New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-01-08
The Infants Appea,

IA me year 1895, the Inhabitants living in district
Soraerag on Rock river, in the northern part of te
81 ino ,na ~ were much ineensed by the depreda
portion Of the country, Every exertion had been
made to discover the men engaged in this nefarious
business bat hitherto in vain and valuable animals
stolen and lost to their owusrs, IN defancsof
The utmost vigilance and care.
During such state of affairs, the citizes residing
in the region OF the thieves became thoroughly excited
and we're wound mp to such pitch Of indignation,
tiat q body Of men were formed styled Rangtrs,
whose explicit duty was to expunge the district Of all
suspicios characters, and to put stop to the depre
dations OF the horse thieves
Shortly ater this band con7asenced operations word
nable horse which had b.en stolen the night prevocs
could then be sound the premises Of man named
Burt, locked up in the estable. Although Burt here
tofore had been looked upon as an honest man and
an upright citnef yet the captain serned IL his duty
to at least examine his farm and learn the truth or
faisity Of the report.
Accordingly, he Summoned ssme haKdozen Of tie.
Rangers to meet ban at spos not far from Bnrt's
house, and before morning set ont for the place n.
self Daylight was hardly discesnable m the east~
and the haZy light Of coming dawn had net yet pene-
trated the bottom where the snspiesus man resided
the Rangers, charged with the fearful mission Of
life DEATH silently approached and surrounded the
dwelling. Leaving three of the bard 10 guard the
entrance the captain proceeded with the others 10 the
stable, broke opeu the door, and found the missing
horse, as had been stated, safely stalled inside
~ Not lingering doubt now remained Of Bufts quilt
and with stern determination to make such an ex
ample Of him as would deter others from like trans
action, the Rangers returned to the house. In the.
meantime, Burt had arisen, and upon coming to the.
door, seized by those in waiting, and upon de.
manding the reason, was informed that stolen ami
NAL found in his stable, and that he was consid-
cred thief Muttering something about g he knew
twoud come to this at last, he quietly submitted to-
whatever his captors had in store for him.
short consultation was held, and it was resolved
to hang the criminal upon large elm tree that grew
in front OF his own house, it being deemed that such
an act would strike terror and dsmay into the ranks
Of the horse thieves. @
death, and the had risen in all his golden majesty
ere the fatal moment had arrived which would launch
him into eternity In vain had his gray headed father
and mother pleaded for his life with trembling tongues
the old lady tottering forth from her dwelling and
kneeing in suppliant mood to his apparently merci
less captors In vain had the wife Of his bosom knet
in tears Of agony and entreated them husbands to
spare his lfe-for each Ranger had suffered more
less in person. and they deemed the example abso-
lutey necessary to deter others, and it seemed as
though Burt must die. " as
The dreadful preparations were completed-the
! half hour had expired = and the criminal was
| arranged under the limb OF stout elm, over which
rope was thrown, one end being noosed around the
prisoners neck and the other held by three Of the
| Rangers. Co..
Then came a moment Of dreadful sisnce-that
awful stiffness which precedes the launching of
| felow-beng into etern!ty-while the three strong
men who held. the ropes end gazed fxedly upon the
the right arm and already the moose was Tightening
around the doomed mans neck when the wife of Burt
issued forth from the house, holding infant little
more than year old, in her arms. a
Rushing forward, she fell on her knees directly in
front of the captain and raising the child with arms
outstretched towards him, she exclaimed in tones
that would have pierced heart of steel:
"If you will spare him for the sake of his grey
haired sres, or tine wife of his bosom, spare him, in
the name of God, for the sake of his infant boy!
Another dead silence reigned like pail over the
the child also stretched out its little towards its
father, and exclaimed, in voice heard by all, the
single word:
Father" y"
The muscles of the captains face quiTered in every
fibre, and the men who held the rope slowly relaxed
the pressure around the neck of Burt when the infant
again uttered, in distinct tones:
s, 7" Father father!''
+ And them as though despairing of success, hud
died into its mothers bosom, and burst into sobbn.
. | cry ..
+ It was more than the Rangers could stand, ani
after short consultation. the rope was taken from
the criminals throat and the band left the spot, ant
Burt became reformed man through the powerful
If effects of his g Infants Appeal