Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, W.T. [i.e. Wis.]) 1843-1844, 1843-08-12
LANCASTER, (w.Ty SATURDAY, AUGUST 1s, 1s4s.

soncf,tn,a How act in that room which for sevsn-
teen years had received mo a sober mane Twas
now drunkard. A public house stood before me
--one glass more | cried, and memory will be
crushed. tasted that cup-it refreshed the men,
org Of the stomach, but could not, would not,
drown recollection. That nsaliate NAV, tickled
with the excited liquid, cried out for moIe-"ieed
me--feed me,n it seemed to say, cor I'll madden
you.n l INDUCED it, Yes, glass after glass dis
appeared, and became beastly. The landlord
rejected me from his house. l staggered into The
street and jostled a stranger--a quarrel ensued--he
struck me; rendered desperate, l drew my knife,
and rushed upon him like a demon. For mo-
ment, he manfully resisted-but | stabbed him !;
and the blood from the gaping wound gushed fear
fully up into my face. l staggered back-there he
lay upon the pavement, seemingly livid corpse |;
the moonlight rested upon his face and its ghastly
appearance shocked mel fled the spot; in my
hand held the knife reekinge with his blood. l
now heard the cry of murder; II came on the winds
of the night, like messenger from hell TO drag me
down. On--on went--footsteps followed close,
and could hear the hot breath of my pursuers his
sing in mine ears-my foot struck stone--I fall
tered, aud fell PROSTATE OIL the pavement.
The bright sun arose and found me a
prisoner, closely confined in narrow cell--and
for what! The horrid truth flashed upon mel
had committed murder! The image of my VIC
tim appeared before me; the deep wound, the
CHASTITY look, the quiverng frame, presented them
selves to my sight, and almost maddened me. The
tormcnts of that hour can never forget, ages of
misery were crowded into seconds l had leisure to
reflect; alas what were my reflections! In one
moment, one unguarded moment, l had been de-
coyed, betrayed, lost. What followed! Horror
horror. There ale no dreams, no visions of the
night, hall so dreadful as are The stem realities of
life. Here was prisoner, one whose career
had been honorable, and whose endeavors were to
do good, aud set bright example 10 others,--now
murderer! A murder committed under the in
fuence ofliquor. The cause.-the dark spot upon
the mirror OF creation, whose power mortas
is almost omniporent Fatal, fatal hour, in which
j LEFT the quiet OF my own house, to mingle with
The gay, the foolish, and the inebriaie. Yes, me
Inebrate-ior, soften it as you will, all are SO VINO
make Liquor the means of gratifying foolish desire
TO be considered fashionable. Oh! that custom
would denounce il, and females frown il down
forever! ] heard the grating of the iron door, i
] opens, and the keeper entered with two gentle
men. The features of one of them were familiar
siuddered as gazed, it seemed as if the grave
had yielded up its dead. The keeper spoke, tsRise
young man, and behold the man whom you last
night wounded" "Not dead.'' l exclaimed,
starting TO my feet, "not dead! ha ha am no
murderer, ha! ha!" and in the ecstacy ofmy Joy
embraced him. 1t appeared that the wound was
slight, but tho blow was and had felled him
TO the ground and in my wild, deliious state, as l
gazed upon him PROSTATE, imagined the worst
Noble, generous man, he had stepped forward, and
sindicated me, stating that he, (Which he after
ward assured me was the facD had struck the first
blow, and so effectually did he plead for me- that
was liberated, by entering bail for my future good
behavior. Future good behavior! Twill not look
into the future, but guard against the evils of to-
day. But now am in my own little room again.
1t looks just as it did when left il. But o. what
agony had | endured in one nights absence from
| il. But won a friend; he who miracuousy
escaped the deadly blow is now beside me. There
he sits, porting over the old copy of Davenant, to
which aliusion has been made. He laughs, O!
how it pleases me to hear his gay laugh and listen
10 his remarks, elected from those grim looking old
books, and to know how that i possess the means
of rendering him, what believe he is in reality
my true friend!
Philadelphia, July 10, 1S43.