Virginia free press & farmers' repository. [volume] (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1827-1832, 1831-10-13

at the time her repentance was com.
Plete-l have since had occa,ion Ia
know how vain il is to expect a steady
adherence to the truth from a woman
who has once discarded the mod estv
of her sex.
after the affair became public and i,
was known that had done justice upon
Taylor and Willie. two Of her friend,
came to my house-it was her brother
and cousin. IL was late at night when
they arrived-I invited them TO 90 in
and sec her: her brother went into the
ROOM IN remote part OF the house,
while the other gentleman and myself
remained IN the piazza. She wa. alone
with her brother, and in this confide,,.
ttU conversation she confessed 10 him.
all that she had previously confessed
10 me-after sitting some time with
her he came out 10 Us, and said he ,rns
satisfied. Next morning Col. Gillian
and DR.. Taylor came down. They
saw her alone in her room-she CON
ie.sed TO them what she had ALREADY
acknowledged TO her brother and NV
sell, and they were satisfied beyond
all doubt, from the manner Of her con.
fession, that she was guilty they so
expressed Themselves, in the m ost de.
cided terms, to me. But man il a
SregarIous animal, and has a wonder
fui propensity to 60 in crowds. One
of those individuals, upon whose honor
would have staked my life, has sine e
shown that this instinct in him il
stronger than the love Of TRUTH pity
and forgive him.
"Ithink have now made rood nv
averment. that l would produce evi-
dence that would satisfy every mind
not pre-oeeupied by prejudice upon the
subject. OF every such mind would
ask, II II be possible to resist evidene e
like this Is il not contrary to every
thing we know Of human nature. that
an innocent and sirfuous tcon,nn should
say TO her brother she was false? and
that, too, when she was alone with him.
she could have explained to him her
most secret thought ? II is unnatural
it is impossible. That such evidence
as this should fail to satisfy every BODY
IS only to be accounted for by the fact.
that the community was startled aud
alarmed 10y the severity and Unusual
nature Of the punishment inflicted
IN their surprise and fear they DO not
seem to have halted at all to look for
facts.
"a word or two as to Willie's ties.
timony there is some truth in IL, but
mixed up with much greater share
OF falsehood. He says he though, I
was sporting with him until had
bound his hands this he knows TO he
false. The moment I had put the
strap around his neck he saw my pur
pose was not sport. then led him
some twenty PAGES from the road into
the woods, and there made him cross
his hands and bound them. He lies,
also. where he says he confessed his
guilt from fear, and | think this very
clearly appesrs from bis own testi-
tnony. The fact is, that wIIiie he soas
bound. and 1 stood before him with
my knife drawn, he persisted in de.
claring his innocence. Then. If ever.
he must have been most under the IN
iluence Of feoyy yet IL was not until
after the danger iDas pdsi,-he himself
admits that II was not until after had
operated npon him and turned him
loose--that he made the confession Of
his guilt. He admitted in court that
he had no further apprehension Of ,io.
lercc from me after ] had unbound
him; aud yeti was then for the first time
he acknowledged his guilt. The fact
-, he became extremely curious. after
( l loosed him, to ascertain hotO I had
detected him and more than once,
put to me the identical interrosatorv
"Mr. Potter, h0w did YOU find IL outi''
When told him that she had confess.
ed every thing,he acknowledged il was
so, and expressed wish that il might
never be known. All this, repeat.
was after ! bad operated upon him, and
we had returned 70 the road. Gould
an innocent man ever hsve asked such
question Bot ! sabuit his testi.
timony without comment % the world.
IN the bill If Indictment this youpc
man is described AZ youth Of ten.
der age" Here again, / perceive the
singer Of MIR. SeawelI very DISTINCTLY
whenever . work Of decspfiOn is 20 b,
done, that choice agent is sure 20 be IN
J place. For the information IT those
70 whom Willie il unkno~B, will
state, that he will he seventeen years
old IN April and - nneummobiy wei
grown, being sessrsl inches taller than
myself, and IT about the same weight.
And now for . season, take leave ol
Mr.. Louis X. Willie and the rtUsrsna
Mr.. Taylor. The world. u il think.
proper, may continue to lavish their
sympatbies upon those Scoandreis. ops
Of whom has pedared himself. snd ths
other, in due time, no doubt will 4,
tin the mean time I have this con.