Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1855-10-29


i.u, the dark, damp cell was no fitting place
for one so tender in years the frlon's
daughter, and at length shadow fell upon her
from the death angels wing, and she could no
longer visit her father in his damp grated dan
geon.
She sickenpd, and she d ed
Oh how anxiously from day to day the moth
er watched over the sick couch of her little one.
and how anxiously, when morning came would
the condemned Talon father inquire concerning
the fate of his dear, fond, trusting child
That hope which.
10 the sick shows rosy health
Aud riches to the poor
led him to believe that his child would recover,
and would again visit him in his cell, and fill his
ear with an instructive melody from better
land
His hopes, however, proved deceptive. and at
last the sad news came that his little innocent
was no more. What his reflections then were We
will leave to the imagination of our readers. Shut
out from the world,and all but dead to every civil
right, he had been deprived of the privilege of
smoothing the pillow which his daughter rest
ed her dying bead, and of catching last, fond
glance from her trustful eye ere it closed fowever
on the things of time and senses In the father
the feon was forgotten, and the ties of nature
were asserted by deep, conyulsve agony of
grief.
All now that the prisoner seemed to wish was
an opportunity of seeing the body of his child be-
fore it was conveyed away forever to its narrow
dwelling. Bat this. the stern ailor could not per
init, unless the corpse were itself brought to the
prison, that it might there be seen.
AS he could see it no other way, the prisoner
begged that it might thus be brought. and so 1t
was-the dead on visit to the living
TO the jailor's room the mother and few kind
friends accompanied the little innocent on whom
the seal of the skeleton archer had been affixed,
and there they awaited the entrance OF the con
demned felon-the husband and the father.
1t u solemn, fearful meeting-that meeting
OF the living and the dead.
The strong, stout man entered. with a load of
gives upon his limbs, and double load of guilt
and grief upon his heart; and the sound of his
mourning, and the sharp clank of his manacles
as his convulsed frame shook, mingled in strange
dissonance of sound.
There, too, stood the mother, like Rachel, re-
fusng to be comtorted But her grief was divi
ded between her child that "was mott and her
husband that rds And there some of the
little playmutes other who had ceased to be- and
the kind friends above referred to, aud the stern
jalor. None were uumoved. Nature asserted
herself by the trlcklipg pearls of sympathy. But
on the face of the corpse smile still rested
There was no grief there. Sorrow and signing
from it had passed away, and the glories of the
spirit land had opened to its angel eyes in uncre-
ated light.
The father stopped down and appeared to listei
for the music of that voice which so late seemed
sweeter to his than the song of birds AMI he
arose, AS if still small echo had stirred among
the teudrIs of his heart. Who shall say that
there was not silent, yet persuasive eloquence
in those pale cold lips which warned Il parent
to lay hold of the anchor at eternal hopel
After time, the coffin lid was closed, and all
but the father and the jailor started on their tear
ful mission to consi IN the little sleeper Ia lis
earthly rest-.'a,hes 10 ashes and dust 10 dust"
Tic felon father returned in sorrow t. his cell;
and the mother. 10 her lowly domicil, where, by
the hearth, there was vacant place. Both, III
their dreams, are visited at times by a celestial
presence which they say is their ehiG
\ RoBDER ARRESTED BY LADY.-A few
months since lady belonging to this city went
to New York and put up at one of the broadway
hotels. After going to her room for the night
she took out her pocket book aud watch and land
them ON the table and then sat down to read
While engaged III reading, she thought she heard
breathing from some one apparently near by, but
finally concluded it must be Imagination
Soon after she began making preparations for re-
firing, and in adjusting her hair. dropped one of
her hair pins While STOPPING to pick it up she
discovered hat under the bed, and closer OBJ
seryation revealed to her sight the full length IL
cure of Il man. Without eyincing any emotion,
she threw II shawl around her shoulders went out
OF the ROOM locking the door after her, and step
ping into the hall she rang bell which summon
ed to her assistance the proprietors, who called
In the assistance OF police officer and the in
trudcr was arrested. He was convicted on the
testimony IF the lady. and sent to the State prs-
on for six months. The sequel to the whole was
IN dropping the hair pin.-Aer Haren Register