Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-09-23
lily JOURNAL ANDsBUs mss DIBEcT0RY-ITS AIM, TO AMUSE, TO ms


" saw him, continued ], as tho with
my open eyes, as lay in my bed with
his hand kept bach behind him, as though
it were holding some weapon out Of sight
aud with murder set upon his face, as
though the word had been written there
in blood. was pn my feet in a second
but yet not D enough to prove that my
dream was true. thought l heard his
agile step upon thd iron stair. | thought
| saw a shadow fit for an instant across
the door of the lantern ; but when | goi
up there, he vas trimming the lamps SO
naturally, and met all my angry suspi
cions with such establishment and cool
ness, that | am upon reflection fairly
staggered, and don't know what to think.
So certain was | at the time, however, oil
the warning which M dream seemed to
convey, that | bade him seek some other
employment elsewhere, for | would have
him for my mate no longer. Then | sig
nailed for q boat, and came on shore, in
tending to tell yop all, and consult upon
what is best to be done in this strange
business. But | am afraid you think me
a fool.
Then my father upon his part, told
me OF those dreams at home, and Of the
reason of his being upon the way wherein
| had met him. 1t seemed to US both
that the neglect of four such wonderful.
coincidences-to say no more-would be
far from right, but that at the same time
we should not be justified furnishing upon
such evidence one who might be, after
all, as innocent of any evil as either of us
So Iturned back to the village with ms
father, with the intention of putting of
to the rock, and coming to some arrange
ment with the Italian, that should de
prive him of his bread.
A little after my departure, however
it appeared that he had himself signalleC
for a boat, and that, tsking with hin
what little propertY he possessed, he haG
Handed, and been 5 Sr07waIk northward
out of the town. Node OF US have eyel
set eyes upon this man from that e~yentful
night. Whether he is innocent, or wheth
he is guilty, is not in humane power tc
tell. So CERTAIN however, in my AFRO.
gance, did | fell, of his evil mind, thai
when [ read in the paper Of there being
about to hang an Italian foreigner at this
place for the murder of a mar in his
sleep, l cam here at once to satisfy my
self-in hope rather than in fear, | am
not ashamed to say, that his fourfold
dream would be found to have had found.
alton. Pity for the soul of you poor
wretch, 1901 touched my heart, ven be-
fore | saw him and when looked upon
those awful lineaments, as he was. lifted
up en- the scaffold, | thanked Heaven
from the bottom Of my heart, that the
man was a stranger, and that our dreams,
wonderful as they were and are, still
need unrayeling.
Here the story Of the sailor ended
and presently he strobe away to the rail
way station of the line which vas to take
him home. | have never seen him since.
or heard any other reference to this tale.
but the circumstances under which ]
heard it, with all their terrible realities
of Vice and Death, are not more firmly
fixed upon my memory than are the oc
currences as he related as above Meth
er do they bear more distinctly, in my
own mind, the impression Of truth.