Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-04-21

he assembled the stairs and entersj @ ,bs
otlce: An elderly man was seated Al
table surrounded by books and nansrs
Inviting the new conner to be seated he
peered at him. through his spectacles. and
inquired his business.
me 90
al cannot say that 1 do" answered the
Attorney, slowly, as if in doubt.
d" Do you not remember pleading in
behalf of poor fellow about being lynch.
ed for murder some thirty years ago ?"
"Mr. NJ W exclaimed
the lawyer joyfully. "Can it be possiblei
! never forgot a face, and yours saw in
frame work that night that ought to i'm :
press 1t upon my memory forever.-But 1
thought you dead years ago. Sit down
sit down and tell me all"
After was thrown from the vessel
that night" said W, seating himself
" l was so frightened that for some time
l had no consciousness of what occurred.
On becoming more collected, found my
little boat half filed with water, riding
the short heavy waves, and every second
L expected to go under, or be capsizod
and so drown. This not occurring, be.
gan to look about me. found the cord
by which 1 was tied, passed over my
shoulder. managed to get it in my
mouth and soon gnawed it apart. This
loosened my hand. so that in few min.
utes l freed myself and sat up. With an
old cup that l found in the boat baiIed
out the water, and then breaking up one
of the seats, l managed tho little affair so
as to ship no more of the waves, and in
this way rodo through the storm and the
night
BY morning the wind had somewhat
subsidized, but so exhausted was by fear
and fatigue, that I was forced to lie down,
and was soon fast asleep. When ava.
kened, the sun was setting, and far as
could see on every side was q dreary
waste Of water, feared nothing so much
as falling again into the hands Of that ter
rible mob.
The full moon came out, making the
scene as light almost as day, and gentle
breeze springiug up, took my coat, fas-
tened 1t on to the broken seat, and with
this for sail, drifted, as near as could
make out by the stars, in north. easterly
direction. knew sooner or later, / must
strike the Canada shore, but how far
had been carried in the storm. could not,
OF course. determine. Through that long
night floated on. saw the moon 90
down and the stars fade into the cold gray
light of morning, and then the sun came
up with the clear, calm day, but no land
was to be seen-nothing but glittering
water. imagined at one time seeing in
the dim distance sail, but if one, it i'm
mediately disappeared, About noon
noticed something floating near me, and
on padding my boat alongside, found it
a bale of goods, carefully corded together.
fastened it, almost without motive, to
my boat, and again lying down was sound
asleep. l was awakened by a shout, and
starting up, found / was running in close
to wooded shore and number of men
staring in wonder at my appearance In
answer TO my request, one Of them waded
in and pulled my boat TO the land. l
learned to my great relief, that l had
reached the Canada side, within a few
miles Of --. 1t was supposed that
had been shipwrecked, to which my bale
of goods at once gave coloring. and sccu-
red for me kind reception. On opening
my bale, the next day, found it filed
with costly silks and velvet, and so ad q
mirably packed, that the water had not
damaged them. This had probably been
lost from some wreck in the late storm,
and noting the address with the intention
prepayment some day, I sold the con-
tents, and with the proceeds made my
way TO New York, where /, after my mo-
theirs death, joined an expedition fitting
out for ---, South America. In this
new home l married, and engaged in mer-
chandize. There lived until learned,
a few months since, my innocence, of that
cruel deed, had been made known by the
confession Of the real criminal"
"I knew you were giltlesS at the time
of the MURDER" said the lawyer, when
W had finished recounting his
strange escape. "The circumstances
were too evident against you. have
succeeded in my profession, by SONG lit
tie knowledge Of human nature, ard Il
has taught me to be very suspicious Of
what is known as circumslantial eYidince.
So it is if read correctly; but what con
yinces common mind Of one thinglendF
a more acute one TO an opposite $hclqn d
sion. The criminal would have nftra9 o
would not deepen his own tracks, ! We "
his own name in blood Tor justic9o bdnt
along; but he will, If it can sone' Il
write characters that al who IN may ?
read to the abuse of others. preioTe'
the stronger the circumstances pear 70
an ordinary mind. the more G TENT the
innocence Of the accused 10 abasoning
one. Above all, when a manRs lived
through half century good HPahd-l
afFectionate father, and biameles4citizen
no discovery of mutilated BOZ steps
in blood, or ath-painted knifeIshouid
set aside the circumstances in b fAyOr.