Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-07-23

sentence but the stern neee.aities of ,vo, IA
manded immediate action. The re-au+ daesats
| of the republican army had made the on-ars
more diligent and circumspect in all their ac
tions, and to let a spy slip through their
hands would be criminal in the eyes of the
whole country. The gallant little army had
been an object of irAerist to the thousands
who relied solely upon its valor and patriot
Ism to burst the shackles that tyrany was
endeavoufing to fasten upon them. Their
wives and children were watching, there every
action, with breathless anxiety and under the
circumstances the suspicious character of the
quaker was a subject for serious deliberation
and energetic action. Every possible means
had been used to draw the secret cause of his
visit to the army, but availed nothing. True
to the cause in which he was engaged, and
faithful to the trust confded to him by Edith,
| Joshua was willing to suffer death rather than
betray single word that would lead to the
publicity of the cause of his visit to the ar
my. After every effort had failed the eldest
officer present arose and in solemn voice
said Young man, you have been tried by
the proper persons, constituted by the highest
authorities of the country, competent court
to try such offences as you are accused of, and
after hearing the case, and celebrating over
the facts developed, and listening to your de-
cided refusal to give a satisfactory account of
yourself we adjudge you guilty of being
spy from the enemy's camp and condemn yon
to suffer the penalty, which is death"
slight tremor ran over the young mans frame,
it was but momentary affair, and the gravity
of his countenance once more returned, and
that same st0ical indifference, that marked
his character throughout his trial returned
and he stood in the presence of the men who
had Just passed sentence upon him as cool and
apparently as unconcerned as if he had been
spectator TO the scene in which he had just
taken such prominent part The officer
proceeded I" In times like these we must be
xpeditious-delays are dangerous-we are
surrounded by enemies-spys are watching
our every movement and communicating the
intelligence to those who seek our destruction;
consequently we must afix the time for the
execution of this spy, in quaker apparel, and
rid the country of one of its most deadly emf
mics. You, Sir, upon whom the extreme
sentence of the law has been passed must be
taken to some place of security and confined
there until tomorrow evening at five o'clock
when you shall be taken to the place of exc
cution and there hanged by the neck until
you are dead, and may God have mercy ON
your SOUL"
"Friend, would much rather that sinful
men men would have mercy upon my body
and not condemn and punish the innocent,
without trial that would develope the facts
Of the case,'' retorted Joshua. The Court,
regardless of what Joshua said, motioned the
/ guard to take the prisoner away in mo-
ment more and Joshua was pinioned and led
away. With the utmost despatch the guard
marched him through the streets until they
arrived at house in Third street; when the
door opened the soldiers divided and the pris
oner passed in. The guard followed and the
party entered a room about twenty feet square
The soldiers busted themselves in making pre-
parations 70 secure their prisoner. This done
Joshua was let to his own reflections which
were of no pleasing character. He thought
over his awful situation aud the terrible pun
ishment he was to undergo, but never did the
idea occurto his mind to reveal the secret that
Edith had intrusted him with. He thought
of his once happy home with all its endear-
ments and the sad news that would soon be
transmitted to his parents in Delaware; and
among the thoughts that stood most promin
ent before his imagination was the image of a
1axened haired girl that had been his school
boy playmate, i'll many joyous hour of early
memory. She had been his companion, from
his earliest childhood, and thousand Incl
dents, of an affection that he little dreamed
lived in his bosom, were constantly revolving
in his mind. The time fixed to carry out the
awful sentence of the Court, was a short one,
and what means could he devise to gain his
liberty. Hour after hour passed away and,
save the heavy sound of the tread Of the Sen
tinel's feet as he paced backwards and for
ward before the door of his prison, nothing
broke the monotony of the awful suspense
that one must experience similarly situated
Still the resolution became frmer and fr1ner
fixed in his mimi never to reveal the secret
| q Edith to any one but Washington. The
fai,, It hope, of having an opportunity to get
climn, 70 of the Commander, of the republican
srnv a, ill glimmered in his mind But
time was n, essing but few more hours in
teryened befot the fatal hour should arrive.
How could he COZ umunicate with his friends
in Delaware in time. or how could he get the
ear of Washington, wei'e mattersthat occupied
his mind. First one pla.1 and Ihen another
presented itself, before HIS imagination to
communicate with Washington but none
seemed suitable to accomplish thai OBJECT
Save the heavy tread of the Seminal no sound
broke in upon the reflections of the young
man. Hope shrank within his bosom. In
utmost despair he paced his room frantically.
Ever and anon, a word two, would uncon-
ciously slip between his lips. But never once
did single thought, of regret, for undertake
ing his perilous task, ever enter his mind
As the time of his execution drew nearer, his
excitement became the more intense, his i'm
agination the more affected. "Can it be pos
sible," muttered Joshua, "that the very
people that have come to save will murder
me-" The door opened an officer entered un-
perceived by the prisoner and stood mute at
his back to listen to his rawlings. The young
man with his face buried in his hands con-
tinued; ooh Washington Washington