The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1847-03-13

ferer suddenly opened his eyes. For
a moment he seemed unable to recall
his wandering consciousness, but then
aterrible CLEAN ofrecognition shot from
his eye; wild cry burst from his lips
and recoiling as far as the bed would
permit, no clenched and drew abou,
him its coverings as if to shield himself
from an expected attack. Horror and
detestation dis6gured the lineaments ol
his countenance. Then all was still:
but the chest Of the old man heaved
violently, and sob after sob broke from
his half-broken heart. | saw there the
spirit of the strong man shaken, and
beheld great drops roll down his quiv.
ering features. Falling upon his knees
beside the bed, he cried in voice of
anguish:
"'My son, forgive! forgive!
"But the young man, pointing solemn
ly to the portrait, only answered him:
"'My mother!'
"SlowIy, almost fearfully, the aged
man turned his head and looked upon
the mournful figure.
"'It is indeed your mother,' he said.
so she stood: so she appealed to me,
when I-believIng-erring-'
"Sobs choked his utterance; strong
shudder thrilled his frame, and with a
powerful effort at self.control, he looked
up to heaven and exclaimed with so.
lemnity:
"God knows the secrets of allhearts!
You thought me dead, my child, but
often, often from the deep forests, the
abode ofsavages and wild beasts, Ihave
come unseen to watch and pray for you,
the offspring of love which neither
delusion nor the grave could cxtlnguish.
How have | mourned 10 see you day
by day pining and fading away under
the curse Of bitter memory; to know
that for me you never felt the love of
a son; that from myself you inherited
that fatal tendency to believe in the su.
pernatural, which led me to violate the
principles of nature and destroy her
who is now an angel of light! When
| heard that sad and lonely, you lay up
on the bed of sickness, | resolved to see
you, hear you speak, and then leave
you till God unites us again in Heaven.
And now ! will tell you all; how by the
Wiles and subtlety of the Devil, I fell
and dragged to the tomb my innocent
wife. l was, you may have heard,
foremost in the councils of our people.
Death had taken from US the most of
those citizens on whose strong wisdom
we were accustomed to lean. The
province was exhausted by taxation.-
The savages crossed the interior from
tiers, and burned and plundered our
towns, captured and slew many of their
and pirates sailed up and
down our coasts unpunished. We had
lost our character; the new one did
not shield US from political jealousies
and changes. All was afoat upon an
ocean Of uncertainty. Theological
controversies enblttered the inter-
course Of the brethren, while terrible
were declared to be in the
course of fulfilment. 1t was perhaps
our peculiar tendency to trust in the
vagaries OF a credulous Imagination
Seeing all these things, we did believe
that Satan had begun TO reign.
"There was then in my family girl
twelve years of fage, whose lnoxplicabIe
behaviour excited our surprise and won
der. She would sometimes leap up,
and falling from her chair, roll beneath
the table, and with violent screams, and
the most extraordinary contortions, ut
ter wild gibberish. ] asked the O.
pinion OF a physician, who declared that
she was afflicted by the malignant pow
er of some person who was in league
with the Arch-Fiend himself. This
crime was not new to me; ! had read
of it in the sacred volume. 1t was for.
bidden by our laws, and recognized by
the wisest and holiest men Of the time.
The fit continued for many days, and
after much entreaty, the girl declared
that her tormenter was my wife; that
in the night she felt her body pierced
with pins, and her joints wrenched by
an unseen hand; that once she saw a
venomous spider fasten itself upon the
wris! of the accused, which for long
time she did not remove, but gazed up
90 it with pleasure; and when at last
it crawled away, she said she saw
where it had lain a strange mark which
was the seal of Satan!
"My soul was filled with horror. !
believed her not. The news spread
through the colony; my friends came
to me, and together we sought Of God
to know the truth. We kept solemn
fast: the violence of the attack did not
lbate: others exhibited the same symp-
tomsj the congregation met, and a
.otIrt was organized. Then il was the