The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1830-10-27
MOURNING APPAREL.
I" Nor can the parted spirit know
Nor wants the soul these forms of wo

Nor wants the soul these forms of wo."
We are happy to perceive that the custom
of wearing mourning apparel on the death Of
friends ia rapidly declining. A few years more
and it will be ranked among the Improbable
and discarded practices Of, the past. In our
view, the. practice IS an unfseling and cruel
one. Il has shocked US more than once to see
the nearest and dearest relatives OF the dead
standing before tho yet unbured corpse, and
discussing, with a worldly anxiety which al
lowed OF no sympathy for the departed, Che
proprietY Of the different dresses which were
officiously proposed--disputing about the cut Of
sleeve, or the fashiOning of a bonnet-whcn
the Same light that revealed the paltry trap
pings offashon shone coldly over the rigid and
awful features Of the dead
There is grief that passeth show "a
sorrow which turns from the cold lessons OF
custom and prejudice, and broods, shadow-like
over the heart The tasselled hearse-the
waving Plums--the long array Of dark-robed
m6uTners-are no tokens Of that sorrow. Oh
if the dead could speak--if the still grave had
language-think ye tho slumberer would
ask these poor and mocking vanities? If that
philosophy be as true, as it is beautiful, which
teaches US that the spirits of the dead are the
viewiess ministers and watchers OF the living
attending and holy sprits-watching over fra
mortality, and lingering about the places oil
uOue-tilCu
in the deep sincerity of bereaved affection
one sigh from the full heart Of sorrow-be :ar
moro acceptable to the departed spirits, than the
nodding plume, and the gay escutcheon, ant
all the pomp and circumstance of funeral splen
dor.-NeU England Weekly RevieaO.
SINGULAR DETECTION. The New Orleans
Mercantile Advertiser contains the following
particulars of the the detection of thief, who
l.. ! II IL. d.
more, one of which was marked L. M.
On Monday, by the information of a lady
that identical coin was found. The person in
whose possession it was found, stated to have
sold to a negro, whose name she did not know
a.handkcrchief, which was described, and in
payment took this coin. This was the first STEP
to the discovery On the morning after the
robbery, when Mr.. Barremore was exam
lining the chamber from whence bad beer
taken his property, he found piece of nail
which, from its substance, appeared to be that
of theto of human being: he put it in paper
and delivered it to the Mayor. The Mayor al
soon as he had obtained information of the de-
scription of merchandise which the person OBJ.
tanned for the coin, sent a numbered guards
to the market, with instructions to notice il
any slave should have on a handkerchief
of the description given by the person who
sold the article. No discovery was made
The mayor, from the first information that was
given.him, suspected the thief was one Stew
art, slave of Mr.. Bringer, and not discovering
the man, had the slave arrested. He had on a
handkerchief Of the description sold to the
negro who gave.the coin marked L. Nj. in pay
r1ent. He denied the fact of the robbery; and
being ordered to take off his shoe and stocking,
he did TO, but'the nails on that foot were per-
feet. When, however, he was ordered to lay
bare the left foot, it was discovered that the
nail of the large toe had been broken, and on
putting the piece found by Mr.. Barremor re, to
the part fractured, they were'found to pertain
to zach other! This is, indeed, very strange
discovery and no less forcible than strange
On being duly questioned by the Mayor, the
fellow confessed that he was the thief and gave
information where tho greater part of the pro-
perty Knight be found He was committed for
trial