The pilot and transcript. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1840-1841, 1840-07-28
THE PILOT.
THE WIFE OF LOCuMABEN.

I %
named James Neill, whose death gave rise to
singularly romantic story, and finally to Grim
inal trial at the Circuit-Court of Dumfries. The
story was related to me by strollmg gipsey of
the town OF Lochmaben, pretty near as follows:
The smiths wife had been for several years in |
a state of great bodily suffering and debility, !
which she bore with all resignation, and even
cheerfulness, although during the period of her
illness, she had been utterly neglected by her
husband, who was of loose prohigate character,
and in every thing the reverse OF his wife. Her
hours were however greatly cheered by the COM
pany of neighbouring widow, of the same de-
vout and religious cast of mind with herself
These two spent most Of their time together,
taking great delight in each others society.
The widow attended to all her friends little
wants, and often watched by her bed good part
of the night, reading to her out of the Bible and
other religious books, and giving every instance
of disinterested kindness and attention
The gallant blacksmith was all this while cor
selling himself in the company of another jolly
buxom queen, of the tinker breed, who lived IN
an apartment under the same roof with him and
his spouse. He seldom visited the latter; sut
ON pretence of not disturbing her, both boarded
and lodged with his swarthy Egyptian. Never
| theless, whenever the two devout friends said
their evening prayers, the blacksmith was not
forgotten, but every blessing besought to rest on
his head.
One morning, when the widow came in about
the usual hour to visit her friend, she found, to
her utter astonishment, that she was gone, tho
she had been very i'll the preceding night. The
bSd-clothes were cold, the fire on the hearth was
gone out, and part OF her daily wearing aPPar-
| ell was lying at tbs bedside as usual.
| She instantly ran and informed the smith
But he hated this widow, and answered her
churlishly, without deigning to look up TO her,
or so much as delaying his work for moment to
listen to her narrative. There he stood, with
his sleeves rolled up to his shoulders, pelting
| away at his hot iron, and bidding his informant
<tgang to the devil, FOR auld praying hypocrlt-
ical Jade: an if she did ma find her praying
snivelling croDy there, to seek her where she
saw her last. II she did ma ken where she was,
how was he to ken?"
The widow alarmed the neighbours, and
general search was instantly set ON foot; but be-
| fore that time the body of the lost woman had
been discovered floating in the middle of the loch
| adjoining the town. Few people paid any atten-
ton to the unfortunate circumstance. They
| knew or believed, that the woman lived unhap-
! PLY and on bad terms with her husband, and had
| no doubt that she had drowned herself in fit
| of despair; and, impressed with all the horror
| that country people naturally have OF suicide,
! they refused her the rights of Christian burial.
! The body was, in consequence, early next morn
! ing, tied between two dales, and carried out to
the height, several miles to the westward OF the
town, where it was consigned to a dishonorable
| grave; being deep buried precisely III the march,
| proprietors
Time passed away, and the gossips of Loeb
maben were very free both with the character of
the deceased and her surviving husband, not for
getting his Jolly Egyptian The more prohigate
part eil tiiesalia bitants said, ssthey never saw
| opy good come o. muckle canting an pray
| ing, am singing o. psalms; an that for a the
wife's high pretensions to religious zeal, an
faith, an hope am a. the lave OF, there she had
| pien herself up to the dell at ae smack" But
| the more serious part of the community only
shook their heads, and said, sFalas, it was hard
lzenning feuk frae outward appearances; for
| name VIVA lend that wife wad haze expectt sic
an end as thisw
But the state of the widows mind after this
horrible catastrophe, isnot to be described. Her
confidence in the mercy of heaven was shaken;
and she began TO doubt of its justice. Her faith
was stunned, and she felt her heart bewildrcd in
its researches after truth. For several days she
was so hardened, that she dared not fall on her
| knees before the footstool OF divine grace. But
after casting all about, and finding no other hold
or anchor, she again, one evening, in full bitter
ness of heart, lIneeled before her Maker, and
poured out her spirit in prayer; begging, that if
the tenets she held, were 'tenets of error, and
:. dsapproved of by the fountain oil life, she might
be forgiven, and directed in the true path to
heaven.
When she had finished, she sat down on her
lowly form, leaned her face upon both her hands,
and wept bitterly, as she thought ON the dismal
exit of her beloved friend, with whom she had
last PRAYED. As she sat thus, she heard the
footsteps of one approaching her, and looking
up she beheld her friend, whom she supposed to
have been dead and buried, standing on the
floor, and looking to her with face of so much
! mildness and benignity, that the widow, instead
4 of being terrified, was rejoiced to see her. The
! following dialogue then passed between them,
asnearly as could gather it from the confused
narrative Of a strolling gypsy, who, however,
|
fEtiod of mercy preserve us, Mary, is that you
Where have you been, We thought it had been
you that was found drowned in the Loeb"
| EAnd who did you think drowned ne!'
awe thought you had drowned yourself"
och, fe! how could you do me so much injus-
tice? Would Il at have been aught in conformi-
ty to the life we two have led together, and the
sweet heavenly conversation we maintained!
ssWhst could we say? Or what could we think!
The best sometimes left to themselves. But
| where have you been, Mary"
az have been on journey, far away"
/ s'But why did you go away without informing
mew
esI was hurried away, and had no time"
"But you were so ill, how could you go away"
81 am better now. never was so well in my
life, no, not in the gayest and happiest hour
ever saw. My husband cured me-"
"Howdid he cure you"
ssWith bottle"
seWhy then did he not inform us? cannet
| comprehend this. Where have you been, Mary"
| 81 have been on journey at strange place
But you do not know it, my dear friend. You'll
know only the frst stage at which rested on
nv way, and cold "a up lodging il is. 1t was
| at place called che Crane Moor" i
| "Hcaven defend us. That was the name CT
| the place where they buried the body that was
| found in the Loeb. Tell me implicitly, Mary,
were you not deadn'
| elbow can you ask such question? DO you
not see me alive, and well, and cheerful, ana
happy"
ri know and believe that the soul can never
die. but strange realities come over my mind
| Tell me, was it not your body that was found
| floating in the Loeb, and buried in shame and
disgrace on the top OF the Crane Msor."
ssYou have so far judged right; but am raised
L he dead AZ and restored 10 NE, L