Morning herald., 1839-10-25

might be involved in utter rum. All these crcum.
stances combined, made him n,iserablv nervous ana
excltahle and II is Thought, overtopped his reason
for some time neore the tragedy.
As snon therefore, A. he heard Of his chi ld's
riage, he became intensely excicd he said nothing,
however, 10 Sarah Ann about IL; he ate no dinner
but went t. a legal friend who promise ed make
qnries into the affair, and afnrn him o the result
att o'clock His wife asked him what was the mat
ter; he replied, ''sou'll know soon, my dear,
you'll know too, too soon = HI walked the hnuSe
rrsess;y, exciaiming ''at four o'clock shall know
my fate; but >aid nothing 10 his daaghter pn the
subject Between three and four he ent TO his
lawyer aud saws copy oi the marriage Certificate;
they then bnth went 10 the store where Peak
kept, and Mr. Wood asked him il he had the oriein
al Of that certificate. Peak said he had MIR. w ood
became frenzed; he raved and said 10 him, "you
scoundrel, you swindler, you black leg, TO steal my
daughter, my dear, dear daughter; You gambler and
bankrupt; go to the poor girl who had child by
YOU; black leg and VILLAIN; OH villain! VILLAIN! thus
10 rob father in his old age Of his dearest
Peak said, "lts all done, now, Mr.. Wood, you'd
better be calm about it," Mr.. Wood replied, Come
not near me; don't touch me, you black leg you
gambler, you yillais," and rushed from the store,
running through the street to his own store round
the csrner.
As her father had left the store, Miss
Wood suspectng that he had found out the marriage,
went up into her bed and put on her bonnet
and shawl. She then went into the garret and tried
10 get cut oi the dormant window; she slipped; and
then she west into the cock loft and rot out the
roof OF the house, which is almost fiat at the top
She walked across the roof Of one store, (Mr.
Cook and seeing the trap OF the next store open
(Mr. Kerr's china warehousc) she entered il, and
descended through the several rooms filled with
crockery, to the street; there being there 10
see her bat boy, who thought she mad been to look
al Some china As soon as she left Mr. Kerr's she
went round 10 Mrs. PennclFs in Race street
Mr. Wood on h,s return, found his daughter gone,
and became frantic. His reason, which before was
toterng, seems then tohave forsook him altogether.
He had his store closed and ed again. and
his house boted and barred. lie raved on Peak
before, but uttered oath. cursed his
daughter In "A short time he rushed out into the
street, and stopped several strangers, asking them
for his daughter In front of tho fremont House he
caught hold Of two or three strange gentlemen from
New Yors, raving, q NV child, nay daughter. my
dear. dear daughter; you'll give me up my child
you'll give me back my dau gh,er-my only daught-
err tie went round the city in this way all the
evening crying and calling every one for his
daughte and finally reached home perfect maniac,
where he walked the house all night frantic and
raving.
Peak soon found tina, Miss Wood had ran from
home, and went round 10 Mrs. Pennells, whe,e he
found her He then told her to walk to the corner
Of Franklin square, where he also went by another
road, put her INTO carriage and they were driven
to a Mr.. Wood's, adisiiller, near the Schuylkl.-
Here they stayed short time, and returned TO Mrs
Peanelps. Here the father came enquiring for the
daughter and was told she not there The fright
and the whole affair had made Miss w God very un.
,ceH Peak went round 10 Mr.. Woods house and
his three sons, who begged Peak TO le. their
sister return, because their father raving and
their mother distracted and IL was feared she would
not live till morning IL she did not her daughter
Peak promised she should return home in the morn
Ing. He then went back 10 Pencils, sat up till ~
o'c,ock. when Miss Wood went 10 bed, aud Peak
soon followed. What passed, or rather what did
not pass, that night between these two have al
ready told. To be sure, Miss Wood was an,ceL,
she was much alarmed and frightened, and slept but
little. Peak says that be sept soundly; and in rea-
tion 20 his not consnmmatiDg the marriage, he says
II told Saray Ann that he generality of the werld
would Taught al me for the course acted with her,
but thought I'D be to her like brother for little
while. She said nothing 10 this; she only bnshedv'
Thus was this night spent; or, rather, thus was
this night sadly mis-spent; in the morning Peak
at five O'clock and Miss w ood maiden
pure about six She ate break and ABOUT eight
nine o'clock he took her round 10 his boarding
house. She there her mother, and the inter-
view heart rending About 10 or III o'ccock she
returned to her fathers house-ihere again the scene
distressing Her father fell into an hysterical
ft the instant he saw her. aud continued on the
floor for some time, held by three men. As soon as
he recovered he said to her. "Icll me Sarah Ann,
are you a maid a woman" She made no ans wer
Those present ted him she could not that be
fore strangers, and all the men left the room Her
nothcr asked her IL the marriage had been consum.
mated; she eyadcd the question aad merely replied,
with him all night " where said her
mother. "At afriends, )" said she "What friends
asked her mother. AT a friends" she repeated
th,s was all that passed on that portion Of the
subject
Her father was frantic, but upbraded her not; his
friends said "Be calm, Mr. Nocd." He replied,
"Oh my dear friends, she deserved better fate; my
child my my only treasure to be lost thus forever
Poverty could have borne; IL he had OF had a
coat 10 his back; IL he had only honest name but
gambler. a black leg. q swiudling bankrupt who
does dare pu. bis name over the store where he
lives; oh heaven. II is too dreadful" He went on
thus for an hour, and then Miss Wood returned TO
Peaks boarding house In the afternoon she went
back 10 her fathers house, and never again left IL
alive. This was saturday evening, and on Monday
morning she was shot.
The events of the last act of this drama thicken
very fast after this. Mr.. Wood evidently contem.
plated shooting himself; for on Saturday night he
went ou, and bought four pistols; he tried two or
three stores before they would let him have them
lie then went into an unfinished building TO shoot
himself he LETT II, however, alive; he then went 10
Evsnss tavern, IN George street, and asked FOR a
private room, as he wanted 20 write letter home
Knowing him and seeing his distracted manner,
they refused, and told him to go home Had they
gives him the use Of the room. he would don btess
have written letter home and blown his brains out
He went home, walked the room all s,ghf; laid his
head On his daughters pillow, as she Law in bed aud
wep, like child lie called her dear, dear dsush
ter and begged her not TO leave him He then
would start and declare ne would kill those who
came " take her from him. On sunday he was out
nearly a'' day lie still treated her Kindly. Peak
lrrked round the back &C the house and saw her al
intervals during sunday; he also spoke 20 the bro.
theirs, aid asked them " the father likely 10