Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-11-23

| '"""Sht 1ldFlIS secured Tie good things
OF tins world he began to feel anxious about
those OF the next. He thought with regret ON
the bargain he had made with his black friend;
ana SET his wits 10 work 10 cheat him out of tles
conditions. He became, therefore, all of a sud-
den, violent church goer. He prayed loudly
ana s'renuousiy as if heaven were to be taken
| oy force OF lungs. Indeed, one might ALWAYS
! tell when he had snncd most during the week.
| by The Glamour of his Sunday devotion The
qinet christians who had been modestlv and
stcadfastly travelling Zionward, were struck
with self reproacii at seeing themselves SO sud-
denly oustripped in their career by this ne,y-
made convert. Tom was rigid i'm religious as
IN money matters; he was a stern supervisor
and censurer of his neighbours, and seemed &c,
think every sin entered up TO their account be-.
cams credit on his own side of the page
tie even talked of the expediency of revivinR
the persecution of GualSers and apabaptiss.
| In word, Toms zeal became as notorious as
| his riches.
| Still in spite of all this strenuous attention IL,
, forms, Tom had lurked dread that the devil after
all, would have his due.-,That he might not be
unawares, therefore, il is said he always carried
small bible in his coat pocket. He also had
gseat folio bible on his counting house desk.
and wonld frequently be found reading Il whey,
people called on business; on such occasions he
would lay his green spectacles on the book, 10
mark the place whAEsH3 turned round TO drive
ed in his old days, aud that raucying has end APP
preaching, lie had his. horse new shod, Saddie,i
and br'dled, and buried with his feet uppcrmost;
because he supposed that at the last day the
world would be turned upside down; in which
case he should find his horse standing ready for
nc'intg and he was determined at the worst
70 give his old friend run for ii. Tins. howe
YER is probably mere old wifc,s fable II he
really did take such precaution t We ssotay
supert!uous; at least so says the authentic old
legend which closes his story in tie following
manner.
One hot afternoon in the dog days..ust as
terrible black thundcrg gust wes dlfing up,
Tom sat in his counting house in LIS white linen
cap and India silk morning gown: He was on
the point OF fore-closng mortgage, by which he
would complete the ruin of unluck land
SPECTATOR for whom he protested theSgreatest
friendship. The poor land jobber begged him
to grant few months Indulgence. Tom ha;.
grown testy and irritatcd and refused another
day.
''MF family viii he ruined and brought unon
The parslI;" sad the land iobbsr.-'sC Charity be-
gins at ho'ne," replied Tom, 81 must take care
of myself in these hard tues.n
"f on dave made so much money out of me,n
said the saeculalor.
Tom lost hi- patience and his piety-e.The
devil take me-" said he, 'sif have made a far
thing"
Just then there were three loud knocks AZ tl.e
street. door. He stepped oat to see who was
tee black was holding black
horse which ncighed and stamped With iInpa.
thence.
'sTom you're come for." said the black fellow
gruiiy. Tom SHRINK back, but too late He
had left his little bible the bottom OF his coat
picket, and his e bibiJ o. the desk burres nm
der the mo.tg ag" h was bout to foreclose: ne
verwas sinner taken more uaawares. The black
man whisked him like chi1 astr;de the horse
and away he gailopet in the midst of thunder
storm. The clerks stuck their pens behind their
ears and stared after him from the windows. A.
way went Tom Walkerdashng down the sire stx
his white cap bob5ing up and down: his morning,
gown tluttering in the wind, and his stecd stri,
king fire ont of the pavement at every bounce.
When the clerks turned TO look for the black
man he had disappeared.
Tom Walker never returned to foreriose tb,
mortgage. countryman who lived on the
borders OF the swamp, reported that in the
height OF the thunder-gust he had heard a great
Gathering of hoofs and bowling along the road
and that when he ran to the window he lust
caught sight of a figure such as have des-
crbed, on horse that galoped like mad
across the fields, over the hills and down into tbs,
biacR hcmiock swamp towards the old indian
fort;-and that shortly after thunderbolt fell
IN that direction which seemed to set the wboI..
forest in blaze.
The good people of Boston shook their head.
and shrugged their shoulders, but had been 60
tricks of the devil, in all kinds of shapes frofs,
the first settlement ofthe colony, that they were
not so much horror struck as might have been
expected Trustees were appointed TO take
charge of Toms effects There was r1oftiino.
however, 10 administer upon. On sea- ching his
Golfers, all his bonds and mortgage were found
reduced to cindcrs. La place ofgold and silver
Iis iron chest was filed with chips and shay inos.
two skeletons lay in his stable instead ofhis bstp
starved horses, and the very next day his great
house took fire and was burnt to the ground.
Such was the end of Tom Walker and HE III
COTTON wealth Let all gripping money brokers
lay the story TO heart. The truth Of IL is mot
to be doubted. The very hole under the oarr
trees, from whence he dug Kidd's money &, f.,
be seen TO this day; and the neigh bournc swami
and old Indian fort is often haunted in sf,r1nt,
nights by figure on horseback, i'm n ,Y,orn;no,
gown and white cap, which is doubtless fbo tro,3S
bed spirit of the In fact tho stor,, L..
resolved itself into proverb, and is the or;o;,,
OF that popular saying, prevalent in New FTs-
land of . The devil and Tom Walkers
Mr.. Bum, The Manager Of the Birnpcb,n-
Theatre, England, has published a coutroversi,i
anecdote in illustration of the beneficial influence
of the DTdma;-
"Onc OF the most extraordinary instances on re-.
cord, is an incient that out of a rcprcs4nta
ton of "Georgc Barnwell." young clerk whose
Rad placed him precisely in thcs situation az
Gcorgc Barnwell,w by the intrigues Of a wapton
had detrauded his master of G20O, was taken