The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-10-22
ground in places in the woods was covered,


The evenings chat under the diningshed re-
vealed the character and history of the mem
bers of the congregation. They mere mostly
natives of Atlantic States;-among them
were three or four Scotchmen and Germans.
All of them had been brought into the will
dernsss by love Of adventure and the pros
poets of cheap lands, to acquire which was
the chief object Of their sacrifices. None OF
them were married but all of them had
friends and relatives they designed to bring
into the country. A few were mere wan
dsrers, without an object or purpose, but to
live from month to month.
The solitary shanty was occupied, had
observed, by widow and two children
boy FIVE or six, and a girl of three years old.
The children were the pets, apparently, of
all the men they were comfortably and
neatly dressed. The mothers neatly done
up hair and tidy calico dress showed more
attention to personal appearance than
would have been expected in such a place.
had seen her at the door of her shanty,
with her pale, sad face, as expressionless as
marble, resting on Ter hands, the victim, as
supposed, of the prevailing chills and fever
in their worst and most obdurate form. AT
supper she came into the dimly lighted shed
from the deep shades of the forest, moving
like a spectre of grief and despair. Each
one of the men, by turns, rose to give Ler
place, and spoke kindly and cheerfully to
her;-but she scarcely made any reply, but
sat for some time and slipped her coffee in
silence, and then rose covering her face
with her handkerchief and in convulsion of
emotions and tears, she walked hastily
away to her cabin, leaving her children to
the care OF the men. was told by the man
at my side, that she had met a great sor-
row. Her husband had few evenings be-
fore been shot down before her eyes on the
spot where we were sitting;-under our
feet we could see where the earth had drank
up the pool CT blood in which tie poor man
had died. The story was told by the crowd
with sad and sympathlsing faces. The de-
ceased had been head sawyer, and he and
his wife were the first corners, and bad been
lire y,dIs IN The wilderness. Tue little
s.rl was born On the spot. Toe mother and
daugn. er wire the Ouly females living for
mills aror d the mill. For many months
at time ...c wom had not seen one OF
ner own sex. Her husband lad been Ca
pable, Industrious and aIniaDie man, usually;
hut whiskey, 10 which he was occasionally
addicted, made = HAD nan OF Inn. Ga the
la, of the fatal occurrence, some one mad
brought a jug Of stryehnine, rife whisky
upon the premises and ne was tempted to
drink freely of it. ~. f.. ..
The eIect was to render him a demon,
and he turned upon his best and most inti-
mate frienu, the Superintendent, on whom
he rushed with bowie knife, threatening
him with instant death. The latter fled, and
escaped from the lunatic but as soon as he
re-appeared upon the premises, the infuri-
ated drunkard made after him again. In
the third or fourth assault the Superintend-
emit fed to the eating shed, and there be-
came cornered by his pursuer, so that es-
cape was impracticable, and as the drunken
maniac was rushing upon him, brandishing
his knife in the dim light of the moon, the
Superintendent drew a revolver and shot
him down in his tracks. Just as the huS-
band entered the shed in pursuit of his in
tended victim, the wife heard the click Of
the pistol, and threw herself between them
and elasped her husband around the waist
to shield and arrest him; but he cast her
like a child, from him, and she recovered
herself only to see him fall and expire a
her feet The fatal click of the pistol ant
the terrible shrek of the husband still ring
in the ears Of the disconsolate MOTHER
The obliteration of memory only, she says
win still the heart-rending, awful, expirin,
yell of her murdered husband which startle
her day and night.
The remains of the deceased were put int,
rough box, and as there were no magis
trates or officers of the law within thirt,
miles, the body, after being kept two days
was buried without, legal inquest or reli
gious rites, under the shade of an oak, il
the forest. The act in the eyes of all VIII,
beheld it, being considered jnstifable, N,
steps were taken to arrest the perpetrator
But he could not endure the sight of th
wretchedness he had caused. The lamenta
tons of the stricken wife and the tears o
the fatherless children, he said, were NOR
narrowing and uncomfortable than the heavi
est physical punishment. He begged al
interview with the. widow; implored be
forgiveness; said though he was acquitted
BY the world and forgiven of her, he has
found be had incurred terrible penalty
which would follow and make him wretchet
through life. He lamen. d that he ha,
saved his own life at so heavy a cost, an,
ssid if his own death would restore her bus
band, be would jOyfully submit to it. Wit