Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1859-10-07


lies, he said to me he wished / was at
home with my father; that he never in
tended to return to Philadelphia him
self; but he would see that / was safely
taken there. ] asked why he was SO
much inclined to part from me. He
stated that that was his business; / must
leave him /; only the night before, he
had been accused of divulging secrets to
me in regard to his companions; that he
had promised to send me home. He
added, that ! might take all the children
but the two oldest boys. / protested
against separating me and my children.
His only reply was, that his determina-
ton on the point was fixed.
That night he ordered myself and the
children into the room, in a more angry
tone than ever, and barred US in. 1t
was not long after this before his wicked
companions arrived and planted them
selves down at the table. / listened at
the door, and while my husband had gone
ont of the cabin for some purpose, /
heard them whispering busily together.
As he entered the apartment, however,
the whispering ceased, and one of them
said, Let's play for the liquor first, and
decide that point afterwards
After this, they played and swore,
and one would have supposed the room
to have been occupied by fends incar-
nate rather than By men. At about II
O'clock, one of the company said,' Well,
boys, now is the time; what are we here
for?' 'Out with the light said another.
My husband now asked what they pro-
posed doing, when, without giving him
the slightest notice, the light was put
out, and heavy blow descended. /
heard husband cry out, Do not murder
me ; but the strokes fell heavy and fast,
and spite of my screams and the screams
of my children-spite of our efforts to
beat the door in, the bloody work was
kept up until l heard my husbands body
fall upon the floor. In short time his
murderers left. tried to burst the door
open, but without success. At last, ]
raised my eldest boy to the window and
he crawled outside and ran round, enter
ing the door which led to the room con-
tanning his fathers corpse. AS the child
moved towards the door of the room, fo1
the purpose of unbarring it, he fell ovel
the dead body of his father! The dool
was finally unbarred, and / rushed into
the room where my murdered husband
lay. Oh, sir, | cannot tell you what were
then my feelings. The lights which tht
children brought into the room exposed
the VIII ole scene, and it was ont
which l could not describe if ! would
| my husbands body lying upon the floor
weltering in blood
l tried to lift it up to the bed, bu
! could not. / then, with the assistanc
! of the children, rolled it up in counter
(; pane, and we sat down and watched
: till morning fearing that, if we did no
! it might be carried off by wolves, larg
r number of which howled about tn
: house until day dawned. Oh, sir, it wa
: a sorrowful night The next mornin
S several of the neighbors called in, an
g after expressing their horror at the dee
s of blood, assured me that they would al
s in bringing the murderers to justice; thu
d they knew them, and that they reside
$ on the Sabine river. Would you b.
d Ieve it, sir? Two of the very sympatl
e izers / knew to have been concerned
d the murder of my husband.
K A coffin was made, into which N
b poor husbands body was laid, and the
ID the neighbors buried him, but in such
= manner that he lay but foot or two b
J. low the earth's surface. | have bee
ID afraid the beasts of prey which infe
il this region would get possession of b
D. corpse; with my children, / build evel
is night fire near his grave!
d Now, SIR added the woman, 4 hay
At told you the painful story, and you W
as see in what dreadful situation | am.
ID am here in this horrible place, with pc
m haps one hundred dollars in money, al
at five children, nearly all of whom co
D. stantly require my watchful care. G.
IS, you not assist me in my wretchedness
tv / told the poor thing ] would e
h. deavor to do something for her. | b.
hardly done SO, when Edmonds pass
the door of the cabin on his way ba
;s from the choppers. Seeing me, he tur
&C ed back and said, as passed out to me
70 him, Well, what do you think of t
a widow ? My reply was, that she "
=. so shy and distant that could not lea
! much about her, one way or the othel