The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1842-10-31

Perhaps mother may have found strength to rise
on her knees implortng mercy for the dear. child
of her heart and hope, may have been suffered to
live sufficiently long to its death struggle, It's
wild contor'ons, in the grasp OF the unrelenting
assassin Art may not describe such a scene truly
| as Imagination hardly conceive it. They per
ished, one and all--that little bund of emgrants-
and the murderers, grouped around the treasures
which had damned their hearts into the worst hell
of covetousness and crime, were now busted in the
division Of their bloody spoiIs How they settled
| this matter among themselves; what division they
made, and with what temper they carried on the
consultation, is, of course, only Of coniec-
ture. But tradition, which is always sufficiently
courageous for conjecture, asserts that having pos
| sessed themselves OF all that was valuable in the
ship--alI that could be easily appropriated they
determined to set her fire ashe only mode of con
ccaing thoroughly the bloody testimonies oil their
crime. Their DO ats were accord rngy launched
| at midnight. The night was still calm still beauli
full, still looking down as innocently as if there
was crimes-as if death had never been born
| among the children Of men. Having transferred
their spois to the boats and completed their prepar
atoms, the vessel set fire. The Gre fed by
tar and other matter seized instantly Upon the com
bustbe fabric. The flames triumphant in
air. rushing from stem to stern, from keel to bull
wa'k, from The deck to the highest point Of the
towering mast, involving shroud and sail,
rope ARD line, spar and stanchon, in one gener-
al blaze; but to the astonshed eyes Of the murder
crs, these objects soon beca me distinctly artlcula
ted. each IN its outline, by the bright burn
ing, unconsuming FIRE. Fast as they fed-stoully
as they pulled for and-they gazed with horror
and CONSERVATION upon the wonderous spectacle
behind them--a ship on fire that would not burn! a
fire that would neither destroy its object, nor
cea in its smoke, the form which ii complete
y enveloped Strange and wonderous spectacle
indeed
1t continued all night 10 buin-s?ceding on with
the wind now passing out from sight, and anon,
visible, flaming forever, back again on the very
spot where the crime had been committed. With
the dawn of day, il had ceased TO buru-but there
it stood eject ever, with the spars, sails, masts
nconsumed-- thing in its place, but every
thing blackcned, charred az if the fire had pene
,rated sufficiently dscolor its object had sudden
~ been extnguished. This was no sight for the
wretched criminals but they watched it Though
The day with fearful interest. Every moment they
| looked TO see il go down. But strange to say,
while it never sunk it never moved-There was
no anchor to hold it to those shorcs-,here was no
/ fast to bind it in its place--por there calm
upon the face of the deep. With eyes upon which
some powerful spell had fastened itself with the
force of fascination, they watched the strange spec
tacie. But with the return Of night new interest
Of dread was awakened in their bosoms
AS the went down, and twilight darkened
the earth, and the pale stars came forth along the
great SUBMITS of heaven, the flames rekindled
upon the vessel Spar and mast became reillumIn
ed --once more the fire tagged, and the frame of
the ship redeemed from the bulwarks to the
| wave-from deck to masthead-from stem to stern.
| The dreadful sight could be borne no longer The
murderers1fled from the shore-hed to the forest,
! and buried themselves in the vast interior.
| Never, says the tradition, has the penalty of
blood been paid The CRIMINALS went free. No
| Justice followed their footsteps. Whatever may
have been their remorse, it is very certain that hu
| man laws have had share in their puhshm emit.
They lived on their i'll gotten spolIs their descend
ants still enjoy them, and thus il is that the bur
ming ship of The Palanes reappears each year, on
the anniversary Of that night Of crime, the very
| spot where it was committed. Thus it burns from
stem to stern, from. deck to mast but still uncon
sumed; and thus it will continue 10 burn until up
on the last descendant of. that bloody crew, the
ever avenging Providence shall have consummated
the requisite reribution.-.lagnolia.