Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1848-12-06

were overwhelmed, and many of their in
mates, unable TO escape, Perished in ;h
ruins. The reader may still remember
terrible hurricane which nearly destroyed
the city Of Natchez some years ago. Prov
idence is mysterious. in its ways, for altho
that tornado swept Hundreds to their Ions
home, it undoubtedl i saved the life of NIoir
Amid the universal ,desolation, the execu
tion Of their sentence was either forgotten
or neglected; and although lie made no ef
fort to escape, sthey~~made none to, detair
him. :. "a
In a few. weeks he was. in ta,sggssbesosr
oran nffectionate family, bat. he was al
altered man. The fire Of his eye was no,
dimmed-if there was any change, it was
wilder, and brighter, and Gercer thqn IL
had been before He never spoke to any
one Of the death of his antagonist, but
sometimes in the silence o.! the midnight
hour he would pace his chamber and NUT
ter to himself things which, at the time,
were mysterious and strange to those who
heard them. Again he would relapse in
TO gloomy revery, which would occupy
his mind for weeks; then, starting sudden
ly rs if from a wild dream, he would give
way to furious and unmanageabe deiri-
UNI. Still, he enjoyed intervals Of tran
guilty. There were times when he could
converse nationally on al subjects except
one, and that one was the magic link of the
fatal chain which enthralled his senses and
made him madman.
Isabella, who was but two years Of nge
when her father emigrated TO Ohio, was an
only child. The utmost attention was paid
to her early education, and ere she arriv-
ed at her tenth year she was vel! vorsed in
ali the various studies which receive atten-
ton in our common schools. She was
considered intelligent above her years. -
She possessed = sprightlness and vivacity
combined with rare judgement and sterling
sense, which we seldom SEQ cqualled; be-
sides, owing TO the nervous susceptibility
of her nature and the keen penetrating Wis
ion Of her mind, many things which would
not stir the blood Of an ordinary person, Or
even receive passing attention, because
Of their unimportance, would command her
profoundest respect, and many lines thro'
some latent influence, excite the deepest
emotions. The character other mind led
her to the contemplation ofihose attractive
scenes wrought out by the great Architect,
and bounteously spread before US for high
and noble purposes. In these pastimes of
the soul, she deeply felt the mysterious and
all lpervadihg Influences which surround
tho child of nature and bewilder sho intox-
.ss!ed sanses, till time, and earth, and all
9e6lunary things seem lost in 4 wild ecstu-
cy Of delight. The dull plodding beings
who never felt the rapture Of q sing 10 emo.
ton, the miserable votaries of avarice,
which she saw on every hand, all frigid rs
the insensate marble, were alike considered
by her, rs mere cxcresences upon our
planet Isabella loved nature TO idolatry,
and the halcyon dreams which its contem-
pIation inspired formed the Eden Of her
life
The unfortunate alienation Of her fa-
tF,er,s mind became to her source Of un-
wearied solicitude and anxiety. As his in
sanity was periodical, always coming on
with the warm weather Of spring, and
gradually augmenting in intensity as the
summer solstice approached, it only became
necessary to exercise personal care and
watchfulness over him during the continu,
ence of the paroxysms. He always ac-
knowIedged the benign influence Of the
cool days Of autumn, by becoming more
Tranquil, and as winter advanced the tyran-
ic spell which chained him down, seemed
completely broken, and he was the same
devoted husband, and afectionale father
that he had been in former years. These
intervals of tranquility were carefully i'm
proved by Isabella, who, yielding 10 her
mother wishes, passed a large portion of
each year at a distinguished institution Of
learning in Northern Ohio; but always re-
turning when appraised Of the recurrence
Of her fathers malidy With u mind so
brilliant. and disposition so amiable, COM
bined with rare symmetry of form, and
beauty Of features: Isabella could not fail
in winning, during her sojourn at school
the esteem and love Of large circle of
friends. Nor were these confined to her
immediate personal acquaintances. Honor
and fame there began to strew flowers up
en- her path. After much persuasion by
her intimate friends, who well knew that
she possessed intellect Of the highest order,
and that her productions would be proper
ly appreciated if sent forth to the world,
she finally consented to the publication Of
few fugitive pieces. These met with
remarkable success. They were repub-
lished by many of the magazines, and by
various periodicals of high literary merit
Such was the correctness Of her taste, the
harmony Of her numbers, and the sweet
simplicity Of her thoughts, that her reputa-
ton as an excellent writer was soon per-
manenlly established. Some Of the critics,
however, found fault with the young poet.
ess; and with what true poe, have they not
quarreled, since the days of Chaucer down
to the present time! we'll remember, in
1892, while Witnessing the commence
ment exercises of renowned school in
Northern Ohio, what breathless silence
pervaded the vast assemblage when Isabella
Moir came upon the stage, and read in a
clear musical voice her "Wandering Ex-
ile.' Maybe there were exiles among the
multtudes that listened, for when she de-
scribcd in touching language the last sad
parting, which tears the friendless wander
dercr from his native land, the warm tears
gushed from many an eye. Many times
since | have read in the papers the ''W an
dering Exile,' and though think it po'
EN- of of exalted merit, have often won
dered how its ra,dpr ut tho comn1ance.