South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1835-08-15

times haunted by strange impressions.
He, on his death bed, confessed to a
very worthy and respectable gentle.
man who stood by him, that he had
been a PIRATE, and belonged to a
pira,ical crew, who took the vessel in
which Mrs. Aston had embarked,
That after the crew and passengers OF
the captured vessel were all despatch
ed, she alone remained TO be disposed
Of Each man expressed an nnwil-
liugness to become the executoner.
They finally drew lots, to see whose
duty it should be to destroy her !; that
il unfortunately fell upon him. Upon
learning her fate, she begged strongly d
patheticaIly for her life; she eolreat.
ed them TO spare her. She told them
she was Mrs. Aston, the daughter OF
Aaron Burr, who had been Vice Pfes-
dent ofthe U. States and that he was
awaiting her 10 N. York, where She was
going on to join him, in his ADVERSELY
that he made her walk the plank,
Which, finding she could not avert,
she 6oally did, with great frmness and
composure !! He was an illterate
man, and probably never read any
thing on the subject.
For some days previous to his death,
be imagined he saw her in the room
and would convuisiveiy point TO differ
ent parts of the chamber, exclaiming
with much earnestness-" There, there
she is'' and would ask the bystanders
if they did not see her. This delusion
tormented him as long as he could
make himself understood, when be d.
ed most miserable death ~
Shocking Murder.-A correspon-
den, of the Raleigh Register, relates
the particulars Of shocking murder,
recently committed, within few miles
Of Chapel Hill, N. c.. A man by the
name of Aston Durham went to the
house of his cousin, Landsay Durham,
and finding no one there but the wife
of the latter, (who was carding, took
up gun, and, with single blow, i'm
Aicted with the breech, killed her on
the spot. He then went out into the
field, where the husband was at work,
and insisted that he should 60 to the
house. On his arrival he found the
the lifeIess body Of his wife lying on
the floor with the cards in her hands,
He turned to his cousin and remarked
-"Oh Aston, this is your work Pr
so, will put you in the same fix !"
and suiling the action to the word, he
an attack on the husband,
who saved his life by flight. The
murderer was arrested, and is now in
Jail. 1t appears that be courted his
victim some two or three years since,
but she rejected his addresses, and
from that time, he has been subject to
occasional fits of insanity. He had
told the husband, that as she would
not have him she should never be
source of comfort to any one else
Both the parties are said to be highly
respectable.
A most valuable invention has late.
|y been made by MIR. James Hamilton,
Of New York, which will be the means
Of saving an immansity Of labor in
this country. tits machine for teN-
ing trees. The New York American
gives, from the New York Mechanics
a description of it, accom>
panied by drawing. This machine
requires very little more space for use
than is required for the swing Of an
axe, and may be used in almost any
situation in which a man can use an
axe. 1t may be moved from tree to
tree by one man, who can with it cut
Though stem OF two feet diameter in
five minutes: two men will however
work il to more advantage. II is so
as to admit Of saws OF
different lengths according to the size
Of the tree. "A committee of the Amer.
lean Institute at New York commend
i, in strong terms. 1t cuts the stumps
uniformly of an equal height, and at
least foot nearer the ground than 10 u
sual, whereby the most valuable part of
the timber is saved, besides all the Of
Ter labor OF squaripg the end. The
cost Of The machine is about lifly dol-
lars, and i, is believed that with il two
men can fell as much timber in Civ.
en- time az twenty can with the axe.
We understand that sixty-three co..
pies of the paper, entitled "HyMAN
)" Issued from Boston, were re-
ceived at the Pos, Office, in this City,
mnrhinu. OF these. more