The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1853-05-19

to wines and spirituous liquors which al
lows them to re-tailed at much lower
price without the barriers than that at
which they are sold within the walls Of
the city. This law has given rise, among
the lower orders Of people, to frequent
attempts at smuggling liquors in bIadder9
concealed about their persons, often IN
their hats. The penalty for the offence
was so high, that it was very rarely en-
forced, ana practically it was very sell
dom, indeed, that the actual loss incur
red by the offending party was anything
more than the paltry venture; which he
was generally permitted to abandon,
making the best use of his hotels to es-
cape any further punishment. Tie gems
! darmes planted at the different barriers
( generally made a prey Of the portablcs
which they captured, and were constant
/ ly interested in keeping a good lookout
/ for offenders. 1t was this vigilance that
led to the discovery of the robbers; for,
not being able to devise any bitter plan
for the removal Of the money than that
of secreting'it about their persons, they
attempted thus to carry out their object
But as one Of them, heavily encumbered
with the golden spoils, was passing thro'
the Barricre d dEnter, one of the soldier
police who was on duty as sentinel, sus-
pecting, from his appearance and hesitat-
ing gait, that he earring smuggled liquors
in his hat, suddenly stepped behind him
and struck it from his head with his hal
berd. What was his astoniShment to be-
| hold, instead, of the expected bladder Of
wine or spirits, several small bags Of gold
and rolls of English bank notes. The
confusion and prevaricatiOn Of the wretch,
who made vain and frantic attempts to
recover the property, betrayed his guilt
and he was Immediately taken into Gus
tody, together with his companion, who,
following at very short distance, was
unhesitatingly pointed out by his coward
ly and bewildered confederate as the
owner of the money. No time was lost
in conveying intelligence Of their capture
to their unfortunate victim, who immed-
lately identified the notes as his own
property, and at the first view Of the as
sassins swore distinctly to the persons of
both-to the elder, as having repeatedly
stabbed him. and to the younger, as his
companion and coadjutor.
The criminals were in due course of
time bried, fully convicted, and as was to
be expected, sentenced to death by the
guiIlotine; but. owing to some technical
inf0rmality in the proceedings, the doom
Of the law could not be carried into exc
cution until the sentence of the court had
been confirmed upon appeal. This de-
lay afforded time and opportunity for
some meddling or interested individual
either moved by the desire of making a
cruel experiment, or else by the hope of
obtaining a reversal of the capital sentence
against the prisoners-to work upon the
feelings ofthe unfortunate money-changer.
A few days after the sentence of death had
been pronounced, the unfortunate victim
received letter fom an unknown hand,
mysteriously worded, and setting forth. in
expressions that seemed to him fearfully
prophetic, that the thread of his own des-
tiny was indissolubly united with that of
his condemned assassins. 1t was evident
ly out of their power to take away his
life and it was equally out of his power
to survive them, die by the sentence of
the law, or how or when they might it
became clear, SO argued this informed
dler-that the same moment which saw
the termination Of their lives, would in
evitably be the last of his own. TO for +
tify his arguments, the letter-Writer refer /.
red to certain mystic symbols in the hea
vens. Now, though the poor man could
understand nothing Of the trumpery dia-
grams which were set forth as Illustrating
the truth Of the fatal warning thus con-
veyed to him, though his friends univer-
sally laughed at the trick as barefaced
attempt Of some anonymous impostor to
rob justice of her due, it nevertheless
made deep impression upon his mind
Ignroant of everything but what he rela-
ted Immediately to his own money-get-
ting profession, he had blind and unde-
fined awe of what he termed the supernat-
ural sciences, and he inwardly thanked
the kind monitor who had given him at
least 4 chance of redeeming his days.
He Immediately set about making ap-
plication to the judges, in order to get
the decree of death changed into 2 sen
tence to the galleys for life. He was e.
qually surprised and distressed to find
that they treated his petition with con
tempt, and ridiculed his fears. So far
from granting his request, after repeated
solicitations, they commanded him in n
pre-emptory manner to appear no more
before them Driven almost to despair,
he resolved upon petititiouing the king
and after much expense and toll, he at
length succeeded in obtaining an audience
of Charles y. All was in vain. a crime
SO enormous, committed with such cool
deliberation, left no opening for the plea
of mercy; every effort he made only sery-
ed to strengthen the resolution of the au-
thorities to execute Judgment. Finding
all his efforts in vain, he appeared to re-
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