The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1842-10-21
o." And so saying, he turned away to anoth-

intO.' And so saying, ne turned AWAY W aho'"
er group. =
1t would be tedious to dwell on the progress of
suspicion in the minds Of the inhabitants OF wood
yilie's native village; and therefore we only say,
that from vague and indistinct npprehenslons that
Thornton might have come to his dehth IN me
course ola quarrel with an exemplary young man,
they at last began to fear, and many to believe
that the latter had been wrought upon by the de-
sire of possessing himself of the large sum of mon
ey which the deceased was known 10 have about
him, to commit the dreadful crime OF murder
warrant for his apprehension was Immediately la
ken out, and before the day dawned, party
reached his house for the purpose OF arres!lng the
supposed offender against the laws. The surprise
of Woodyille, when he was awakened by Nlungo,
whose anxiety had led him to hover about the Will
aye, until he learned the nature oil The proceed
nrs that were 10 be instituted, may be readily
imagined.
"Wake, Nasal" cried the faithful domestic
"Wake up quick! the constable coming to rest
you massl For Gods sake get up."
Woodyie started TO his feet: but even had he
been disposed to avoid his ancestors, he could not
have done so; for so great had been the expedition
of Lawyer Dunk in furnishing the necessary pa
pers, that the officers, with crew Of village rab-
bic in their train, were laundering at the door be-
fore AIungo had succeeded in arousing his master
from the deep sleep into which he had just fallen
after the agitation of the previous evening. He
however manifested no disposition TO avoid the in
vestisation; but on the contrary seemed anxious
TO afford every facility. lie drew from the draw
er the pocket-book of the deceased, and the coun-
tenance of the officer fell as he placed it in his
hands The bloody cravat was also found in the
course of the search, and these two articles Of evil
dence seemmed at once TO established the guilt OF
the prisoner. On the strength of these, and several
other corrobora,ing circumstances as the
well known rivalry Of the cousins, their former
quarrel, the visit of the deceased on the previous
day with the avowed purpose of hosl'lity-Wood-
VILE, notwithstanding the excellence OF his cliarac-
ter. was fully committed for trial.
The important day at length arrived, and tie
court was thronged beyond all former precedent.
The investigation was long aud minute; and many
items of evidence TRANSFERRED which seemed place
the guilt of Woodvillc beyond the possibility of a
doubt. The hostility which had for long time
existed between him and his cousin was known to
all; the disappointment Of our hero at being enhe-
" omitted in the will of his uncle, had been fire.
ouen,ly expressed. and was therefore susceptible
of easy proof; and the visit Of the deceased, the
scu1le that ensued and the wound which he re-
side, and admitted on the other.
But the most important evidence was that OF
the gardener whom we have had already several
times 10 mention Since he had been taken into
custody ar Il witness in the Important cause which
was now under trial. he had suffered much from
sickness and when he mounted the stand he trem
hod like an aspen leaf, from the effects of his de-
bii,y Ills face was also ashy pale, and his voice
SO low aud husky that it was with difficulty he
could be understood. His statement, however,
was clear and connected, and the ingenious cross
examination of the lawyer who conducted the de-
fence, failed to invadale il in any particular. In
deed the creator part of his testimony the prison.
or admitted to be true. For some time previous
to the murder of Thornton, he had been employed
IN the family Of the accused, and had been treated
with such kindness as had rendered hun much at
inched to his master. On tie evening of the dread
ful occurrence. he was sitting in the kitchen and
overhead much of the quarrel which took place in
the adjoining room. In the course of the alterca-
ton the deceased had boosted much of the large
sum of money which he had about him, and sew
era times reproached his cousin with his poverty.
When the quarrel finally terminated by the eNpul.
sion Of the intruder he had left the house with the
purpose Of visiting the stable and shaking down
some hay for the horses, when it was his intention,
he stated, to return and go to bed. lie had ac-
compIished the first part of his object, and was clo-
sing the stable door, when the report of musket
ut n little distance startled him, and drew him tow
ards the spot As he approached cautiously through
the thick grove of trees which occupied the space
between the stable and the scene of the murder,
he bched, in the ligh, Of the moon which was
shining brightly down from an uncloudcd sky, the
deceased stretched upon the ground, aud wr'hng
in the agony of death. Ills master was kneeng
beside him apparently erdeavorng to hold him
down. With a s'eaIlhy step be had by this time
drawn very near the spot, and distinctly heard the
dynr man excIgim, "Woodyillc, forgive you
have deserved this at your hands' Terrified at
the occurrence, he was hastily relrea,ing, when
his master rushed into the lhicke and seized him
by the throat Fearful that his life might also be sac
rifced fhe confessed any knowledged Of the murder
he told his master that he had just reachd the spot,
drawn hher by the report Of firearms On say
inc this his master exclaimed, that some villain
had murdered Thornton, and returning to the body
repossessed himself of handkerchief, with which
he said he had been endcavoring to s,aunch the
blood of the wTctched victim; he also stated that
on his reluln to the house he examined the fowl
ing piece which he found suspended in its usual
place over the kitchen fire, aud was much sur
prised To- perceive that il had been discharged. He
had fired il of himself in the course of the AFTER
noon, at hawk, and after carefully reloadng it,
he had returned it to lis place. Cl'hs fac, of its
having been discharged was also a,tcsted by other
wncsses.)
This is the substance Of the evidence which was
laid before the court by David Riley, the name OF
the gardener; and it listened to, from frs, to
last, with hreathlcss attention. remember the
day us well as If it were yesterday; and indeed
the scene was one of such intense interest that no
one of the numerous nssembage that was present
can ever forget it. Every body respected, and ma
ny loved William Woodyille: and deep was the
regret which every one experienced at the awful
strength Of the circumstances adduced ngains, him.
Whatever ingenuity, sharpened by affection could
suggest, was resorted TO by his counsel-and, ms
the reader already knows, was resorted TO IN vain.
The progress of the investigation was number of
times interrupted by the sobs of poor Nungo, who
could no, repress his audible grief as circumstance