Litchfield enquirer., 1842-12-01

GolE0 AAkn4AaHsTSGn0oB gno hoA4 os "last conversation of'JOhn c. Colt" iS pub. lished the following sketch of his marriage with Caroline Henshaw. his views of hts former obligations to his unhappy victim.
 "When at length he spoke of "his poor Caroline" he was completely unnamed. sWhen our Rcquaintance cOmmenceds' no said, T had never reflected on the nature and consepuencev of such offences. Ieven took . sort ofcredit to myself for being less criminal than most young men. Our Situ- stion was peculiar, and was weak enough to think a marriage impossible. At the ve. " time of my arrest, however. was con- templating the only reparation could make for the injury she has sustained through me. Ido not say it to excuse myself, but to condemn the general tone of feeling on the subject, but situated precisely aS was, had obeyed the dictates of justice and pure morality, the whole world would have pre- nounced noe Q fool. Had Caroline been a cold, selfish, calculating woman, instead of confding, enthusiastic, truehearted girl, she would have saved her reputation. So- ciety will good-naturedly tolerate certain kinds of vice, while virtue herself will be decried if she walked not in the fashion, " Colt was eager to do whatever remained in his power for Caroline"
 disappears, that from the beginning, Colt was anxious to sanctify by marriage their unlucky connection but that at first it was <. delaye because her testimony was tho't of importance to Colt, as, if she was his wife, she could not be witness-though he was willing to forego that advantage, if by so doing she could be benefited. For her self, she seemed to have no thought. wish or purpose, beyond his lifc-on that hung her existence. If he was spared, all was we'll /; if he was not, the world was nought to her. The advice of friends had thus far arrested his intentions, but now he would not be re- fused. "He wished to die the husband, by every rite, of the woman he had taught to consider herself his wife. Whenever he attempted to speak of her sufer!ngs, and the bitter dowry of scorn and insult his name would entail upon her, and their innocent, helpless child, tears and sobs, such as break the strong mans heart,' would choke him. .,., .-
 ' This, this," said he, twill unman me at the last hour."
 "The erring pair had not met since his sentence, and the heart stricken Caroline Henshaw, was led to the cell of the con- demned man, to decide whether she would bear unmarried, or as the widow of an exe- cuted murderer, her inevitable lifelong in- 1dEnys u uO SulU uuICTVhCW OVCIC0l4O tuVAA both, yet each felt for the other. Either would have borne their burden with pa- tience, if assured it could be borne alone Neither would admit the other was to blame. and only deplored the separation. !twas an ill-fated and criminal love, but it was stronger than death-and is full of deep warning to the young.
 "The marriage ceremony was solemn.- Two beings yet in the glory of life, were to be united, only to be separated again by a fearful death. They clasped hands over a yawning grave. In the narrow cell of a prison, the clergyman gave&to the weeping Caroline for one day the name of wife. Colt was the firmest of the party he would have soothed his distracted partner, but she would not be comforted. The clergyman unable to endure the scene, withdrew, and for few moments they were permitted to converse; but Inc r~lea of the prison boun- ded this indulgence-and unable to endure the eyes of an indifferent observer in this hour of misery. she was paralyzed. and passive with extreme grief was led away. After her departure, Colt addressed himself to his last preparations, and continued to the end calm, if not resigned"