Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1842-02-08
CALCULATING EVIL REPORTS.
ny Mss sEDSwIcK.

a 11N HtDaNINh.
A melancholy instance Of the cruelty of the cir.
culaiion O?evil reports occurred a few days since in
the criy OF New York. A young nun whom I call
William N.rphy, the son Of n wealthy. conspicous,
and old inhabiiant of the city. contracted an intima-
cy with a person OF very captivating manners aud
depraved morals. William. Young. inexperienced
and uususp:t iOus, was aItiered with the attention Of
this man, aud was betrayed by hun into mlny fol-
lies and sins. HE father was immersed in business
ani his only sister was constantly in ihe gay world.
and none Of Williams family suspected the danger,
into which he WAS led. nor did lac the amount OF
Them until his had niimate-tfnend / shall not cal!
hHm) was detected IN cheating At a gaming table
and forged a note aud was obliged To hy from the CT
~.
William had been tempted By this man TO the
gaming liable; he had suffered heavy inses there and
been led inIO other wrong diings The knowledge
81 all HIS came like a ihundcfbold upon his family.
They were overwhelmed with notifications and
grief William shut hm-clf up in his ruoIn.
The MITpiys were distinguished people nothing
in the city was ialkoI Of :, much rs the disgrace OF
William Murphy. Eve:y thing he had done, and
much worse acls than he had not dune, were tod
and rct1ld aud very idle word brought on tue Muir
phys by calling themselves particular friends Mr.
Somebody heard Mr. Somebody else who was very
intimate with the hlurphys say that they should
wonder II William had not something 10 do with the
iorgenesI TIE next person through whose hands
the report passed. said William had something 10 do
with Them. And the next edition Of the Story was.
that William had actually received The money got
by the forsery, and paid his gaming debts with H.
Oh. could those persons who thus taxed over the
ca'amiiies and dIsgrace OF the son Of their friend a.
they would have discussed common news. have look
cd into The house Of the wretched Murphy1 Could
hey have seen the hiher pacing up and down
spacious apartments, his heart filled with grief and
Disgrace of has own son-cOuld they have seen the
mother rise from her ~sleepless pillow with a sunken
! eye and huitering heau-conld they have seen the
domestic removing again and again the untouched
dishes from tables uselessly spread;& above al,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 and endeavOred,
in vain TO convince him that The faalts were not
irretrieyable that the storm would pass over and
his father wLnld again look upon him with kindness.
Think you IL they could have seen oil this, land
with the eye OF true sympathy Ihay might have seen
t) they could by agravating evil reports, have null.
tiplied and ~sharPond the arrows that were piercing
the bosom of this happy amilyl Had they. by a
generous effort Of the imagination, for one moment
put themselves in the hlurphy's places, had they i'm.
itaied Him. who without sin. was touched with The
feeling Of infmiies. they would have been silent
or uttered words Of kindness. Alas, alas! they cara
lessly cast stones which were 10 innicI death!
One Of the two or three friends, who had brought
IN the flying reports, called into Mr. Mrphy'S the Sc
eond eveRing after the disclosure, ard told him
as 70 eeived facts the rumOrs about the forge
". The mOmeRt the visiIer had departed, Mr. Muir
ply went fer Ehe first time TO Williams apartment
repeated what he heard, and commanded in q voice
almost sufOcated with emotion, a confession Of The
whole trsih.
The poor young man had TASTED for forty-eight
hours he was weak and confused. The sight ofhis
iather. the anguish or his disOrdered cOuntenance,
and the anger flashing from his eye, deprived him
OF all use OF his mind. lie made no attempt 10 eH.
plain the circumstances alleged against him. Easi
" rs Il was he did not see how he could extricate
himself from suspicion. His faculties were suspen-
ed. lie merely feebly asserted his innocence. This
was afterwards proved beyond all question, and ma.
ny circumstances came 10 light that alleviaied line
SITS no had committed, but alas too late for tins vic.
ofesil reports The morning after this interview
with The father he was found dead in his bed. an
laudanum vial was beside his pillow -
Truly. There - lie and death in the tongue"
rHsi. my Young friends. this story may awaken
your attention 10 the subject ofeyil reports. Itmay
he rare that such fatal injury is inflicted a. in the in.
lance I have related but IL they do no other harm
hey certainly harm your own souls.