The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1850-05-10
THE WRECKER AND HIS VICTIM.

There is tale connected with Cornish
wrecker, which, when once heard, cannot
easily he forgotten. and which affords a
striking commentary on the inspired de-
claraton. that "lhe way of the ,ransgressor
is hard" The story is this.
After sul,ry autumn day. the bood-red
sun sank beneath sea of crimson, which
gradually deepened into molten lead; and,
as the daylight faded, dark bank Of clouds
rose in the west, and blo,,ed ou' etar after
star. almost ere it had twinkled through the
Twilight. An old man, whose dwelling
was on the seashore, beneath the cliffs,
looked ou, upon the darkening face Of the
sea with an eager, ANXIOUS glance ihHi
swept The horizon. There had no, been
breath of air stirring all day; but now. low
meanings fore,old rising gale, and the
! Lightning, distant as yet, and voiceless.
glimmered through the dark caverns Of
thick cloud which overspread the sky, and
deepened, by momentary contrast, the
solemn blackness Of the night. Far sea-
ward, iain, strip of dull red sky in the
horizon revealed the tall mas's of a gallant
ship, which had been all day slowly work.
ing her tedious way up the channel on her
homeward course. The old man had
watched her for many hours before sunset,
and he chuckled as he saw. ere the last
dim line Of western light had faded. that
she was gradually nearing the coast and
he noticed, with horrid glee. the threaten
ings of the coming storm. He called to
his old wife for his lantern. went to the
crazy and rulnous shed. and led out half.
starved horse, which he led by the halter
along the beach. At ravine in the cliffs
he turned with his horse, and began to
ascend a winding and dangerous path to
The top of the precipice. There he lighted
his lantern and fastened it 10 the horses
head, and then, for three or four hours of
the night, he led the unconscious animal
backward and forward along the edge Of
the cliffs. BY this time the Lightning flash.
ed frequent and fierce; the thunder rolled
and ratified directly overhead; the rain
poured down like a flood; and the sea,
which all day had heaved s|uggishIy. and
heavily broken upon the rocks. was now
reused into fury by the rising gale which
swept along its bosom. Sul the old man
pursued his walk along the cliffs, and ever
and anon looked keeniy and anxruusly
through the darkness upon the now raging
sea beneath. Hark! surely that thunder
came not from the clouds-lhat flash was
no lishlning's stroke. II is-yes, it is the
cannon Of the fated ship, The wel-known
signal of distress; and tie old mans fendish
nature rejoiced at the thought that his
decoy-Iisht had answered its Object
Again and again that sound doomed along
the waters; Tor all too late the mariners dis
cover that they are embayed, that rocks and
| breakers are around them. and the gale is
driving Them quickly TO the shore; that the
false light, which had appeared to them as
that of tall ship tossing on the sea. was
displayed to lure them TO destruction.-
Again and again the gun is Tired. and still
the old man rejoices in the success of his
horrid s,ralagem, and calculates, with
iendsh accuracy. The spot and the moment
for the iated vessel striking Off the rocks
As the time approaches, he descends from
the cliffs. and takes his station OH the beach
to watch for whatever the raging waves
may cast on shore. And soon there is
heard crash. louder than the strife Of ele-
ments--a shrek, far above the roar of wa.
lers-but still the wrecker shrnks not from
the horrors of his own dark deed. yet
shrouded by the tempest and the night
Day dawns at length, and shows 10 his
greedy eyes the beach s,rewn with Irag>
men,s Of The wreck, which The yet heavIng
| bllows are still bearing shnreward and
dashing on the rocks. Presently, the nd
man ,s bending over the body Of a drowned
man; for his avaricious glance has detected
on the finger Of the dead gold uns. with
a brigh, gem gl,lering in the early dawn.
Hastily and eagerly the hardened plunderer
drags away the ring from the unresstng
hand, and by the act. the face of The dead
man is TUNED upward and meets the eye
of his murderer. In that moments glance,
horror and despair have taken the place of
greedy joy-the color iorsakes his quiver-
ing hp-,he dearly-purchased gem drops
from his unconscious grasp, and as he sinks
TO the earth beside the corse, he gasps out,
"My son. my som"
II twas too true. The old mans only son
had left his home in early youth. disguised
with the vices that disgraced his friends;
and, with hardly. y.earned riches ard honors.
which he fondly anticipated might be the
means Of rescuing his parent from the
course of guilt and depravi,y in which he
had grown grey. he was returning to his
native Iand-to perish thus! Ill-fated son Of
a vet more wretched sne-the murderer
and Murderer of his only child