The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1822-10-29

uetAJ loffu III tutIT gum, O III lIisi ei"''a;
she carries to her lonely hut the water that
helps to preserve her hopeless life, from the
well dug by dearest hands, nOw moulder-
ed away, both fesh aud bone into the
DUST
After moments silence the old man
contnued--for he saw that l0nged to lear
The details of that dreadful catastrophe,
aud his own soul seemed likewise DESTROYS
Of renewing is giicf.-"The prisoners were
condemned. Hope there Was none. II
was known, from lac verGict-guiltS that
they would he executed. Petitions were,
| indeed, slrned 10y many, many thousands !;
but all in saiii-and the father and the sou
had Ia prepare themselves for death.
About - week after condemnation, VI
sited them IN their cell. God forbid ]
should say they were resigned. Human
nature could noi resign itsefto such doom,
aud found tie old man pacing mp aud
down the stoae-1 floor, in his clanklng chains,
with hurried steps, and a countenancc OF
unspeakable horror. The son Was lying
on lis face upon his bed of straw, and had
not lifted up his head, rs the massy bolts
were withdrawn, aud the door creaked sui
lenly GA lis hinges. The father fixed his
eyes upon.Inr for some time, as # ! had
| been stranger intrudiug upon his misery
md, as soon ~ he knew me, shut Them with
n deep groan, and pointed To- his son, ="
have murdered William l have brought
my only son to the scailold, aud | am DOOM
ed 10 he'll !" gently called ON the youth
| by name, but he was ln5cnsile-he was ly-
| ing IN 1T. - fear Inc Will awake out of
| that fit cried the old man with broken
voice. They have come upon him every
day since our condemnation, and some
| times during the night. 1t is not fear for
| hlraself that brings item on--for my boy,
| though guilty, is braYr--but he continues
looking on my face for hours, i'll nj last he
seems 10 loose all sense, and falls down in
strong commissions, often upon the stone
! door, till he is all covered with blood" The
old man then went up 10 his son, knelt
down, and putting aside th. thick cluster
ing hair from his forehead, continued kis-
sing him for some minutes with deep sObs,
but eyes dry rs dust.
But why should recall 10 my remem-
brance, or describe to You, every hour Of
anguish that witnessed in that cell For
several weeks it wag all agony Il despair
the Bible lay UNDECIDED before their Shast-
! " eyes-and for them there was no ConsU-
l"tlOn. The old man soul was filled but
with one thought-that he had deuded his
son into sin, death and eternal punishment
He never slept but visions, terrible as those
of sleep, seemed often to pass before him,
I'LL have seen the grey hairs bristlc horri-
bly, over his temples, aud big drops Of sweat
| Plash down upol the floor. | sometimes
/ /, 4 If.
the day execution; but their mortal sor-
rows, though they sadly changed both face
aud frame, seemed al last to give a horrible
energy 10 life, and every morning that | vi
sIted them, they were stronger and more
| broadly awake in the chill silence of their
! lonesome prison house.
81 know not how deep change was at
] last wrought upon their souls, but two days
be.ore that Of their execution on entering
Their cell, found them sitting calm and
composed by each others side, with the
Bible open before them. Their faces, tho
| pale and haggard, had lost that glare OF
misery, that SO long had shone about their
restless and wandering eyes, and they look
ed like men recovering from a loug and
| painful sickness. | almost thought saw
something like a faint smile of hope. " God
has been merciful unto US said the old IA
| Their with a calm voice. must not think
that ne has forgiven my sins. but he has EN-
abIed me 10 looI, on my poor sons face
| 10 kiss him--to fold him in my arms-to
pray for him-to l;'il asleep with him i'll my
bosom, as used often to do in the days OF
! h's huyhood, when 'ia.lg the heal of mid
+ day. I rested from LABOR below the trees of
. my O'ee farm. We have found resignation
/ at Lest ard are prepared to die
/ tptsa we're no Transports q delnded en-
. jaasldsn ia the souls OF these unhappy men.
] They had never doubted the truth of re-
yealed religion, although they had fatally
dlsregardcd IFS preccpts !; aud now tina. re-
morse had given way to pcuitence, and ma
! ture had become reconCile1 10 the thought
of me'itable death, the light that mad been
darkcned, but never cXtinslIlshed in their
hearts, rose up anew and knowing that
thSlr souls were Immortal, they humbly
put their faith IN the mercy of their creator
and their redeemrr.
1t was during that resigned aud serene
! hour, that the old inan yentured TO ask for
the mother Of his poor unhappy boy.
told him the truth calmly, and calmly he
heard it all. On the day of his Condemna-
ton, she had been deprived Of reason and
in the house of kind friend, whose name
he blessed, now remained in morcifdl igno-
rance of all that had befallen, believing her
self, indeed to be a motheriesS widow, but
one who had long ago lost her husband,
and all her children, IN the ordinary course
of nature. At this recital his soul was sa-
tisfed. The son said nothing, but Hept
long and bitterly.
1.-The day oiexecution came at last The
great city hay still as on the morning Of the
Sabbath day; aud all the ordinary business
of life seemed, by one consent of the many
thousand hearts beating there to be sus-