Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1841-03-20
TF q y e. D. "A n ".
HE s UICiDE.
A TALE OF TRUTH.

==-1 A TALE OF TRUTH.
'l!ow dreadful are thy judgments, o Lord
The occurrences, of iai'y INTERCOURSE, afford suf.
ficioEst fact, 10 draw o neral ftom-but how muct
more impressive and startling mat he tho end u
fhc ungodly. Taesunyaruished tsIcI am shou
10 relate, came under my own personal obser VA.
ton. How often have | viewed sin, vithou'
emotion, and paused the 'rn of vice, without
thought and es il. 10 throw 9 drcndfal lesson, in
my .~sy, | witnessed Il scrne, which ! trust mny
never ngajn happen. During n s'ny at tho ltatt
villngo Of |. -- n frontier station, I became nc.
1uiuted with the D--'s. n family Of respectable
iiy, and shared the comforts and pro cction oi
their hosfit bile roof. D. was q man of un-
bitnisl-d character, and noted for bis gond
works. ! hs-e seen him 90 to bis corn crib, ard
djvae liz %cantontn with the sufi.rine widow, and
many n ponr uauderor received bis life from this
charitable man, when perhaps every door was shut
and The cold look Of distrust and scera met the
fnpioting eye OF the invalid. Taken with open
nuns, watched over with The kinlnres and soiici-
tude Of a flther. his own garments to cIotf,e the
needy, aud when restored to health the herd earn
ed savings Of o life Of toll, renunrrasirg the at
ttntion Of the physician, and supplying the Wants
Of the destitute.
Such wns y --- md oh! how often have I
tbotrht Of hin, cugicd the serene bosom, aud
acts, worthy Of an angel. and unknown amone
the willis il, which Ae lived. D $3.50 married into n
family, by which means, he became related n the
object Of this simple story Sabefts'--gho mar
riej Dis Wits sister. Roberts was a man Of ma
turdl smattuess, and as | understood. received a
collegiate cjucsiion, in orc If the best institutions
In the United States. Thinking himself above
the population al large in natural sonse, ail!ed lY
Il ~superio! education, and perhaps led on by IN
rovrrnablc pride, he determined. sac afterwards he
ackngwEpdged'-hy asifcc and dishonesty, to A
mass a fortune. gained by vice, from the supposed
simple uudi,cerning public. His profession was
that If a lawyer, and soon he gaineda seat as
Judge, in the courts Of lis country. For some
litne he ptospercd. Tia, wealth which he cove'~
ed, appeared to flow to him in n steady stream
But soon his hopes were dashed to the ground,
and flushed With continued success, he threw
aside tho cauiionarymevement OF concealed vice,
re<,rting TO the misguided attempt. of overthrow.
ing ,ruttl aud justice. Great excitement prevail.
al among the people, with regard to o suit on the
court docket. "A swiadler prosecuted for obtain.
ing by unfair means q negro ba'angjDg to aneigh-
bor.' The particulars Of the trial, need not he en-
tered into; suffice it TO say that Judge Roberts,
took a large bride from the swindlef, given TO pro-
49, - ,... ri
with the people, and after q long discussion, the
Jrry. retired 10 consider the case, and returned
with a verdict, ms it should have been. 10 favour
ofthc iniufed patty. Judge Roberts, retnonstfat.
Cd. pfeaded, commanded; in vain. the Jury were
obstinate, and the swindler received the sentence
Of Imprisonment and q heavy fine for bis rascalic
ty. Exaggerated beyond measure, be openly pro-
claimed the bribe given TO the Judge, before the
crowded house, ard the guilty Roberts, Rfd from
the court house to conceal the workings Of shame
bursting from his pride stricken breast Through
the in.erceesion of1his friends,suit was not brought
against him, but he 10 more filled the dignIfied
seat, of a public administration Of justice. Asa
resort, Of the discovered sinners, Roberts
sought 10 destroy the upraidings of guilty con-
science, nv drowning reason IN the burning rota-
tons Of the drunka,d. III vain vas every effort
tried, to soothe him, and gradually to bring him to
a sense of duty. Confinement. Feasonings, dur
inp the short intervals Of consciousness, even the
kind inplorings Of a gentle alfsctionate wife. fall
ed 10 excite q single spark 10 ignite the soft fame
Of repentance within him; hut instantly destroyed
all the generous and heavenly feeling Of the re-
pentan. sinner, aud again, plunged deeper, and
deeper, into the descending vortex to Internal
damnalion. II was 40 awful sight to behold the
once hiehmindeh, intellectual man, fallen from
tie rational being to the most degraded around
the gaming table, and the most btasphemous of
tie drunken sots. His property was soon vast
ed, his home a domestic hell, and more then once
the appraised arm. dashed The hear,-broken wife
to the hoo1. answering her entrea'iss and meek
with the most awful curses and bias
phemies, agains, his maker, for the casting him
out from the path Of duty. AT Lass none dared
to approach bin, and one evening he seriously
manned q by-stander, so that it was thought pfu.
dent 10 confne him. THUS. into the dark dun
renn, instead o. exciting feelings of reaorse and
repentance, he gave way to the most hoffid curses
fruirlessly attempted to tear down the strong
walls, with his feeble strength wrought up to the
highes. pitch, and no doubt aided by a disor-
Iered mind, the midnight sir re echoed his re-
wings, and hoarseIy did be shout to the listening
villagers macy a dreadful phantom, as it appear
cd before his heated Imagination. Suddenly
all ives still, and the keepers of The Jail. think
ing that heI had sank into slumber, from the
e~xertions and fatigue. attending his at
,enp,s TO escape, thought proper nc, to enter
has cell until morning. At las, morning broke,
and we entered the damp place of confinement
but instead Of beholdiag the abandoned, in q