Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1842-11-18
CIRCULATING EJYL REPOREs.
BY MISS sgDawfcK

BY MISS sgDGwfcK.
A melancholy instance Of the cruelty Of
the circulation Of evil reports occurred
few years since in the city Of New York.
A young man whom shall call William
Murphy the son Of wealthy. conspicu-
Gus. and old inhabi,ant of the city, con.
tracted an Intimacy with person 81 very
captivating manners and depraved morals.
William, young and unsuspicious was fiat
tered with the attention of this man, and
was betrayed by him into many folies
and sins. His father was immersed in
business, his only sister was constantly in
the gay world. and none Of Williams
family suspected the dangers into which
he was led. nor did he know the amount
of them until his bad in,imate-(fr friend
will not call him detected in cheat
ing a, gaming table, and forged note
and was obliged to fly from the city.
William had been tempted by this man
to the gaming table he had suffered hea.
w losses there and been led into other
wrong doings The knowledge Of all this
came like ,hunderbolt upon his family.
They were overwhelmed with mortifica.
ton and grief. William shut himself up
in his room.
The Murphys were distinguished peo.
pie, nothing in the city was talked Of so
much as the disgrace of William Murphy.
Everything he had done, were told and
re,old, and every idle word brought TO the
Murphys, by people calling themselves
particular friends Mr.. Somebody heard
Mr.. Somebody else, who was very init
mate with the Murphys, say that they
should wonder If William had not some-
thing to do with the forgeries? The next
person through whose hands the report
passed, said William had something TO do
with them, and the next edition of the sto-
ry was that William had actually received
the money got by the forgery, and paid
his gaming debts with it.
Oh, could those persons who thus talk
ed over the calami'ies and disgrace Of the
son Of their friend rs they would have dis.
cussed common news have looked into the
house of the wre!ched Murphys! Could
they have seen the father pacing up and
down his spacious apartments. his heart
filled with grief and disappointment at the
disgrace of his own son-could they have
seen the mother rise from sleepless pll.
low with Il sunken eye and fintterlng heart,
could they have seen the domesllcs reno-
wing again and again the untouched dish
es f.om the tables useless'y spread and
above all. could they have followed the
sister 10 the room of that poor young man,
and see him. the picture Of remorse and
misery, while she hung over him. trying.
in vain, TO convince him that the faults
were irre,rie, able. that the storm would
pass over and his father would again look
upon him with kindness. Think you If
they had seen all this, land with the eye
of true sympathy they might have seen
i,.) they could, by aggravating evil re-
ports, have muItip led and sharpened the
arrows that were piercing the bosoms OF
this unhappy family! Had they by gen.
erous effor, Of the imagination for one mo.
ment put themselves in the Murphys pIa>
ces, had they initiated Him who without
sin, was touched with the feeling OF our
irfirmi,es, they would have been silent.
or mu,tered only words of kindness But
alas alas they csrelessly cast stones
which were TO infict death
One of the two or the three friends, who
had broueh, in the flying reports called
into Mr.. Murphy's the second evening af-i
ter the disclosure, and told him. as reciev-
ed facts, the rumors about the forgery.
The momen, the visitor had departed Mr..
Murpy went for the first time TO Williams
apartment, repeated what he hadjust heard
and demanded in a voice almost sutf0ca-
ted with emotion, disclosure OF the
| whole truth.
The poor man had tasted for forty eight
hours he was weak and confused
The sight Of his father. the anguish OF his
dsordered countenance, and the anger
flashing from his eye, deprived him OF all
use Of his mind. He made no attempt TO
| explain the circumstances alleged against
him. Easily as it was, he did notsee
how he could ex,ricase himself from sus-
picion. His faculties were suspended.
He merely feeblv asserted his innocence.
| This was afterwards proved beyond all
question, and many circumstances came TO
| licht that aIleviated the sins he had COM
mi,ted, bu. alas too late for this victim OF
evil reports. The morning after this 10.
terview with his father he was found dcan
in his bed An empty landanum vial was
beside his pillow. Truly, "'here IS l'ie
and death in the tongue.
trust, my young friends. this story
NAV awaken your attention to the subJecs
Of evil reports. 1t may be rare that such
fatal injury is inflicted as the instance
have related-bnt if they do no other harm
they certainly harm your own souls