Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-03-02
FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 1855.

into The court room. He hurries up
and whispers TO the Shorthand
then he goes TO the bench and whis-
pers to the Judge. Henry Bigler
starts up and moves towards The
door, but in an instant the hand of
the sheriff is on him. All is excite
ment the most intense. Directly
the mass at the door begins 10 give
way and four men are seen bearing
upon their shoulders chair-a
large stuffed chair-and in the chair
sits Mathew llampton-not dead
but alive. True, he is pale and
ghastly, but his eyes are open and
his lips move. AT length the chair
is set down before the bench, and
the old physician Of NJ asks
permission to speak. As soon as
this TACT becomes known, all is quiet
once more.
The physician says that neither of
the wounds which Mr.. Hampton had
received are mortal, though he had
at first thought they were. The blow
upon the head, and the stab in the
breast combined to produce a state Of
calalepsy which rescmblcd death SO
nearly that many an experienced per
son might have been deceived. When
he gave out that Mr.. Hampton was
dead he thought tina, it was so. Bal,
when he found that MIR. Hampton
was living, he kept the secret to hun
self, for fee: ia. & c-~:-;;aa;;i, mai,
whose presence was much needed,
might be missing.
AT this juncture, Mr.. Henry Bill
ger made savage attempt TO break
away from the sheriff but it did not
avail him. The jury were directed
to return TO their box, aud then
Matthew Hampton was requested to
speak. He was too weak TO rise, but
he spoke plainly, and in Il manner
that showed his mind to be clear.
He stated that when he reached
the bluff on the night Of the disaster,
he discovered that his pocket book
was gone. He stopped his horse
and was trying TO think where he
could have lost il, when some one
came up from the roadside. He had
Just time TO sec that it was Henry
: Bilger, when he received blow up
on the head from a club that knock
ed him from his horse. Then he
Eel, sharp, singing, burning pain
in his bosom, and with momentary
starting Of the muscles he opened his
eyes. He saw that bigger was stoop-
ing over him, and ransackine his
pockets. He could remember of
hearing The distant gallop Of horse
that he thought his body was drag
ged 10 The road side, and after lha,
he could remember nothing ill he
awoke in his house, and found the
doctor by his bedside.
For "A little while longer, tho null
.ltude had to restrain themselves. |
remember that the Judge said some
hing TO the jury, and that the jury
whispered together for moment
Then the prisoner stood up once
more, and the foreman Of the jury
said-'Not Guilty.
Then burst forth hearty shout Of
the people. Abdel Adams sank
back upon his scat, and in moment
more he was seized 10y a score of
stout men, and with wild and rend-
ing shouts, they bore him into the
free, pure air, where the bright stars
looked down and smiled upon them.
a little way had they gone when
they met young woman, whose
hair was flowing in the night wind,
and who wrung her hands in agony.
They stopped and set their burden
down. Abdel Adams saw the wo-
man, and he sprang forward and
caught her TO his bosom.
Mary--Mary--l'm innocent
innocent-from-'
The wife did not speak. She on
ly chung wildly to her noble husband
and wept upon his bosom.
A wagon body was torn from its
axleirees-the blacksmith and his
wife were placed thereon, and then
they were borne away toward their
home, and long after they had pas
sed from my sight | could hear the
glad shouts of the impulsive people,
waking the night air, and revefbera-
ting among the distant hills.
On the next morning, before the
stage started, learned that Mat
thew Hampton had determined to
make the young blacksmith ccept a
thousand dollars whether he was will
ling or not.
Two weeks afterwards, while sit
ting in the Office of my hotel, at Gin
clnnati, ! received newspapers from
M, Henry bigger had been hang
cd /; and on the gallows acknowledge
ed his guilt. Matthew Hampton was
slowly recovering; and the black
smith had, after much expostulation,
accepted the thousand dollars from
iiampton's bounty.