The Texas Republican. [volume] (Marshall, Tex.) 1849-1869, 1853-08-27
I u T. { II IL : COFFIN,
OR THE REPENrANr CRIMINAL.


tending patient who resided at Hendon,
and who promised not TO be long for this
world. when. as | crossed a slile that led
ms iuto the high read. after making which
had a near cut across some fields, heard
words of contention between a man and
woman.
1t was an autumnal evening. aud twi,
light was fast disappearing, yet there was
suAicien, to distinguish the figures of two
persons, who were too intent upon their
quarrel to see me as they passed the s,ile,
particularly. as PASSED aud drew back a
few feet.
you shall carry it, cried the man,
with brutal OATH ",ou shall carry it. |
know well that it don't take care that YOU
have a good hand N it, YOU will be peach.
ing upon the whole affair some of these
DAYS Garry il "-curses
"Oh John, John, am i'll, SO ILL.,
III be hanged Come ON. ltsan es.
cusc. ou dont like to carry coffin, hut
shall %
IL am faint, John do not know
what il is that has come over me bat II
am very faint aud Ill., Oh if this should
be some Judgment OF God. Oh, John,
John, let US repent
" Silence, sill YOU On 1t, how do !
know but some one may be listening GIVE
me the coffin. ContOuud Aou, won't You
come on wish had the buying OF your
own coffin, instead Of the child's, Come
on, will yout What, will YOU lie down,
will YOU Take that, then
heard a blow ora kick given and !
commenced whistliug with all my might as
tfamped on after them with quick step
This had the effect of stopping any further
violence. aud all was still I'd. | reached the
spot where the man and woman were The
latter was upon the ground, while the man
had au odd shaped bundle OF something
upon hts shoulder, which was 80 well dis.
guised that il | had not, from Their previous
conversation known it was a coffin, ! Ger
tainly should not have recognized it a. So
dismal an Object
4 fine evening, said. " Ilalloo
ANY thing amiss
"Oh drar--God bless you-no sir,
SAID the man, ia a cauiiug voice; " the
Lord be good to us no sir Its nay wife,
bless her heart-shes little tired or So,
that's all-comc, old woman, get up the
Loid will help YOU.
The oiI woman struggled to her feet with
difficulty.
"rood evening, sir, said the hypocritical
scouudrcl, good evening sin, ! thank You
sir. "
"Oh I'm going your way, said |.
Ip luuspI a Iuomput
" Ola, he said, ito Hampstead. SIR |
suppose. Come, old woman, keep MP
Think of the l.ord and cheer up.
Partly to iIampsicd. 10 sand l. and
partly not Its bracing night ANT it Z
have come across the fields and don't
know much abou, here. l. Ihat a public
house
Yes sir; that is resort of sinners call.
ed the Bull and Bush Al, sir, Il people
would think OF their immortal state 1t would
be better Tor all.
why why old woman YOU cant get
along
Dear. dear. the Lord help us "
But ior the offered assistance of my arm
the woman must have fallen. Dan as the
hght was, could see veXatlon depicted
upon the man s face, and ho shifted the coi.
hu first on to one shoulder ard then on Ia
the other to seq II he could not hel f. the wo
man without me. hui that took good care
he should not 90 aud said
She seems ID, indeed, viii help YOU to
Your own door il You are not going very
Tar"
Rut we are going far, % he SAID " the
Lord willing.
"oh, wen Irepl.sl. "never mind have
plenty OF time"
There was no such thing as getting rid
of me withou, quarrel, md that he seemed
to be afraid OF; so we all walked on IA 81.
lence Tor some distance down dark turns
ing. and then down another, until ve stop
ped at the door OF a cottage, when he SAID
- 6 God night, sir-good nigh, We are ut
home now Good night. The Lord be
with You, Dir.
Amen, said | good night, aud AWAY
| walked At n brisk pace. never once look
ing behind me for nearly quarter OF
nile and then turned and ran back swift.
ly upon my toes. for | felt a strong consic-
ton that something WAS wrong, although !
had no direct clue to what it WAS, had
taken sufficient potice OF the cottage 10
reach it without any difficulty, and IN few
rlnutes -rather out of breath | admit
stood before it.
1t was one Of those cottages with door
IN the center, aud lattced window at each
side but there were shutters tn the windows
on the inside, which provokIngly prevented
mo from getting glimpse; and there
stood mueylng there was some secret with
IN, but totally unable to hHd on, what It
was. | lancied, toe, that ! heard the mnt>
muir Of voices aud being resolved no, to be
toled, If possible. made my way to the
back of the cottage where there was gar
den, aud thence got into a kind OF seulletN
or wash house. There was window eNN
aety the level of my eyes, and at once
saw into = room, where scene was gong
on which trans6xed me with horror aud
astonshmcnt
The man and the woman were both IN
the room; on char was placed small
common, rough looking childs collin ~
the momen, tia, looked into the room the
woman was upon her knees with both hands
upIihed, as il in supplication, while the man
stood over her with his fists cleuched ana
in an attitude As II to strike her.
"Oh John, John she said, yon know he
is not dead John, have mercy --have mer'
cyl Do not do it Oh, God, God, do not
let han do it -,