Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1845-10-24
THE YOUNG MALEFAcroR.

OF two boys, which presents an Interesting
contrast. One was born to wealth, rank,
education, responsibility and luxury, ma
med st. James-the other to famine, ig- +
norance, shame, vice and crime. The
passage below indicates the state Of mind
Of the latter, (who is called ST. Giles,) af- !
ter having been capitally convicted of steal
ing 81. James's poney.
Poor ST. Giles now boy in his fif-
teenth year, spawned upon the world and
reared by daily wrong and ignorance, al
morsel for the hangman. Now, con-
demned tibet, palsied and aghast with ter
ror, upon the very threshold of the world;
to be flung therefrom, an offering to the
majesty of offended law. Grim majesty
l-ghastly Moloch! Stately wickedness,
with robes dyed in the blood of SHINING ig-
norance! A majesty, that the principle Of
all evil may too often smile upon as its
working genius here on earth. majes-
ty as cold and pulseless as the idol whose
wooden nostris know not the sacrifice its
Idarkened worshipers prepare it.. But St.
Giles will now know there is a govern
ment-a knot of the wise and good, whose
harmonious souls combined make up the
music of the State; the moral melody that
softens and refnes the rugged, dull-eared
mass. He will now know this; the hang
man will teach it him. A sharp, short les
son; the first and last prepared him by
paternal state.
'Guilty-death = Such was the verdict.
Tom Blast breathed heavily, and faint
smile fickered at his lips as he felt assured
of his escape. Still he burst not turn his
eye towards his boy-victim in the dock.
Conscience was at the felon's heart and
scared, withered as it was, it felt the sud-
den horror of remorse. His features grew
pale, then dark; were for moment con-
vulsed; then MISUNDERSTANDING no look at
ST. Giles-he disappeared from the dock
The boy stared about him with foolish
gaze, and then began to sob. There was
no terror-no anguish in his face. 1t was
the grief of boy doomed to whipping,
not the gibbet; and it was such sorrow
such seeming childish ignorance of the inn
pending horror-that to those who looked
upon him made his condition more terri
bic. And then again it seemed impossible
that the sentence so sonorously uttered,
should be carried out. Gould it be that
such an array of judges-such wisdom,
such learning, such grave and reverend ex-
perience-should be opposed TO misera-
bic child, of no more selfaccountabillty
than dog! Appalling odds! Could il
be thought that the scene was a frightful
reality of daily, breathing life! Was il
not grim farce-a hideous, foolish mock
cry? Gould the wise hearts OF men-iath
ers of well-taught, well-tended, happy
children-doom that child to death Tha
miserable item of human ignorance-tha
awful reproach TO those who made laws to
protect property, but left the outcast poo
a needless prey to their own unbridled in
4 stincts! Nevertheless, the law woult
: hang St. Giles; and grave. respectable
m church going men, in the very cosiness o
~ their ignorance, would clasp their hands
"a and raise their eyes, and pity and wonde
- at the wickedness of the new generation.
! y
of And young St. Giles lay in Newgate
as sinking, whitening, under sentence death
y After time, he never cried or clamored
- he shed no tear, breathed no syllable Q
Or despair; but, stunned, stupefed, seemed a
s, if idiocy was growing On him. The ordi
p nary-a good, Jealous man-endeavored
+ by soothing. hopeful words, to lead tn
m prisoner, as the Jail phrase has it, TO sens
of of his condition. Never had St. Giles re
y ceived such teaching! Condemned to die
" " he for the first time heard of the abound
" ing love of Christianity-of the goodnes
- and affection due from man to man. Th
of story seemed odd to him; strange, YER
as strange, yet he supposed it was all true
- Nevertheless-he could not dismiss tn
d, thought, it puzzled him. Why had h
never been taught all this before An
g why should he be punished, hanged 10
- doing wrong; when the good, rich. fin
er people, who all Of them loved their neigh
ut. bors like themselves, had never taught hiT
i'll what was right? Was it possible tn;
r. Christianity was such a beautiful thing
Id and being SO. was it possible that gooe
lie, earnest, kind-hearted Christians would HI
ct, him!
p, st. Giles had scarcely eight-and-fort
~ ~ hours to live. It was almost Monday moor
h when the ordinarv-having attended III
lg. other prisoners-entered the cell of the DO
Of thief. He had been separated. by the d.
~ sire of the minister, from his miserab
as companions, that theft evil example of ha
en- dihood-their reckless bravado-might n.
'ss wholly destroy the hope Of growing trui