The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1856-12-03

sensible Of any pains that she could re-
member. She came to herself as if she
awakened out Of sleep, not recovering the
use of her speech 10y slow degrees, but in
a manner altogether, beginning to speak
Just where she left of on The gaIlows.
Being thus at length perfectly recover
ed, after thanks given TO God, and the
persons instrumental in bringing her to
litc, and procuring her an immunity from
inrther punishment, sho retired in the
/ country to her friends at stecple Barton,
where she was afterwards married, and
lived in good repute among her ncghbors,
having three children, and not dying till
/ 1869.
The following account Of the case of Il
girl who was wrongfu'ly executed in ! 7GG.
. IS given 10y II celebrated French author,
AS AN instance Of The injustice which was
often committed by the equivocal mode of
trial then used in France.
About seventeen years since, Young
/ peasant glrI was placed at parls, in the SER
vice ola man, "ho, smi,tcn with her beau.
ty, tired to inveigle her, hut she Was vir.
trons and resisted. The prudence Of this
! gIrI rrItatcd the master, aud he determin.
cd Oh revenge. lie secretly conveyed in
to her box mauythiugs belonging 10 him
marked with lis name. He then cxclam.
eel that he was robbed, called in com.
ml>sairc, (a ministerial officer Of Justice, J
and made his deposition. The girls box
was searched, and the things were discov.
cred. The unhappy servant was impris
Oucd.
She defended herself only 10y her tears;
she had no evidence to prove that sh,
dId not put the property in her box; and
her only answer to the interr"yatores wa,
that She was innocent The judges haL
no suspicion Of tie dcpravi,y of the acc
sers, whose station was respectable, and
they administered The law in all its riror
The innocent girl was condemned to b,
hanged. The dreadful office was inetlectu
ally performed, rs it was the first attemp,
OF the son Of the chief excculioner. 4
surgeon had urchaseG ihe body r Iisscc
uon, and 1t was conveyed to his house.
On that evening, being about TO open the
head, lie perceived gen tie warmth abou,
the body. The dissecting. knife fell from,
his land, and he placed in bed her whom
he was about 10 dl>sect.
His efforts 10 restore her to life were ef
tectuaI, and at the same time sent for Z
clergyman on whose discretion and eype
rIence he could depend, in order to consult
with hun on this strange event, as vel
as to have him for witness To his con
duct. The moment the unfortunate cir
opened her eyes she believed herself in
the other world, and pcrcciving the igurt
OF the priest, who had marked aud ma.
JeSlIc coun'cn lncc, shc joined her hand,
lrcmOlngIy and exclaimed: "Elcrna
Father, you know my innocence, have
pity on me-" In this manner she coniin
ued to invoke the ecclesiastic, believing ir
her simplicity that she behed her Cod
They were long in persunding ler that
she was not dcad--So much had the idea
OF punishment and death possessed heI
Imagination.
The girl having returned 10 life and
health, she retired to hide herself in dis
tant village, fearing to meet the judges OF
the officers, who, with the dreadful tree,
necessarily haunted her imagination
The accuser remained unpunished, be
cause his crime, although manifested by
two individual witnesses, was not clear 10
the eye Of tie law. The people subse.
quentIy became acquainted with the re.
sunCction Of this girl and Ioade with re,
Proaches the author ofhGr misery.