The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1837-06-30


enmsianres occurred 10 The well known
Even kepean. in the Home Department.
The popular version afIhe story had been,
that he was warned By a vision tn save
The lives II lhTee or four men condemned
To die. but repreEed; and who. bur for the
vision. would have persisted. through the
under-Secreiars's neglect in fora ardlng
the reprIeye. On Sir Evans being sub
sequently asked how far this sI0ry was
iInie, his answer was: The narrative
romanees little. but what il alludes to
was the ul0sl extraordinary thing that
ever happened 10 me-" The simple facts,
a. told by himself. are these: One night,
during his office az under Secretary. he
lelt The most unaceounlable wakelulness
thai could se imagined; he was in perfect
health. had dined early, aud bad nothing
whaieyer on his mind to keep him awake.
Sill. he found all his attempts 20 sleep
impossible. and from eleven IlIl two in
the morning, had never closed an eve.
At length, weary of this struggle. and as
the twilight was breaking. (i was in
summer, he determined TO Try what
would he the effect Of walk in the park.
There he saw nothing but the sleepy SEN
tinels. But. in his walk, happening 10
pass the Home Office several times. he
thought Of ie,llng himselfin with his key,
though without any particular object.
The book Of eOiIies Of the day before
still lay On the table and through sheer
lisIlessnes he opened il. The firsi thing
he saw appalled, him" reprieEe 10 be
sent 30 York for the coiners ordered for
execution" The execution had been
appointed for the mex, day. IL struck him
that he had received no return to his Or
der to send the reprieIe. lie searched
. the " minules;" he could not find IL there.
! In alarm, be went to the house OF the
/ chief clerk. who hved IN Downing street,
knocked him up, (n was then past three, J
aud asked him il he knew any thing oi
! the reprleve being sent In grea, alarm,
the chief clerk cpuld not remember.
" You are scarcely awake" sand Sir
Evan. recOllect yourself; II must have
i, been sent"
| The chief clerk said that he now recol-
lecied he had sent II tn the clerk of the
Crown. whose business u was 10 forward
il to York.
GOOD" said Sir Evan. 81 But have
you his receipt and certificate that'h il
gomez"
NO"
"Then come with me TO his house
we must find him. it is so early" |
was four. and the clerk Of the Crown hv
ed in Chancery-lane. There was nj
hackney-eoach tn be seen, and they al
mos, ran. They were jus, in time. Th,
clerk of the Crown had country house
and, meaning TO have long holiday, h,
was al that moment stepping into his gil
to go to his villa. Aslonlshed at the vi
sit of the under-Secrelary Of State at sucl
an hour, he was still more 50 al his bust
ness.
" Heavens!'' cried he, &" the reprievu
a Is tucked up in my deskw II wa
brought. Sir Evan sent TO the post offic
for the uuest and fleetest express. Tn
reprieve reached York next morning jus
at the moment the unhappy men were as
cending the cart.
With Sir Evan Nepean, we fully sgre
in regarding this liule narrative as one {
the mos, extraordinary that we have eve
heard. We shall go further even tina
! he acknowledged, and say. that, to us
. appears striking evidence OF what W
= should conceive a superior interposltior
r II is true that no ghost appears, nor
; any prompting voice audible: yet tn
l result depended upon so long successio
} of what seemed chances, and each ,
. these chances was at once so improbabI
, and so necessary, that we are almost con
A PEELED TO regard the whole as MAKER
, an influence not TO be attributed to maj
a IL the first link Of The chain might pa
= for common oceurrence-as, undoubte
: ly, fits Of wakefulness will happen wit
i out any discoverable ground in the sta
e of either body or mind-still, what cou
be less in the common course of thlnl
), than thus waking, he should take it in
Il his head to get up and take a walk in Il
:, park at two in the morning? Yet, if
i had, like others, contented himself wi
h taking walk round his chamber,
e enjoying the cool air at his window, n
e one of the succeeding events could ha'
n occurred. and the men must have BET
Al sacrificed. 0rif, when he took this " al
n he had been content with getting rid
g the feverishness of the night. and retur
ed TO his bed, the chain would have be-
broken; for what was more out of Z
natural course of events than that, al II
in the morning, the idea should come IL
"a the head of any man TO 60 to his oflit
Or and SIT down in the lonely rooms Of