The Midnight Murder
T'was night! the stars were
shrouded in a vail of mist; a
clouded canopy o'er hung the
earth; the vivid lightnings
and shook their fiery
darts upon the earth; the deep
toned thunder rolled along the
vaulted sky; the elements were
in wild commotion; the storm
spirit howeled in the air; the
winds whistled; the hail stones
fell like leaden balls; the huge
undulations of the ocean dashed
upon the rock bound shore; and
torrents leaped from the mountain
tops; when the murderer sprung
from his sleep less couch with
vengence on his brow - murder
in his heart, and the fell in-
strument of distruction in his
hand.
The storm increased; the
lightening flashed with brighter
glare; the thunder growled with
deeper energy; the winds whistled
with wilder fury; the confusion
of the hour was congenial to
his soul, and in his bosom; he
clenched his weapon with a
sterner grasp; a demonic smile
gathered on his lips; he grated
his teeth; raised his arm
and sprung with a yell of
triumph upon his victum, and
relentlessly kille - a
mosquit0.
Punctuation as written.
I have found no copy of this anywhere - so consider it a Mudcat score.
Within a volume of verse titled, "Beautiful Gems of Thought and Sentiment"
Volumne inscribed to Jessie Harbaugh, 1891
Lies, between the pages, an eloquently handwritten copy.
I memorized and recited it for many years in my youth
(YIKES - There is a another handwritten manuscript within the book)
THE MURDERER
(captioned "An unpublished poem by Edward Poe")