Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1852-12-02
-LITcHEIELD ENQUIRER

THE DYING lGURuERER.

N
murder, We were admitted to see him.
His mother, q ragged, tOttering, grey
haired woman, sat by his side as hs lay
upon an old buffalo robe that was7 spread
10 one corner of the room. The face Of
that old woman haunts the writer at this
moment. She sat upon the bare floor oil
the prison room. with her skeleton hands
clasped in each other, and her CLASSY eyes
fixed with intense vacancy (if such an ex-
preston is allOwable) upon her wretched
dying son. The miserable prisoner mo-
ticed our entrance with dark scowl, bul
she seemed wholly unconscious of oul
| presence, and indeed Of every thing
Eighty ears sorrow bad turrowed double
as many Srinkles, and left little room foz
expression in her counlenance, yet this
very absence of every thing like meaning
in her face, made her appearance more
strikingly impressive. In that fixed and
vacant stare we read the doting fondness
Of mothers heart, cliuging still to her
wretched boy, when branded by crime,
and scOrn, and misery, and marked for
death by the law aud by disease-,hat
horrid aud loathsome disease which is the
terrible punishment Of vice.
The unhappy wretch had murdered a
girl, his own niece, a young and innocent
creature, who reproached him for rob-
berry he bad committed upon priest. he
feared the artless girl would, in making
her confession, expose his crime, and exas.
perated that hs could not force her to
promise secrecy, he plunged his knife into
her heart. He fed to the mOunta ins, and
would have escaped but for the vigilance
of the girls lover. who hunted the MUIR
derer alone long after the officers Of jus
sice had given up the pursuit, uutilhe sue
ceeded 10 capturing the wretched criminal.
Hunger, and the frightfnl disease which
gas consuming him, had made the mis-.
cradle being weak, and he would probably
have persisted alone, among the mountains
had he not been found for j, was in JAM
uary, aud even had he possessed strength
to hunt animals for food, he could mot
have lived through two nights, exposed in
the snow to the freezing winds which bowl
through the winter months around those
giant hills Of stone. His pursuer found
the most wretched man, exhausted and
fainting, concealed 10 a hollow tree, and,
bent firmly on just revenge, he hunted
game, kindled fire, and with his own
hands fed the murderer of his betrothed.-
A more extraordinary thing than This
could not be conceived. The young man
never exchanged word with the crimi>
nal. but with an iron frmness, born from
blighted hopes and the prospect Of life
of sorrow, he fed him. restored him to
strength, and drove him back to Santa Fe.
We spoke to the unhappy man. but the
very kindness of our tones seemed to Of
fend him, and he answered only with
dark trown. He took NO notice of his
mother, but lay bgoodiDg in sullen and
gloomy despair. His features were hand
some, but the expression Of his eye made
as shrink and shudder, The paleness Of
death was already visible in his dark
sunken cheek, yet If his counte nance was
to be believed, wicked passions were still
raging fearfully within his breast. lie
neither looked at US nor at his mother, but
with bis dark brows contracted he gazed
constantly at the ceiling Of his dungeon
Now and then more transparent paleness
would visit his cheek, and the firm closing
of his lips and teeth told that the pangs Of
disease were torturing his frame, but
still he uttered 40 moan or sound OF
any kind. And that poor old woman sit
ting upon the ground beside him!-she
was the very impeFsonaiion Of sorrow and
despair. Her appearance awed us until
We also became mute, and an oppressive ST.
lence that made the blood run cold in our
ve las, rsig0ed around the death couch Of
the murderer.
An alcalde entered, leading priest who
carried cruciix and prayer book. The
criminal m aintained his 6xed stare nc the
roof. yielding 40 attention to the solemn
greeting Of the churcll.man- bat the old
woman instantly changed her position, and
knelt beside her son, Still no expression
appeared 10 her couDtenance, and no sOund
escaped her lips. Her white hair was
rudely lied with string Of deer skin, an !
q COARSE blanket aud taileFed undergar-
ment was her covering. When the priest
appeared she drew from her bosom a small
crucifx of wood. attached 10 string Of
heads, which sho passed mechanically
through her fingers, still with her faded
and lustreIess eyes 6xed upon the form Of
her dying son. The priest kDelt also, and
offered to take the hand Of the criminal,
bufltho hand was snalched nervOusly away,
and the dark. s96ken eye Of the murderer
cleaned win terrible look Of hatred and
defiance. Again the deadly whiteness
stole over bis cOuntepanee, and we heard
his teeth grit NJ the pangs Of death were
raging through his vilals. Suddenly he
sprang up in n sitting position. and opening
his mouth for the first time, he gave vent
10 q success sion Of screams and yellk that
caused US 70 star. back in terror. We
hurried from the prison. for the sight was
TOO terrible and as We passed through the
low doorway We saw that the poor old goa
man had fallen upon her face. and was lay
ing seemingly insensible upOa the door Of
the dungeon. while the priest was STOPPING
10 assist her. The miserable man died
that night.
IMPORTANT DTacovRRy-Mr. Lewis