New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-04-09

presented him. and the villain was seaselssd 10
penal servitude for twe1ty years. After 5IiS dSam
was pronounced, he told fse uroser1sts,s III; s
court that he would be even with Nm ~ III
the old gentleman ia said 10 have replied. that Re
hoped he (Blagden) might get he ebanee that II =
70 say, the opportunity Of reyenzinu buase,f afte,
twenty years, upon him, 1.-THE pf0sessfor1 Nhe ~.
- that Time more than GO years old.
~. y VS. almost immediately after this that our
T ne mere got into trouble with the authorities.
mbss was his exact offense do not know, but Il
was not 80 ser5ers hui that there was f3oubt
as'asr II r. .s ongns Y have been committed he
fathers who blame their saiss yas fss fy, Is;n1
other people to find fanls Eith ther. yras l,ern,S
measure Infatuated at the disgrace Tina fIssd anon
~ yonas 1an ana sMoTs rsyszge against the
ed to be personal enemy of hin. a,ad WHOM ".
therefore concluded to have committed ma ~,
from feelings Of malice; and this, indeed, seems
probable, since, in the end, the prisoner was ac-
Quilted Of the crime in question: In this passionate
state OF mind, MIR. Morton, senior, loaded his pig
tolls and rode away towards his enenfYsa house.
with the intention, doubtless, of making him fight q
misfortune to meet with Mr. John Miller The ragis-
tate's brother, and an alteration ensuing and
that gentleman angrjly espousiBg his relatives
part, old Mr. Merton lost what little temper he had
left and pulling out pistol shot him dead. Vow,
although he always declared that this meeting with
John Miller was accidental, and that that person
n hs first struck him with his ridiug-whip, he
tsnougat y extremely probable that he should not
pc believed. Many persons, az be was we'll aware,
mad heard him vow vengeance that very day
against Mnler-Nithout mentioning whether Il was
fTederlck Or John and it occurred to him, in his
eAcHement and hurry, that that would condemn
him and having, Id short taken 4 llasty view Of
what was certainly q very ugly business the old
gentleman made up his mind to be OF. and not
STAND ms trial His disappearance Of eoarse saved
him for the time, but it Was doubtless worse for
him afterwards, since II was taken as proof On
his guilt. An active search was made fof him for
week Or two and then the authorities gave 1t up.
concluding that he had embarked Ia one Of tie
numerous vessels which, bound for an psrts o. the
world, were starting almost daily.
Within month Of the manslaughtef or muri7er
however, Captain Stone the head Of the paIice, re-
Merton was still upon the island, and for certain
reasons, also given IN the communication, was
even yet probably in his-oWn house. Captain
Stone therefore walked down to this very house
that afternoon, and having been shown into that
same dining room, where you have inst made your
self so pleasant, narrated his errnnd to our host
y9nder-who was out on bail-and his mother,
who were sitting together ever their dessert
You may search the house. captain. Il you viii.
with all my heart,n replied Mrs. Merton ssbut It
has already been done by your subordfnates You
cannot imagine, should think, that my poor hus-
band would be foolish enough to hide In the very
him?u 9s
The captain bowed, took advantage Of Her per-
mission to go over the place. and presently return
that all was right. Though he took his leave and
walked away, however. 1t was tnly to return to
spot under cover Of some shrubs, where, unseen
himself, he could command view Of the dining
room window, which opens upon the garden He
had observed, during his brief visit three dessert
plates upon the table-whieh is one more than ia
necessary for two persons, you see-and being Of
curious turn Of mind, he wanted to find ont what
was done with the odd one. Presently he saw Mrs.
Merton-the same old lady who set at the head of
the table this very day heap up this third plate
With quantity If fruit and. looking straight out
Of the window all the time, stretch dawn her hand
with 1t under the table, and bring 1t up again with
no plate at all. Then Captain Stone rose up from
behind the bush-at which she gave o most dread
full scream, poor woman-and walking straight up
to the window, opened it, and pulling aside the
dinner-table, discovered certain trapsdeor which,
do not doubt, was under yoHr feet an hour ago.
This place of concealment, constructed during
some panic concerning black Instruction, had
only been known before the writing of the aflony-
nous letter to one person beside the Merton fam
ily-namely, to the creole Bladgen. Capt Stone
took the poor old marl-so unshaved, forlon and
haggard, that he would not have recognized him
under ordinary circumstances off to st. Georges
Jail. He had not been popular person before
this misfortune befel him, hui, the public feeling
was gooa deal excited Y his favor especially On
under his wife's eyes SO that when he was cen
demned to be beheaded--which was the capital
punishment of the Bermudas in those days-there
was hard work to find an executioner. This office
was always hateful to the Islanders. and whoever
performed it was accustomed to be disguised by
wearing mask and dressing in female costume.
Upon the occasion of Mr.. Mertonis execution, how
ever, and in spite of the strong sympathy evinced
for him, the wretch who had volunteered to per-
form the office of headsman behaved himself with
cruel indecency, eaping and dancing in his hideous
masquerade before the face of the criminal as he
was led up to the scaif0ld, and exciting thereby
the horror and indignation of the spectators. Poor
Mr.. Merton, however, took no notice of the pro-
ceedngs until the time had come for him to lay his
head upon the block; then, indeed, shndder
STOPPING down and pulling aside his mask, dis
closed the malignant countenance Of his creole
clerk! "a
II told you would be even with you and I
am,h yelled the wretch as he struck the fatal
blow and holding up the severed head before the
crowd, he uttered such cry of gratifed malice as
chilled the hearts of all who heard IT. s4f
have heard that cry,' said 4, interrupting the
lieutenant; saw the whole scene Of that execu-
ton played out to-day
1T is like enough replied he; q for the man
You saw upon Cedar Island was certainly he. The
convict had greedily volunteered for this fightful
duty, as being the highest pleasure that was left
for him. but the matter did not turn out altogether
as he expected. The people would have torn him
to pieces upon the spot, lunatc he plainly was
for the scene had been too much for his own fren-
zied brain-had it not been for the military, and
were only soothed by the promise that he should
be confined for life, in his executioner's garb, as
you beheld. Winter or summer, wet or fair, there
will he remain, q victim in mind and body to his
own ingratitude and lust for vengeance. The
whole story not without its moral regards the
punishment of eviLdoers,'' added the lieutenant
drily; :" but nobody but q midshipman, suppose,
would have thought Of asking for the narration Of
n. y d.