Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1830-11-19


If the rates Of heaven had opened and Showed
her white robed spirit at the nsht hand OF !he
throne ANY WHY should any rueful iameh'a,ioh
have been walled over the Senseiess dust: nu'
on the way home over the hills, and IN the hnsh
of evening beside their hearths. and IN the sun.
ness of NIGHT on their bets-all-youn@ anu o'a
all did nothing but weep
Far werks-snch was the pity. grief, ana awe
inspired by this portentons crime ana 'a'heh'ao,e
calamity. that all the domestic onsoinSs III an
the houses far and wide, were melancholy anu
uourufu,. as # the country had been fearing q
visitation of the plague. Sin. 1t was le!t, haa
hr,uebt not only snrrow on thu parish, bat shame
that ares would not wipe away; ami strangers
as they trav ,led through the nicer, would P"nt
70 the place where the foulest murder had Deen
committed IN all the annals OF crime. As 'or
the family at Noorside-the daughter had their
boundless ompassion-though n" eye had seen
her since the funeral: but people IN speaking Oh
the father, would still shake their heads ana put
their fingers to their lips, and say 10 one announcer
in whispers. that Gilbert AdamSoh had once beem
bald. bad man-that his religion IN spite oi al,
his repuIsive austerIty. wore not the aspect Vi
tru,h-and that had he held a strIcter ana strong
err hand on the errors ofhls misguided SON. ts '"ni
deed had net been perpetrafed' nor '!a' "rH'ch-
ed sinners soul given 10 pertiliion. Yet o'''e's
had eentler and humaner thoughts. They re-
mem6ereJ him waking along. God-supported,
beneath the b;er-and at the mOoth OF Tie grave
and feared TO look on that hcad--iormeriy
grizIIcd.but now quite when on The very iir9t
Sabbath after the murder he took his place III the
elders seat-& was able to stand upa!ong with the
rest Of the congregation, when the nlnsler pray
ed for peace to his soul. and hoHeA Tor deliver
ance out Of jeopardy. of MIN NOW lying iii bonds.
A low Amen went all around the kirk at these
wor,is-for he most hopeless called 10 mind that
maxim of law. equity. and jnstice-,hat every
man under accusation of crime should be heifl
innocent till he is proved to be guilty. Nay,
human tribunal might condemn hin, and YET
might he stand acquitted before tie tribunal OF
God.
There were various accounts Of the behaviour
or fine prisoner Some said that he was despe-
ratc!y Observation-Disclosures. sunk In sullen apathy
and indifcrence-and one or two per sons belong
Ing 10 the parish. who had seen him. declared
that he seemed 10 care not for himself but to be
plunged In profound melancholy for the tate OF
Margaret Burnside, whose name he voluntarily
mentioned. ard then bow ed his head on bis knees
and wept His guilt he neither admitted at that
interview nor dpricd--but he confessed that some
circumstances bore hard against him-and that
ne was rreUarrd for the event of his trial, con-
drmnation and death. Bat # yOu not guilty.
I.udwc. mho car le he murderer? Not the
.iohtest shade Of suspicion has fallen on any
other pcr>on--aud dld not, alas. the body bleed
when'--. The unhappy wretch sprang Vi
from the bed. u SAID Al these words, and hur-
rird like d majn.p bach and forward along the
| stone nunr # h- cell. ''T"a--yca. at last he
| ,ficd. ..'he n,or'5 aad eo-tiiis If NY Margaret
4
hand on her cclj hosnm l. is Gods tru;h!"-
:. Gods trut'':' .Yr.-(sni's truth. | saw
| one drop. and then another. rricklc towards me
and pla,ed to our saviour to wipe them Oh
before other eyes might bebnd the dreadful Wit
nesses againsme: hut at that hour Heaven was
| most unmeroiuI: for these two small drops. as
all of vcu saw, >u0n brcamc very stream; and
| all her face. neCl, and Dfea-tvOu saw II as well
| as [. miserahr- NJ last drenChed III blood.
| Then NAV haze confessed that was guilty
did |, o did ihat. confess il? Tell me: for |
| remember nutji,g 81 'inotiy:-but If dii. the
Judgment If blinded Heaven. then Furnishing
me for my sins, had made me worse tiar mad:
| add so had all ytur abnorrent ewes: ard men. It
! ; did ccpess.i was The cruelty Of G"d that
| drove nc to ii--aud your cruelty, which was
creat-fnr no nv had any one for me thar day.
though Margare Burisido Ia, before me mar
dered corpse; and hoarse thisrer came to my
ear urging mt tdconfcss. well believe from no
human lips. bnFrom the Father of Lies. who, at
that hour. was :irred to leave the pil 10 ensuare
my soul" Sucl was said to have been the main
sense If What lsu'ered IN the presence of two
or three who hadformcrv been among MS NEST
intimate friends ard who knew net, on leaving
HIS cell aud comig into the open ai;, whether TO
,hink him innocent or guilty. As long as they
though, they 81 his eyes regarding them. and
that they heard Is voice speaking, hey believed
him innocent: W when the expression of the
tone of his yoic. and of the look Of his eyes,
which they had ilt belonged To innocence, died
away from their emory-then arose against him
the strong, st,ane circumstanfial evidence. which
wisely or uhYeely) lawyers and judges have
said cannot IL and then, i'll their hearts, one
and all Of the, pronounced him guilty.
iiut had not Is father nftcn visited he priso-
ner's ceIls Of e-and once n!y--for in obed
dence to his s,k passionate PRAYER, bcseechin.
m-ifthsre IRE any mercy left either on earth
or a'cn--frer more to enter that dungeon.
the miScrabhparent had not again entered the
prison-butR had been seen enc mr. rning at