Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1850-03-02
INSTANCE OF FiLIAL AND MA
TERNAL LOVE. ...

-r. TERNAL LOVE. HI
A Young man named Thompson, abou,
twenty five years Of age, who had been IN
the peni,en,iary of this State, sentenced TO
imprisonment for life, was on Thursday par
doned BY Governor Johnson with the consent
of the Senate The facts connected with his
case were of peculiarly affecting nature
Some two years since he went to the parish
of Coddo, from Mssissippi and obtained en-
ployment as an overseer on plantation
Shortly after he was unfortunate enough to
ge, into bitter personal difficulty with
well known citizen Of tina, parish, the brother
in.law of his employer, Subsequently,, as it
is reported, while Thompson was in the woods
alone, he was attacked by the person with
whom he had quarrelled, when they had
what j. called regular "bear fight" The
Young man after long and desperate con-
hct---as the scene Of the igh, plainly show.
ed-succeed in killing hisanlagonist. Thomp-
son at once, though advised 10 flee, gave
himself up to the civil authorities, feeling
confident that ifjustice were done him he
wUhld be acquitted. In this he was disap-
pointed. Being poor, wiihou, friends or in
nuence, and in strange land, he had not
the 4neans of procuring counsel, and was
finally found guilty of murder. There were
TO witnesses 10 the fight, and it was on his
own statements, Voluntarily made, that he
was committed and tried
The circumstances which led 10 his par
don, are the following: After his conviction,
and his beins immuted in the State prison,
which the stern mandate OF the law had des-
tined TO be his living tomb; with those feel
ings Of affection which must ever dwell in
the heart of .ou-howefer wayward he
may be-he managed TO have j, inimated 10
his only surviving parehi a widow, that he
had died Of small pox. He thus hoped to
soften. by taking away tile humiliation with
which knowledge of the truth wcold have
invested it, the blow iha, had separated them
in this world and by settling for ever, in
one painful emotion, all het anxietie', he
thought to stop the inoniry which would
otherwise have been instituted by her. But
the instructive love Of the mother told dlt-
ferent tale TO her sorrowing bosom, and rest.
less with this unsatisfactory record OF his
fate. she forthwith began a dlieent search,
when, to her unspeakab!e anguish, she as.
cer,ained thai although her lnsl boy was IN
reality alive, he was worse than dead both
10 her and the world. He was in prison, "a
lat al lpta nrfn
once, with all mothers ardent love, which
predi.posed her TO believe him innocent
:hoping against hope' as il were-she sci
about devising schemes for his deliverance--
10 wres, him, il human means admitted, from
the iron arm of The law. In short, not tt
weary our readers, with description OF al
lhe difficnl,ies which she encountered ant
overcame-each feeling heart will readily
picture TO itself the fond anticipation anc
melancholy foleboding which aternalel,
haunted her maternal breasi-she obtained
the strongest recommendations 10 mercy
with testimonials Of former good character
&c, of her son, from the highest sources il
Mississippi, where he was best Known
Among these was letter from the late Go
vernon of that State. Thus armed, she re
paired to our seat of Government, with tw'
young children, ihe innocent little sisters o
The convict, sought out our humane Chic
Magistrate, imporuned with per'inacily III
members Of the Senate, pleaded for her un
happy child as only mother can plead, ant
| q .F,l v,,l, 30,
pardoned the young man, The Senas con
frmed the exercise of Executive clemency
and humaniiy--nay justice herself-in ,hi
instance must ratify the deed.
Ii is vain TO attempt the portrayal of III
meeting betweeh he deyolel mother an
het rescued son Such scene must be lei
10 the imagination; and, besides, we are nc
certain tina, it would rot he protane 10 iii
The veil from their mutual interchange {
affection. Filial love on one side, rendere
intense by gratiude-''lhou art twice mt
ther, fot twice hast thou given me 10 breath
the free air of heaven" Maternal feelin.
on tue other, enriched by double emo,io
of pleasure--once through Joy that 'ma
child is born into the light" and now that h
has been given back again even from III
jaws of dealh--"For this my sou was dea
and is alive again was lost and is found
The evidence before the Governor all
Senate lin secret session. was ample in Fl
yor Of the convict The killing was doub
less in self.defence. o. Picayune.