Mississippi advertiser. [volume] (Aberdeen) 1842-1848, 1845-02-08
ROMANCE OF REAL LIFE.

ROMANCE OF REAL LIFE.
The Baltimore papers state that the Cover
nor Of Maryland had granted a free pardon It
James L. Hawkins; who as cashier of tn
Franklin bank of Baltimore, embezzled
large amount of its funds, some three year
since. The announcement of this pardo
prompts Ahe Baltimore correspondent Of III
Boston Atlas to relate the following. w
know not how it may affect others, but thi
simple unadorned narrative Of woman's in
tegrity and love, and that nice sense of homo
which could hide stain only by the deel
covering of the grave, has touched our feel
ings moro than the most highly wrought 70
nance:
His defalcations were large, and run thro
long series of years. They were conceale.
by many ingenious devices, and were only
discovered by accident, during temporary
absence of Hawkins from the bank. On tn.
discovery Of the defalcation, Hawkins imme
diately gave up all his property Of every
kind, and his wife, noble woman, without
solicitation, and even against some remon
STRANGE on the part of her relatives, executed
very valuable real estate. They were thus
in their old age reduced to poverty, with all
the attendant evils of crime upon the hus.
band. Those of your readers who remember
the account wrote, will recollect that az
soon as'Mrs. Hawkins had executed the deed
ienouncing her dover, she went TO her bed
and in few days pined away, literally dying
of broken heart,
which kills more, than are numbered in the
lists Of fate.'
Those who were present the sick bed OF
this good lady, say that the scene was the
most impressive it is possible TO conceive Of
There she lay, vissbly fading away before all
eyes-the physicians stood COMPOUNDED by the
rapid progress of the disease, and the eyes OF
all bathed in tears while hers were dry with
sorrow. She never even cast a look OF re-
proach upon her poor guilty husband, who
stood by, all unnamed; and when her eye
rested upon the face other daughter-a sweet
girl, then just bursting into womanhood-the
mother would manifest herself only in deep
drawn sigh. The eminent physicians who
were called 10 her aid, owned their weakness,
and shrunk almost appalled, at the awful
manifestations death had made of his work,
upon the woman. They had seen death in
almost every shape. They had seen it sud-
denly striking down the young and beautiful
they had seen it wasting slowly, day by
day, the life of some beloved daughter until,
at length, after the ravages of years tho light
was e1tinguished, as a candle burnt to its
socket, and then shedding forth its rays more
brilliantly than ever, go out in beauty-thsy
had seen the strong, the aged, the weak, and
the old debut never had they seen death
like this.
The mind of the dying woman was at
peace with all the world, beyond whose por-
tails she had, seemingly passed, before death
had released her soul from the body. Health
was upon her cheeks-her pulse full and
regular, and her voice sweet and melodous.
She was woman who had shone in society
she had filled her place at the head of an op-
ulent family, with grace which had won
admiration from all who knew her. And
there she lay, in form, in face, in voice unal-
tered, save that the eve, which was indeed
in her, the glass before the heart, showed that
death was upon her, and had already dried
up the fountains OF her lite. But inger
too long upon this remarkable death-a death
which. under all circumstances, of its time
and place, and cause, proves that truth, in
deed, as the master of the human heart has
said, lis strange, stronger than fiction"
Shortly after the death of Mrs. Hawkins,
a bill of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. any movement
on the part OF those who had lost money by
hm-was found by our grand Jury, and he
then being out of the city, fled the state
His daughter, who, as have said, was then
just bursting'into womanhood, has now reach.
ed the age when she can fully feel all that
she has lost in such a mother, and TO find
moving her some OF that spirit which sent
her mother TO the grave. For some months
her friends have observed strange feeling
working upon, and at length learned from her
hat her young heart, which had been taught
so early TO dote upon her father, now yearn-
ID 10 share his sorrows, and to desire 10 soothe
lis griefs.
Hawkins h as been living away off in Lou
siana, poor, broken in spirit, and haggard in
appearance. It was known to all here that
lie was there, fully within the reach of the
lrm of the law of Maryland, but so deep and
was the regard which was felt for
he wife, and so general the grief for her
Melancholy death, that no one thought of in
+oking aid to apprehend him and bring him
lere to punishment. The daughter deter
mined to so TO him. 1t was in vain that her
riends pleaded with her-in vain they held
'ut 10 her the inducements Of the society of
Ter friends here, and the comforts, and even
pleasures, which one so young and accom-
,lished as she might enjoy. among them.
The thought ofihe sorrows Of her father took
possession OF her whole soul, and at all haz-
ards. and despite Of every danger and dis.
comfort that threatened, she announced her
determination TO go to him. and was prepar-
ng to do so. 1t was with her
~ know not; care not,
If quilts in that heart:
But know that love thee,
Whatever thou art"
Under these circumstances, her friends
ethought them of petitioning the governor