.

Again, we have against us sins which not only have been encouraged but
have been committed again and again until they have become a habit of
our lives, and he who has such a sin as this finds himself in the grip
of one who is a tyrant.

In a city paper the other day I came across the story of a man who once
had some prominence in the world but began to go wrong, naturally
drifted towards the evil and finally found himself surrounded by the
lowest of companions. Because of his natural ability he easily assumed
leadership.

The particular form of crime they practiced was administering chloral
to those who sat at the bar in the saloon to drink. They did this by
attracting the attention of the man who was to drink to something else
in the room and then the deadly knock-out drops would be administered
and they would rob the man. One night the dose was too strong and the
victim died. The one who caused his death came before the city
authorities recently to give himself up and pitifully ask that he might
be quickly sent to death to pay the penalty of his crime for, said he,
"From that moment my mind has never been at rest. I wandered about
town for two or three days trying to get rid of the sight of that
fellow's face; but at night was when I suffered. The moment I dozed
off I could see him in my dreams beckoning and laughing as he dragged
me over some cliff, and I waked up cold with fear. No one knows what I
suffered. I left the city. I went to Denver. I went to Butte. I
traveled everywhere, but wherever I went night and day that dead man
was hovering around me. I couldn't sleep and my mind began to weaken.
One night I went into a gambling den. I thought the excitement might
drive that vision out of my head. I played roulette. I bet on the
black; the red won. And right before me I saw that printer's face just
like I see you now, grinning as the dealer dragged in my money. I ran
out of that club like a crazy man and wandered about town till I saw a
freight train pulling out of the yards. I climbed into an empty box
car and lay down in the corner to rest. For a few moments the face was
gone. Suddenly a flash of lightning lit up that car as bright as this
cell, and there, just a couple of feet from me, I saw that man I'd
killed plainer than I see you. He reached out and caught me by the
arm. I screamed and jumped out of the car. They found me next day
lying beside the track; and when they got me to a