M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1860-02-16


Of happiness, as the ancients have it.
You are, from this moment, free to
wander whithersoever you choose. =
Come. let us go ont into the open air;
it makes me feel agueisi in here
81 was completely 5ewildered, and
suffering myself to be led, without q
word, before | could collect myself to
ask the reason OF this unexpected pro.
ceeding, | found myself once more un-
der Gods blessed stars, accompanied
by, or rather being dragged by the
good,natured old lawyer. And what
was the reasonl you ask. Simply
this: The note, for the nttering of
which HAD been imprisoned, was the
issue Of q country bank, and, since my
trial, had remained in the hand OF Mr..
Champion, the attorney. A short
time previous to my release, Mr.. Will
SON, one of the gentlemen who accom-
panied Mr.. Champion TO the prison,
and president Of the bank whence the
note was issued, being in Boston, was
sitting in Champions office, when some
casual remark recalled to the memory
Of the latter the circumstances attend
ing my conviction. From mere curl
osity he showed the note to Wilson,
and he, to Crampton's astonishment,
pronounced it genuine!
"And SO | had been guilty of no
crime, either in thought or deed. But
where was the redressl What redress
could there be for mother murdered
and name dishonored2
"You need not be told my reason
for quitting Boston forever. l came
here after many wahderihgs, aud, to
this day, no soul there knows but that
| am dead"
Once more tie old man paused, re-
lighted his pipe, and in more cheer
ful tone continued his story:
81 had lived here, with an old me-
gro woman for housekeeper for nearly
four years, when an unaccountable In.
pulsed prompted me to visit New Or
leans. There was no reason why
should either 60 on, or stay, except
III, own inclination, and 30 ran down
to the bank, there hailed the first boat
bound downward, and took passage
for the city.
at was a hot but beautiful day in
I May when tie White Cloud swung
Iout into the current, and steamed gal.
lantly down the river. The heat was
tempered by strong breeze from the
south, before which small feecy clouds
that seemed almost melting into the
distant blue, like little fairy barges,
scndded swiftly to the northward. =
Always silent and distracted, was
that day unusually thoughtful. | re
member ! sat all day on the guards, to
all appearances looking at the bank OF
the river, but really looking dreatnily
into my own hearth istory, with that
sort Of pleasant sadness which every
medltatiye man 50 often feels; that
partial losing Of ones present con
seriousness in the cloudy living over
again the pleasantness of'years agone.
| Late in the afternoon the sun dis
appeared behind a mass of leaden blue
clouds, gliding its volumed verge with
a line Of dazzling light. The wind
ceased entirely, a sitting closeness
crept through the atmosphere; and to
an eye at all weather wise, It was evi.
dent that the armies of the air were
mastering for a conflict. BY and by
the thunder which, like the artillery
Of a distant battle.fi field, had all the af-
ternoon tremblej along the horizon,
swelled nearer and more near; the
lightning, fierce spirit of the storm,
leaped from the bosom Of the cloud,
and waved his flaming banner in ad-
vance, a few large drops, which in the
oppressive stiffness, sounded like a
shower of shot, clattered upou the
deck; and then, with all the din of the
summer tempest, the elemental battle
whirled around US. f'
"For more than three hours the
storm ragged with unabated fury, and
even when its fiercest rush had swept
away to the East, the rain poured
down in steady torrents, ,snl except for
an occasional flash of lightning, the
night was intensely dark. During
the whole Of the first halt of the night
felt no inclination TO sleep; | rather
felt as if | could not sleep, should try
ever 80 earnestly, and at nearly two
o'clock in the morning | was standing
at one of glass doors Of the social hall.
do not know how long had stood
there; only know that alone Of all
the passengers was waking, and, ex-
cept for the escaping steam, there was
no sound on board. Suddenly was
aroused by loud shouting without, fol-
lowed in quick succession by the hur-
ried tramping of feet, and a crashing
shock, that made the vessel tremble
to her keel. As gained the deck,
the air was filled with loud screams