The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1848-01-27


10 leeo.sr Zen MS rather a.srrions mailer.
and - il MAS fell 81 he oivinal li,,gani.
lie Mas mnhilied. ehsgriHrd. and angry
lFynnd mra~uir. and nnllrsliaiingly de-
rlsTri Iliai lie witness. uslo had sworn
Thai his son had lrfl pelrrs rzle opcn had
peTuud hia.s-lf. This el,arge rsn,r in
Ihr Ears az ihe wiln.ss.t rhn eumplaintd
10 psi-Fs. Thas indisidiisi. irFiiaIed rs
Iirsf yrsrs 81 legal annasaners. aud lrrl.
ing. II liz diminished firnIuesiseness III
his farln. lie elfscss &C = diverted mind.
Lad nn very Kind feelings for lie nm
who had ocrssiol' j hin, both trouble ant
loss.
sue him or aeiams6nn." lie saul n
lie witness. I'll siAI1i hy you. lay
the damage II 5000"
This advire was taken. In about a
week PendeFgrasi VAS startled hy The APP
pearanre III The oilic with 4 wril sum
lnoning him 10 answrr IL criminal pro-
seenlinn la defamation afehararler. ] his
Was = seriuus mailer: and So he fslI il 10
ne. When he called upon his law,er,
that gentleman locked grave; hni grmis-
Al n defend him 10 tie utmost n his ahi-
liiy. The loss nj The four hundred dol
lars in eusls &c suits aud damages. and The
lnss ol an equal amount frnm neglrrIing
his farm more or less for some years, had
made money matters rather close with
Mr.. pendrTgrasi. who was MOI what u
broker would call very substantial. lie
w. heartily sick Of law, and wished from
tie hoiiom Of his heart he had mol hetn
lie fool lie was 10 get involved IN It's
mesl,es, from which there now seemed M
hope nr exiricaliun. A smiI for defama-
iinn of character. with damages laid at
five thousand dollars, especially when he
was conscious lllai there were mnra than
dozen persons who rould swrar that he
had charged the witness with perjury.
was M joke. Damages of half he a.
mount il recovered, would utterly ruin
him. liz fact, w,lhoui sell ne his farm he
could not raise FIVE hundred lu!!sIs.
But al this fear ayailed MT. lie had
excited the enmiiy Of man whose wrath
was not easily appcased. The suit was
regularly tlockeied for trial. By the aid
az his lawyer, il was deferred .lnr one or
two terms; hui there WAS a limit To this.
The case at last came fairly before The
court; witness after witness WIS examin.
ed: aud The evidence pronounced clear
and nnequivocal. was pain thai Pen.
,iergrasl would he found gully.
lie trial had occupied iwn DAYS and
tile prosecuting attorney aud defendant $
counsel had nearly brought their war Of
words TO confusion. The court then
adjourned Tie ra~e aver uulil next morn
ing. when the counsel Of penaergras,was
10 make one more riiorl in lis hrhali, AMI
iken The case would gn 10 the jury.
Two more anAimIs days the unhappy
man who had canlur 4 up all his trouble
to himself had never helnrc spent. When
night came, he returned home. deeply de-
pressed in spirit, and idly GREETING his
own folly in placing ims+ll in surh Il dts-
peraie condition. Tea awaited him and
soon after he ramc in he at down Ia the
table with his wife and his four young
children. fnr whose happiness he was de,
voting chcerluIIy the best efforts of his
lite. Their home was a pleasant one,
aud in il aud around it were gathered INA
nv comforts, the reward Of many wears of
patient labor. Here the first sweet mo4n-
Of his happy welded life had been spent :;
here hi chlld'en had been hnrn AMI this
spot he fnndly belle, ed, would he 10 them,
even in manhood. the hnm stead 10 which
their eyes and hearts would urn. Alas
now there hung "GIy upon slender thread
The chance Of lis remaining in his posses
SION. lie booked around among tho bright
Young faces that ci,cletI his we'll Il led
board. happily unconscious OF the danger
with which the, were threatened. and his
heart sank within him. lie booked int,
the troubled ruuntenanrP Of his wife, and
his ewes filed with tears. A few mouth
fmls OF food W, re eaten mprel> tnr ,ppear-
anne sake {; but il PASSED along his palate
without leaving n sign of rs peculiar flq-
,or. Never in his life had he been so
wrptrhe /. Now. clear as ii lit by sun
beam Was his own GlIv apparent IN his
mind. | he imperative demand which he
had made upon his neighhnr for damages,
! he saw AM felt was an unjust demand.
for he and his were far more to hlamc for
the loss Of his corn, drifting in reality
than Peters had been. So much for haste
and passion. But consciousness of error
came too late. lie had sappe,l the tnun-
,IationS of his own welfare. and now The
ruins were about falling upon his own
head.
! After tea Pendergrast retired 10 room
apart fiom The family. tha, he might be Il
lone The presence Of his wife and chill
dren oppressed him. In half an hour hi.
lawyer called to see him.
: Things lo''k rather dark, do the,
not" Pendergrast said.
{ Rather. But | have thought Of
= way by which we may bring Peters t
T terms"
p. "What is il 7" quickly asked The ellen