Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1851-12-22


''Oi, thai could wipe ou, thai f,,l-,ho
terrible stain trom memory. Hal il is q,
my hahd as fresh as when | murdered iha
poor,meianchoiy stranger God o. heaven
cannot wpeil out" The stranger hac
Cut bis hand With piece of broken glass
and clot OF fresh blood was upon il in re.
alty. lie feit not the paln of the woune
III his horror; nno satisfied that Heaven
hac marked him in her own terrible way
he wiped off the blood and turned to depart
The sheriff was beside him, and he was
arrested for an attempt TO murder He
preserved suIien silence. He followed
the officer to his carriage, and was soon on
his way 10 London. / he prison received
its victim; and the gay world smiled as
brightly as before.
The day Of trial came. John Brown,
who had taken another name, was tried MS
Samuel Jones, and the case brought together
vast concourse of people of both sexes
The prisoner was soon placed at ihe bar
The jury was duly impannelied. The ad.
vocate for the crown was in his place. -
The prisoners counsel was beside him. and
The judge was upon the bench.
Brown as he entered the dock. had been
so much agitated by the dread reality of his
guilt, and the prospect of speedy puuish>
'nent, that he had not cas-. his eve upon his
Judge. He now looked cautiously a, him.
He saw the keen eye OF the judge fixed
upon him. and started with horror.
''Oh, God!'' said he, with loud voice,
while the sweat rolled down his chalk>hke
lace. sit is the murdered man! Ha! he
has come to judge the guilty. See, there
is the forehead scared. All, it was dew
ll'sh blow. Back, back, say; let the
dead man look his fill. There's blood
upon my hand; see there, thou uuquiet
spirit; that hand was reeking in thy gore;
twas merciless when thou cridest out be
merciless now in thy turn, thou man of the
spirit land" ...
F Here the prisoner tainted and fell upon
the floor. A great sensation was caused
in the court by this singular circumstance,
and it was not until sorder' had been shouted
for some time, that the trial was suffered to
go on 1t appears that Browns neighbors
all considered him guilty OF the crime Of ell
deavoring to murder the individual named
in the beginning Of this tale, and who was
now the presiding judg of the Old Bailey.
The affidavit was kept in green remem-
brance, especially by one farmer in The
neighborhood OF Hopedale, who h nd ap-
propriated Browns farm to his own use,
and who constantly watched for the mur
derer's return, for he knew human nature
SO we'll as to be certain that no wretch
can be so callous as 10 forget the spot sn.
cred to childhood, innocence. and early
love. The robber seeks his home, the
murderer seeks the shade Of his once hap
py valley.
The unfortunate man, ignorant of his
wife's actions, and unconscious Of the certii-
icate III her possession, ignorant of her exist
ence even, after long cruise in the navy OF
England, returned to view the pleasant
homestead, the green valley, the quiet hill
side, and the sunken graves of his parents
and children. He bad met the arguseyed
speculator on his way. The old affidavit
hung like the sword OF DamocIes over his
head land the iniormer saw the poor broken
hearted sailor borne away to London and,
as he trusted, TO ielen's grave. Such is hui
man nature. Man carelessly feeds upon
the fruits that hang over the chnrch-yard
wall, and gathers roses from the sacred
plains
Where once the life's blood warm and wet
Had dimmed the gittering bayonet"
The trial proceeded; the evidence was
strong. and the jury, without quitting their
seats, pronounced the prisoner at the bar,
"GuiIty"
@Guilty?" said Brown, rising to his feet,
can it be? All! [ must die !clens death,
and my poor lost wife Oh, that pang.
How her tender endearments now rise npiu
judgment against me; her soft words, how
they thunder upon my gloomy soul. Her
smiles of beauty and innocence great God,
how they scar my heart: must then die
without her forg lveness? Oh, the thought
is torture, ay, torture as dreadful as that
experienced by the vilest Of the damned"
Here the prisoner became unnamed, and
burying his face in his fetered hands, wept
like child. The strong passion of grief
shook the prisoners limbs and ratified the
chains with terrible distinctness' A short
silerce ensued and then the judge put on his
black cap, and prepared TO pronounce that
awful sentence which can never be pronounc-
ed without awaking the dormant sensibi'i-
ties of the most degraded, which none, in
fact, but the condemned, ever hear without
q Hood of tears.
"Prisoner at the bar," said the jud &c,
"stand up" Brown arose. "What have
you TO say why sentence of death should
not be pronounced against you?" said the
Judge continuing his remarks. A slight
rusting noise was now heard at the bar,
and female in widows weeds leaned her
head over to speak to the prisoner.
"Stand back woman," said a self-suf6-
cient tip-staff, who, like some Of our consta-
bIes, ina gine the old adage, "necessity has
no law" 10 mean claw has no necessity
The woman drew back her veil, and look
ing the Judge full in the face, said. "May it
please v, ur worship to permit me TO aid my
husband in his last extremity"
The Earl thought he knew the face and
the tone OF voice, and therefore commanded