute: I will fill you out a check for a sum of money sufficient to keep you from immediate want.'
He wrote out and signed a check for one thousand dollars, which he gave her, and then left her without saying another word. She received the donation with evident satisfaction, and immediately began to make her preparations for departure. Her maid, Susan, assisted her; and also informed her in what manner Frank had compelled her to assist in entrapping Nero into the house. Susan, herself being unobserved, had seen the African conveyed to the cellar, and locked in; this fact she also communicated to her mistress, who heard it with much pleasure, as she had anticipated that her paramour would meet with a worse fate than mere confinement.--She determined to effect his release, if possible, although she knew that some time must necessarily elapse before she could hope to accomplish that object.
When all was ready, Julia and her maid seated themselves in a hackney coach which had been procured, and were rapidly driven from that princely mansion, of which the guilty woman had so recently been the proud mistress, but from which she was now an outcast forever.
That night, Frank, in the solitude of his chamber, shed many bitter tears. He mourned over the fallen condition of that beautiful woman, whom, had she been worthy, he would have cherished as his wife, but who had proved herself not only undeserving of his affection, but depraved and wicked to an astonishing degree. Until the fatal moment when he was led to suspect her chastity, he had loved her devotedly and sincerely. How cruelly had he been deceived!
And that night, in the solitude and darkness of his cold and gloomy dungeon, Nero, the African, swore a terrible oath of vengeance upon the white man who had shut him up in that subterranean cell.
Within a week after the capture of the Dead Man and David the butler, those two villains were inmates of the State Prison at Sing Sing--the former to fulfil his original sentence of imprisonment for life, and the latter to undergo an imprisonment for five years, for his participation in the attempted robbery of Mr. Sydney.
Fred Archer, on escaping from the officer in the manner which we have described, made his way to the Dark Vaults, where he remained concealed for several days, not venturing to appear abroad. At the end of a week he began to grow impatient of the restraint, and, conceiving that no great danger would be incurred if he left his place of refuge in the darkness of night, he resolved to do so; moreover, he was destitute of money, and entertained some hope of being able to extort a sum from his unfortunate wife, whom he had driven to prostitution. Accordingly, at about eight o'clock in the evening, he left the Vaults by means of the secret outlet before alluded to and gaining the street, proceeded at a rapid pace towards the Bowery. In the breast of his coat he carried a huge Bowie knife, with which to defend himself in case any attempt should be made to arrest him.
That very day, Frank Sydney, mindful of his promise, had succeeded in obtaining a situation for Mrs. Archer, in the family of an old lady, an aunt of his, who required the attendance of a young woman as a companion and nurse, she being an invalid. In the afternoon, Mrs. Archer received a visit from the boy, Clinton, who came to announce to her the joyful intelligence of a good home having been secured for her; he then placed the following brief note from Frank in her hands:--
'Mrs. Archer,--Madame: I shall this evening call upon you, to confirm the words of my messenger. The unfortunate career which you have followed, is now nearly ended. Extortion and oppression shall triumph no longer. F.S.'
It was about eight o'clock in the evening when Frank knocked at the door of the house in which Mrs. Archer resided, and he was admitted by the mercenary landlady who figured not very creditably upon a former occasion. She immediately recognized the young gentleman, who was dressed in the garments of a laborer; and very civilly informing him that the young lady was at home, requested him to walk upstairs to her room.
Our hero assumed a disguise upon that occasion, for this reason: he did not know but that the house was publicly regarded as a brothel; and he therefore did not wish to hazard his reputation by being recognized either while entering or leaving the place.
He ascended the stairs and knocked gently at the chamber, which was immediately opened by Mrs. Archer, who pressed his hand with all the warmth of a grateful heart, and placed a chair for him near the fire.--Glancing around the room, Frank saw that she had made every arrangement for her departure: bandboxes and trunks were in readiness for removal, and all her little effects were heaped together in one corner. She herself was dressed with considerable elegance and taste; a close fitting dress of rich silk displayed the fine proportions of her symmetrical form to advantage.
'I know not how to thank you, Mr. Sydney,' she said, seating herself--'for your generous interest in my welfare; but oh! believe me, I am grateful for your kindness.'
Frank assured her that he had derived much satisfaction from what services it had been in his power to render, tending to her benefit. He then related to her all that had occurred on the night of the attempted robbery at his house--how her husband had made his escape, and was probably lurking in the Dark Vaults.
'Then he is still at large,' said Mrs. Archer, shuddering--'and I am not yet safe.'
'Fear nothing,' said her benefactor--'he dare not intrude into the respectable and quiet asylum where you are to be placed. No harm can reach you there.'
'God grant it may be so!' fervently ejaculated the young lady; and at that instant some one was heard stealthily ascending the stairs. 'It is Frederick!' she whispered--'you had better conceal yourself, to avoid useless altercation.' Frank quickly secreted himself behind the curtains of the bed, his former hiding place: and in another moment Fred Archer entered the room, and closed the door with extreme caution. 'Maria,' he said, roughly--'I must have money from you to-night; the affair which I spoke to you about, when I was last here, failed most infernally. One of the very fellows who were to assist me in the job, proved to be the owner of the house which we were going to plunder. He had a trap prepared for us, and two of my pals were taken, while I escaped just by a miracle. I dare not go abroad in daylight, for fear of being arrested; and I need money--give it to me!'
'Frederick,' said his wife, mildly--'I have but a few dollars, and you are welcome to them. I leave this house to-night; I am going to live hereafter a life of honesty and virtue.'
'Indeed!' exclaimed Archer, now observing for the first time the preparations for removal--'and may I ask where the devil you're going?'
'I do not wish to tell you, Frederick,' replied the lady--'I shall have a good and comfortable home; let that suffice. I will always pray for your welfare; but we must part forever.'
'Ha! is it so?' he hissed from between his clenched teeth, while the hot blood of anger mantled on his face, and his eyes were lit up with the fires of demoniac passions--'do you think to desert me and cast me off forever?'--As he spoke, his right hand was thrust into the breast of his coat.
'We must part; my resolution is fixed,' she replied firmly. 'Your treatment of me--'
She paused in affright, for her husband had seized her violently by the arm; then he plucked the gleaming Bowie knife from its sheath, and ere she could scream out, the murderous blade was buried in her heart!
From his place of concealment behind the curtains of the bed, Frank saw the atrocious deed perpetrated. The villain had struck the fatal blow ere he could rush forth and stay his murderous arm. The poor victim sank upon the floor, the lifeblood streaming from her heart.--Ere the horrified witness of the crime could seize the murderer, he had fled from the house with a celerity which defied pursuit.
Frank, overwhelmed with grief at the tragic fate of that erring but unfortunate woman, raised her body in his arms and placed it upon a sofa. He then drew from her bosom the reeking blade of the assassin, and as he did so, the warm blood spouted afresh from the gaping wound, staining his hands and garments with gore.
He bent over the corpse, and contemplated the pallid features with profound sorrow. As he thus gazed mournfully at the face of the dead, holding in his hand the blood-stained knife, the chamber door opened, and the landlady entered the room.
On beholding the awful scene--the bleeding, lifeless form stretched upon the sofa, and the young man standing with a gory knife grasped in his hand--the landlady made the house resound with her shrieks and cries of 'Murder!'
The street door below was forced open and men with hurried footsteps ascended the stairs--in a moment more the chamber was filled with watchmen and citizens.
'Seize the murderer!' exclaimed the landlady, pointing towards Frank. Two watchmen instantly grasped him by the arms, and took from him the bloody knife.
Frank turned deadly pale--he was speechless--his tongue refused its office, for then the dreadful conviction forced itself upon him, that he was regarded as the murderer of that young woman. And how could he prove his innocence? The weight of circumstantial evidence against him was tremendous and might produce his conviction and condemnation to an ignominious death!
Several persons present recognized him as the rich and (until then) respectable Mr. Sydney; and then they whispered among themselves, with significant looks, that he was
disguised!--clad in the mean garb of a common laborer!
Now it happened that among the gentlemen who knew him, were two of the flatterers who supped with him in the first chapter of this narrative--namely, Messrs. Narcissus Nobbs and Solomon Jenks: the former of whom it will be recollected, was enthusiastic in his praises of Frank, upon that occasion, while the latter boisterously professed for him the strongest attachment and friendship. The sincerity of these worthies will be manifested by the following brief conversation which took place between them, in whispers--
'A precious ugly scrape your friend has got himself into,' said Mr. Nobbs.
'
My friend, indeed!' responded Mr. Jenks, indignantly--'curse the fellow, he's no friend of mine! I always suspected that he was a d----d scoundrel at heart!'
'I always
knew so,' rejoiced Mr. Nobbs.
Oh, hollow-hearted Jenks and false-souled Nobbs! Ye fitly represent the great world, in its adulation of prosperous patrons--its forgetfulness of unfortunate friends!
Frank Sydney was handcuffed, placed in a coach and driven to the Tombs. Here he was immured in the strong cell which had long borne the title of the 'murderer's room.'
Fred Archer was safely concealed in the secret recesses of the Dark Vaults.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 2: The term
Kinchen, in the flash language of the thieves, signifies a boy thief.] _