The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1852-06-19
II ATE VIRGINIA POOLE.

In the New Hampshire State prison X con
fined voun" female. whose appearance and
address At once enlist sympathy. Her coun-
tcnancr has the artlc>S expression ot one m
stained even hv the consciousness ot crimr.-
the unaffected manner in which >lc reveals
story ot wronH and OUTRAGE .>utiicirnt 70 make
every heart h'rrd tnr hrrarc enough to MAKE
any one who listens to her history cry ont
again>t such Hot ulon Justice and humani-
" As her >tran~r and cruel incarceration.
She has been indicted for the crime of in
tanticilc. and judicial sentence has placed
her within the walls Of prison, far h| tcym
ot'hrr np''w ! iii. there I" have every SEN
'imrnt of principle and I'll NE rdrlirarv of her
sex ohliterated in the dchas;ng contact with
telnn> aml mactartor> Throumh the kind
ness ot' the excellent and compassionate War
den of the Prison. the writer of this article
has been permitted to have an interview with
her. and has no hesitation in saving that
among all the wrongs committed under the
name of ,Ju>ti"c. this case is without paral
lei
II is enough to make us pause with the
riouS inquiry whether the GREAT cause Of Iln-
manitv is not rapidly going back, and we are
not again living in an aoc of harhari>m. Her
appearance at once rrpr> this idea o. Quilt
her manner pleads for her most irrcsi~tillv
Modest sensitive 10 the degradation of her
though victim to the pcrtidv of h'r destroy
or. and living under the stigma of a criminal
conviction, no one can approach her and hear
her sad history from her own lips without r>-
: inc with INDIGNATION.
She is a native of Glasgow. Scntland-hav-
inc no relatives in this country. save an aunt
T who was unable to assist her in her wrrtrhcd
condition. Her downfall was effected nnde,
circumstances Of atrocitv that cry mos
loudly for vengeance on its guilty author
. wounds received in defending herself from
o her diaholral aoocS>or. and her ruin was on
: " accomplished when she was lrucrcd int,
n inscnsihilitv. With the innocent cvidenc,
o of her fall in her arms she was excluded from
* the house of the only relative shc had in A
i mcrica. and bearing it away with her, sh
= sought. in manufacturing city. shelter 70
l. herself and babe. while she could. with tn
g" labor OF her hands find honorable support
- This was ANYTHING but the course whic
20 would have hecn pursued hv one ronsciou
* of guilt In a city of strangers-a mother In
= not wife, what could he expected? Al
,e doors were closed against her. She coul
20 Qire nnrnp her child. but a mothers heart rs
o voted against it. Product Of shame thong
ii it was. and born to infamv though it migl
X be- she cung to it as all that was dear to he
h. in her extremity. Finding every avcnnc
% emplovmcnt closed to her in one city. 81
no tied to another 1t was night when she left
70 Ifeart-broken-onIv bound to life bv IL
re claims which bound her as a mothcr-si
r- would.under other circumstances have souc
go the welcome refuge of suicide. With the
rs feelings called into most narrowing excrciS
he hv the loneliness and misery of her Situatio
70 looking on the babe that slumbercd on h
nm breast. with the brand of infarnv born on
or brow, is it "a wonder that mind thus tortu
u- ed was swept he:ond the bounds of consciou
ness? The Hindoo mother who bursts t
of bonds of nature by tiincing her infant to t
Ter gaping monster of the Gangcs has no SIT
he plea as lav in the broken heart and trenzi
le. brain of Virginia Poole. leave her own Ii
he to tell her story
an i do not recollect anything distinctly s.
IL said. after entered the cars. The hgh
its crowd. and the motion of the cars seemed
nd confuse me- do not think that lshould ha
-. r.me raher.i anr.hin- y .he Weigh. y I