Literary cadet, and Saturday evening bulletin. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1826-1827, 1826-07-22
MISCELLANY.
THE DEATH WARRANT.
'.The last, the fat al hour has come"

The mists Of the morning still hung heavily on
the mountain top, above the village of Redclif.
but the roads which led towards it were crowded
with the varied population Of the surrounding
country, from far and near, At Alesbury the sho is
were closed, the hammer ofthe blacksmith laid up
on its anvil; not wagon of any description was to
be seen in the street. and even the bar of the Ia
vern was locked, and the key gone with its propr
etor towards the cliff, as token Of an importan,
era which was without parallel in the annals OF
the place. And save here and there a solitary
head looking through broken pane in some closed
up house with air of sad disappointment, or the
cries of little nursing was heard betokening tha,
in the general fight, it had been left in urskilful
hands, may hap here and there a solitary, rag
sed and ill natured school boy was seen. or not
less solitary and i'll natured dog, either seeming bdl
half appeased by the privilege of holiday grant
ell on condition of staying at home; the whole vii
lage exhibited picture of desertion and silence,
that had forever been unknown before.
But in proportion as you drew nearer the ponde-
rous cliffs, in the midst of which the little town Of
Redclif was situated, you mingled again in tho thick
buatle and motion Of the world of men and wo-
men, and boys, and horses and dogs, and all living
moving and creeping things, that inhabit the wild
districts of Pennsylvania.
The village itself was crowded to overhowing
long before the sun had gained sufficient altitude
to throw its rays upon the deep valley in which il
lay. There the bar Of the inn was crowded, and
the fumes of tobacco and whiskey, the jingling o
small change, and the perpetual clamor of the
| throng. was sufficient to rack brain of common
hexibillty. 10 the streets there was greeting Of
old and long parted acquaintances; the barterng OF
horses; the settling Of old accounts the bufoonery
of hall intoxicated men; the clatter of women; the
crying and hallooing of children and boys and the
barking and quarrelling ofstranger dogs. To look
upon the scene, to mingle with the crowd TO lis
atiOn t1 al
| nances of tho assembled multitude, led "a
satisfactory solution ofthe cause for which thi.
mass OF heterogeneous matter was conyregated.
Within the walls Of the old stone ia at the foot
| Of the mountain, a different scene had been thai
| morning witnessed. There, chained toa stake IN
| the miserable dungeon, damp and scarcely illumi.
mated BY one ray ofligbt, now lay the emseiatcd
form OF one whose final doom seemed near at hand
few hours before, his wife and little daughte-
had travelled a hundred miles to meet him once
more on the Threshold Of the graves they met. and
from that gloomy vault the song Of praise ascend.
ed with the ascending sun, and the ailor as he lis
tened to the meodious voice Of three persons whom
he looked upon as the most desolate and lost of ali
in the wide world, blended sweetly together, and
| chaunting the beautiful hymn.
'lt is the Lord! should distrust
Or contradict his will" &c.
| almost doubling the evidence Of his senses, and
stood fixed in establishment at the massy door,
| Could these he the voices of murderer and !
murderer's wife and child'
| This brief and to be fual interview had passed
however: those unfortunate ones had loudly com.
mended each other to the keeping Of their heaven
ly parent, and parted; he to face the assembled
multitude on the scaoId and they, as they said Il
return oy weary journeys to their sorrowful home
the convict, worn out with sickness, and watching
] now slept