Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1848-11-23

ers. So thought the witness, for, with q
yet louder burst Of sorrow, she exclaimed
IL Oh. no. could never mistake him
| have watched him and dear Miss Min
ME too often. God help her God helt
her She will now surely die
"The prisoner started to his fcet-hs
face flashed for moment bnt, in anoth
ef, all was calm, aud his eyes fixed upon
the ground. Yet from that instant, felt
assured, as though had seen the deed
done, that Charles. overcome by anger
and love, was the murderer. With whom
else was the old man at such open war
Where had he been from the time he left
the Abbey! And, if not prepared for
some such deed, why and what were the
strange threat he had used! Nor did !
till long afterwards, loose the conviction
though, as one of the visiting justices
of the country Jail, saw him frequently.
Once, as | was leaving his cell, after see
ing, with silent bow-which was all
that passed between us-that everything
was in due order, he called me back, and
after apologizing for dong so, he said -
: have request to make, that can
place IN none but the hands Of gen
tleman. You are aware that have no
means Of learning exactly the state of my
plighted wife. hear indeed, daily re-
ports from the surgeon; but ke deals on
ly with the body, and pine to know
truly how her mind bears up under this
calamity. You know her, and she values
and trusts you. Will you do me so much
kindness as to see her, and cheer her,
if she needs il Tell her 10 trust me
even now; and if she has doubt-for
sickness engenders mistrust and fancics,
otherwise would not so insult her-tell
her that | am innocent Of the foul charge
they make against Inc. As God lives in
heaven-as love her-as | believe in
this book-and his hand rested on the
Bible am utterly wholIJ innocent
| never saw the murdered man from the
hour | parted with him, in his library, TO
that looked upon him dead. You do
not believe me. 1, matters not she will
Tush, sir. do you think love her p
Should ] add the bar Of a slaughtered
father TO those already between us! Men
devour the marvellous, or they would
laugh at such a charged
" For an instant, his fine, proud tone
and bearing shook my belief in his guilt
but only that it might return the strong
er. saw Minnie, as he requested; but,
fortunately, she was still too i'll to be
made aware of the truth.
Very soon after, the assizes came
on true bill was found, and, charged
with his uncle's murder, Charles Whar-
ton stood at the felon's bar. The trial
was but repetition ofmany another such;
and although the first man on the circuit,
with leader retained and brought spec
tally from town, exerted every nerve,
do believe the jury, long before the clo-
sing speech was over, had decided upon
their verdict 1t was as strong a case Of
circumstaatial evidence as ! ever heard. \
and, after the unwavering testimony Of
the girl, who swore most positively to
the identity Of the prisoner with the man
she had seen in the park, there seemed
no shadow of doubt. Yet all our pre-
conceived ideas ofthe appearance Of guilt
we're at fault. Defiance, boldness might
have been the veil with which a strongly
nerved man would chose to mask his con-
'ciousness of crime but there was. no
such manner in tile prisoner. Dauntless
AS if, be the result what it would, he II
was fearless-scornful,w with his naughty Il
ip curling in a strange dlsdain, he looked /
upon the court. twas most puzzling II
All we heard loudly proclaimed his guilt;
all we soW as loudly spoke Of innocence.
lie was asked the usual question to
which he answered, in tones clear and
as they had ever been on the
covers side 4
go am innocent my lord. shall say
nothing more, for cannot prove it, while
nothing less can satisfy Justice. Only
hat this is public record, | would not
say so much but that, with the chroni-
cle Of my death, NAV 60 forth the pro-
est Of innocence
"The Judge looked keenly at the glo-
-ious figure he was about to sentence to
, frightful death and, as fhe read some
hing in that dauntless brow he could not /
comprehend, turned over his notes again
aud again. The barristers leaned across
he table to gaze upon the man who spoke
so calmly of his fate, and the ladies' wept
oudly as the Judge put on the fatal cap.
The sentence was passed, and, doomed
% die feIon's death, Charles Wharton
eft the dock. The next day was di-
hing at the house of the under-sheriff,
when note, every word Of which | re-
member, was brought to me. 1t ran
aus
"Come with the bearer instantly to
ne, and bring with you any other. magis-
rate YOU can soonest fnl. COME III
SANITY.
"It was signed by the surgeon who
lad been attending Minnie. Referring
his note at once to the case Of MIR. Whar-
on, which we were then discussing, Sir
Iohn Mostyn. (your father, my boy, our
lost, and myself started up, and, in FIVE
minutes, were in the carriage Mr.. Rob-
,rts had sent. We drove rapidly on,
md to our great surprise, turned out Of .
he town into a lane of no good reprte,
where stood the cottage OF some suspect
ID poachcrs. We fancied we were 90