Southern telegraph., 1837-07-25

itt'iA sittAi aSFDu lita Nfedel-hius uuu present
ed tito bis fiend-'Let this said he, sra
mind you something Of Kentucky. trs
that when visit you, next year, / shall Sc,
il aderning the person Of some favored fai
oDe.'
4 have no such confidence laughingly
returned the cher; aud handing him sil
yer halted pen knife curiOusly embossed
they thenparied.
As sllamllon was riding slowly hnmeward
engaged in thought, and holding his bride
loosely, a deer spnng suddenly from a
lhicket and feAI in the road before his horse,
which stared and threw bin 10 the ground.
ln examining the deer which had been NOR
tally wounded, and was still struggling.
come Of the blood was sprinkled on his
ldress,which had been otherwise soiled By bis
fall. Paving little attention to these cir
cumstanees he returned home,
| A vague report was brought TO ihe vii
llage that The body Of murdered man was
| found near Scostsyille. Il was first men
lonedby traveller, ID company where
Hamilton was present; and he Instantly
exnlain 30 doubt il Is saunders--how
lialIsA that leh himn and then re-
||'led 81 EsAl t'|emeHa His manner
some saspi.
Fabolaled BY
s were cau-
lIo dare not
e whole con.
honest, frank
aen away with
NNl Known 10 havo been in
d money. Since.
|l 9I debts 10 a large
knife 0f Saunders was
nds-yet none were
w |ise, to hazard direct
ace sH
were At hand, and llamil-
~a liale f0r the. legislature. In
GIG pEagFs oflhe canyass, the foul charge
vas oeHl8 made, and propagated with the
femlIseless spirit Of party animosity. Yet
hc heard i na until one evening as he sat
NNh Alshisa ID her fathers house. They
we're ctnveFsihg il low accents, when The
sound y an approaching footstep interrupts
ed them, and the father Of Almira entered
the room. 'Mr. HamiIton,' said he, q am
frank man; consented to your union with
my daughter, believing your character to
be unstained; but ] regret to hear that a
charge is made against you, which, if true,
must render YOU amenable to the laws Of
your conntry.'
Hamilton retired-sought the nature of
the charge, and to his inexpressibIe aston
lshment and horror, learned that he was
accused OF the murder and robbery of his
friend! In a state little short Of distraction
he retired to his room, recalled with pain
fuI mnuteness all the circumstances con-
nected with the melancholy catastrophe,
and for the first lime saw the dangerous
ground on which he stood. Bat proud in
conscious Innocence, he felt that to with
draw atthat stage of the canvass, might be
construed into confession Of guilt. Ife re-
malncd candidate, and was beaten. An!
l!tlIe d'dhe know The malign;ty Of man, or
me fatal energy of popular deusion! He
illue rejected, that when the public mind is
Imbued with prejudice, even truth itself
ceases 70 be mighty. Many believed him
guilty, md who, during the canvass indus
tnoiisly circulated the report, now Iabored
with untirlng diligence to collect and ac-
cumuate The evidence which should sustain
their previous assertions. But arrayed in
the panoply of innocence, he stood firm and
confident of acquittal. The best counsel
had been engaged-aud on the day oftral,
Hamilton stood before the assembled coun-
ty--an arraigned culprit in the presence of
those before whom he had walked in honor
from childhood.
As the trial proceeded, the confidence of
his friends diminished, AMI those who had
doubted, bocome confirmed in the belief of
The prisoners guilt. 'TriAes light as cir
become confirmation as strong as proofs of
Holy Writ to the Jealous minds Of the au-
dience.
Ills recent intimacy with the deceased,
and even the attention which friendship and
hospitality had dictated, were ingeniouslv
insisted upon as evidences of deliberate
plan OF wickedncss--Iong formed and grad
ually developed. The facts that he nc
compancd the deceased On his way--thas
he lost the path in a country with which he
was supposed to be familiar-his conduct
Oh hearing Of The death of his frient--the
m1ncy--;he knifc--causcd the most incred.
nlous to tremble for his fate. But when
The brcasipIn Of Hamilton, found near the
body OF The murdered man. was produced,
and pistol known to have been that Of the
prisoner, was proven to have been picked
UP near the same spot--but liitle room was
left even for charity 10 indulge bcneyo-
lent doubt. Nor was this alI--Iho prosecll-
ton had still another wilncss-the pale Girl
who SIT by him, clasping his hlnd in hers,
was unexpectedly called upon to rise up
and give testimony. She shrunk from TIC
ieelug call ,aad buried her face iuher bo-
lher's bosom That blow was ut antici-
paied--tor none but ihe myrilidons Of par.
y vengeance, who bad even violated the
sanctuary Of family confidence. in4 segbel