The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 184?-1851, 1846-04-01

VOL Kill 80 CADLzW WEDNTsD MORNING. 9APRn4l NO


He had expected that his pitiu moan would |
touch the widows heart-bnt not one relentlng
CLEAN soflened her pale face.
sThe Lord shall Judge between us! she said
ia cold icy tone, that lroze the mnrderer'sl
heart. Look! The Bble lays open upon my
knee. | will close that volume, and then this
boy shall open il, and place his finger al random
upon a line, and by that line you shall live orI
Ider
This was strange proposal, made in full faith
of wild aud dark superstition of The olden time.
For moment the Tory kneetlpg there, liVd
as ashes, was wrapt in thought Then ina fall
tering voice, he signitied his consent.
1 Raising hffslark eyes 10 Hoasen, the mother
lprayed the GREAT FATHER to direct the finger
OF her son--she closed lhe BjbIe-she handed it
to that boy, whose young cheek Redeemed with
loathing as he gnzed upon his fathers murderer!
! lie took the Biblc-oPened its holy pages al
random-placed his finger on a verse.
Then there was silence!
Then that Continental soldier, who had sworn
to avenge bis brothers death, stood there with
diatng eyes and parted lips.
Then the culprit kneeng on the floor, with
face like discoiorcd clay, felt his heart leap 10
his throat.
Then in a clear, bold voice, the widow read
this line from the Old Testament was short,
yet terrible:
'1hdt man shall dtc!'
Look! The brother springs forward TO plunge
Il knife into the mrrderor's heart but the Tory,
pinioned rs he is, cngs 10 the widows knees!
He begs that one more trial may be made by
the little girl, that child of five years, with gold
en- hair and laughing eyes.
The widow consents +here is an awful pause
With smile in her eye, without knowing
what she does, that little girl opens the Bible az
it lays on her mothers knee-she turns be-
laughing face away-she places her finger upor
q line.
That awful silence grows deeper!
The deep drawn breath Of the brother, the
broken gasps Of the murderer, alone disturb the
silence. The widow and darkeyed boy are
brealhlcss. That little girl, unconscious as she
was, caugh; a feeling of awe from the horror o
the countenances around her, and stood breath
less, her face turned aside, her tiny fingers rest
ing on. hat line'of life or DEATH
At last gathering courage, the widow bent he
eyes to the page, and read. 1t was a line from
the New Testament:
Lore yoW enemicSn
All! that moment was sublime!
Oh! awful Book of God, n whose dread pa
/, ges we see Job talking face to face with Jeho
yah, or Jesus waiting by Samaria's well, or wan
( derng by the waves OF dark GaIllee. Oh! awfu
Book, shining tonight, as ! speak, the light o
r that Widows home, the glory Of that mechanics
, shop, shining where the world comes not, to lool
t on the last night Of the convict in his cell, light
ing the way to God even over that dread gihbct
, Oh! book Of terrible majesty and child-like love
! of snbimity that crushes the soul into awe, o
beauty that mehs the heart with rapture :-yot
never shone more strangely beautiful than there
in the lonely cot of the Wjssahckon, when you
saved that murderer's life
For. need | tell you-that murderer's life
was saved! That widow recognised the fnge
of God --even the stern brother was awed into
silence.
The murderer went his way.
Now look ye, how wonderful are the ways o
= Heaven!
a That very night, as the widow safe by he
D lonely hearth-her orphans by her side-satc
there with crushed heat and hot eye balls, think
. ing Of her husband, who now lay mouIdering OF
= the lood-drenched sod of Paoli--there was tai
at the door.
t She opened the door, and-that husband liv
ing, though covered with many wounds, was il
her arms!
D He had fallen at Paoi---but not in death He
f was alive; his wife lay painting on his breast.
That night there was prayerin that wooden
5 howered Cot of The Wssahkon.
ICnJM(t