Star of the Kanawha Valley. [volume] (Buffalo, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1856, 1855-06-06

lOICC VA DUIu EElCS VI NlC.IlNCT, anu
at the dawn of day next morning five
hundred strong men, under arms,
marched to theboats and perempto-
rily demanded tac release Of Wetzel.
Parks at first refused, but he was in
formed by theirlcader that if he did
not deliver Wetsel in ten minutes, he
would sink the Boats and take Wet
Eel by force. 1ale feroeious spirit of
the people, and Che determination Of
their leader, eDnpelled Parks to
knock the iron. Off of Wetzel and
surrender him tp his friends. +
AT this condact of his country
men, Wetzel Wa deeply mortified,
and to avoid wlIat he called the per-
secution ofhis pwn people, he de-
clared his determination of immedi-
ately leaving t!e county forever
Accordingly heap(t tie first oppor-
tunity for The Spanish province of
Lo"i&iaAa. lis Stopped at Natchcz,
,nnd at one. engaged in Mis- lavoritc.
b business orfronltrr service, and soon
became u scnHfnl lavoritc with the
settlers. , In hi*s.llcw home, WctzcI
appeared to have every thing to
make it comfortable, aud tho change
from hrs native 10 his adopted coun.
try appeared n anppy one. Butthc
smooth cnrrcntpf his'lltc was again
doomed to be rElcd, and his mefidi-
an sun again ohscurcdby the clouds
of trouble. n ".
"Wctzel was I'm unlettcrcd man,
and his whole lifa proved his charac-
ter of nnbrpdins integrity. Placing
no value on m6lcy, memo believed
that he would dD a Dishonest act for
mere gain. Notwithstanding his
character and The circumstances of
his life, he was arrested for counter.
letting the coin ofthc king.
~ man by tIis name Of Piatt, from
near Pittsburghzwho had for some
cause sought a sciugc n louisiana,
wasthe accused of poor Wctzel.-
Whether he wa actuated by mo.
tives of malicG selE:protection, or
other cause Is, ihnd perhaps ever will
be, locked up Within the secrets of
the past. Thatsln unlfttcrcd man,
like Wrtzcl, coQid counterfeit, was
lie ever so Willing, was prepostcrous.
Besides, AL whoa>new h m were con,
!idcHt he would hot do it il hc could.
Bat, upon the eyidcncc of Piatt, he
was convicted aid scptcnccd to be
"aIaboo$cd at .Nfw rltans. :
"The news &c NctEcl's misfor-
tunes soon rracktd the upper cdun-
try, ana the pSIoIlirr OF the western
hoatnnn, on renshing New Orleans,
was to visit the hrison Of poor Wet.
zrl and offer whatever was in his
power for his cqsnfort and relief
Petition after petition lyas sent to
the Spanish GoIrnor, .prayin. for
his rcIease,.but kithout effect. Col.
Richard Brown Ind the Hon. r. Me-
Cure, both Distinguished men at
that day in wes5rrn Virginia, upon
their own personal re %ponsibiIity,
ut different time., otlerd d the Gov
crnor two thousAnd dollars for his
release; the Governor placing it on
the groundsof haAing no discretion in
the matter, deckncd n compliance
with their rcque4; expressing, Mthe
same tinr, a deslfe for kVctzcl's re-
lief, but refusing a par don. on the
grounds that hisFDvercisn required
the judgments oGilis majrsty's courts
executed to the tttcr.
I'm that dark 3nd loathsome pris.
on, denied of nIlAhc comforts of life,
even The light Of btaycn, did the poor
sufferer drag out:four years of his
material existcna, with. no inmates
than the -meane{t .malefactors that
were ever incarc4rated for crime. -
Hope Of obtainiIig his liberty had
fed. His fricnds that had previous
Iy made such diahtcrestcd and no
Die efforts for ht relief, had long
since given oycYin despair, or re.
yarded hitn+ay htying FIJI a victim
to his confinement, and by that I'M
welcome monitoEbeen released from
his chains, Weszel regarded him:
self, for the balahce Of His days, as
n permanent tixt4re to the dwmp floor
Of his prison, ana almost ceased TO
pray for liberty. { . 4 -:
while Wctzc5 was counting with
fevered anxiety &ery day as it pas
Sod, as bringing Sim nearer the day
of his deliverancs from his miserable
and loathsome dtfngeon, tothat house
not made with Bands, the light Of
hope suddenly bpke upon the soil
tude of. his cell. i Previous to ibis
time, there existed in western PENN
sylvania what wSs miliarly known
+ as the whisky resurrection. One
Of the leaders ofIilsurgbnts was Gen.
Bradford, of Pennsylvania, who was
prosecuted for resisting the execu.
ton of the laws, and to avoid which
he fed to Louisiana. Bradford was
a man Of education, talents, and fine
address. lie CLAIMED the protection
Of the Spanish Governor, and soon
became a favorita at his Court. He
soon learned the gcondition Of Wet
eel. . He knew hfs former character
and great success, and deeply sym