Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1852-11-11
D. P. THOMPSON, EDITOR & PROPRIETOR.

the firm, and positively the last person OH whom
suspicion would have fallen. He was a pro-
fesser of religion; man of some standing
among his sect, being local preacher, Sabbath
school teacher and class leader.
Returning to Bradford that s1me evening,
the gentleman consulted with his partners. He
had brought the piece of stolen cloth from Shelf
field, and they resolved that, without Burrows
knowledge, every roll of that description should
be unwrapped, until, by fitting at the point of
severance it was matched with the piece from
which it had been cut.
"The whole night was occupied in this man
ner, but the piece was discovered, and in the
morning Burrows was confronted with the proofs
of his guilt. Taken quite aback, and finding
denial or excuse equally hopeless, he confessed
ALL acknowledged that, in violation Of the trust
reposed in him, he had commutd all those rob.
berries for which so many of his fellow-workers
had been discharged with ruined characters and
pleaded hard for mercy.
"Thls, however, was out of The question.
The firm were justly indignant Burrows was
committed for trial. They prosecuted pressed
the charge conviction followed, and the Judge,
after remorking on the fragrant nature of the
case, sentenced him to be transported for life.
with heavy heart, his wife and children
the latter six in number--bade him farewell at
the appointed time he left his native land, an
outcast and felon
Csnvict discipline was even more severe
then than now. Burrows, upon whose destina-
ton, doubtless, the summing up of the Judge
was not without influence, was drafted with a
gang of malefactors of the worst possible class,
to the extreme penal settlement. Here it was
forbidden, under heavy penalties, that he should
attempt 10 hold any communication with living
ooul, or even to write to his family. for three
years. His occupation, and that of the gang
was packing wool, and while'pursuing their la.
bors the silent system was strictly enforced
"Three years passed away. The circumstan-
ces of the robbery were fast fading from me-
mory, when one morning, while some laborers
were engaged in unpacking bag of Australian
wool at the Bradford mill, where Burrows had
formly worked, letter, addressed in his hand
writing to his wife, was found deep. buried among
its contents. The letter was Immediately taken
to the counting house. But the strange circum-
stances under which it was stated to have been
found, induced in the minds of the members of
the firm suspconsOf its authenticity, To un-
ravel the mystery, however, they resolved to
open the letter. They did so and it proved to
be genuine document. 1t came from Bur
rows himself 1t set forth that he was we'll.
that if he continued to behave himself he should
in two years from that date be permitted to &c
to Sydney, where he prayed his wife 10 try and
past offences, and his acknowledgment of the
justice of his sentence, an. tis determination
TO lead new life for The future"
"What remarkable circumstance" " exclaimed
several voices in concert.
"It was. inlced," continued the clergyman.
1.-THE letter was duly handed to Burrows wife'
and taking into consideration the mysterious
train of events by which it had been brought
in safety to its destination, a subscription was
organized, and Burrows family we're sent out
so as to meet him at the time he requested
They duly met, and according to the last repote
the man was bidding fair to retrieve his fallel
position in society"
"a special Providence, indeed" remurke
the lady who had first started the subject.
And srch an extraordinary" said anothe
Of the company.
1t teaches most important lesson; said tn
clergyman. 81 teaches humility, Reflect thu
= this man, an outcast to society, while packin
: wool in a remote settlement Of the antipode
, promiscuously placed letter in the heart Of on
of those packages, which might have been sci
, t. any pnrt of Europe or America, indiscrmlr
tely. But, instead of this, after crossing tweiv
thousand miles of trackess ocean, it not onl
reaches England, but is forwarded to the yer
town, consigned to the very firm of whom Bu
> rows was formely servant, and thus the lett
falls into the hands Of his family, for whom
was intended, and answers all the purposes fl
which it was written. This singular combn
ton of events, I say, appears almost miracdou
=, vet the result should, while nculcatng hope al
~, trust in the Almighty Creator and Dispenser
~ good, teach the lesson and that none of us f
# our supposed righteousness have claim upo
- Heaven for any speciality of favors.