The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1861-10-25
BEDFORD, Pa, FRIDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 25, 1861.

Having dropped his flint, in gropiug about to
/ had 1t, he forgot the direction in which he had
stood; and when he got upon his feet again, az
ter an unsuccessful search, felt himself SO utter
1 y at loss, that, after walking few steps
with his hands stretched out before rim, he de-
/ termlned to wait for the morning, rather aan
/ risk fall over one of the slippery rocks In his
! attempt to return home.
! When he had sat there for some time, the
rain began to fall in large though few drops .
/ these were, however, but the splashes from
! the bucketiuls which were soon poured on
his head The wind, too, was loose at the
same time, and rushed on him with such vIo-
lence, that though h= dared not search for
| shelter lest he should tall over the rocks, he
was glad 10 sit down on a large stone which he
| felt at his feet. The first Flash of lightning,
however showed MIN the chapel itself, not
more than ten yards off. He groped towards
1t Immediately in the gloom, wah his hands
stretched out before him, right glad when be
felt its roBgh stones The wall once found
he soon discovered the path with his feet, aud
when he got home, was GLAD to go to rest al
once.
He had not slept many hours, before he was
reused 10 visit dying man in one Of the neIgh-
boring houses. Hurrying on his clothes, he
| FASTENED to the place, where crowd was
gathered about the door, many Of them drip
! ping from the The storm which he had
seen the evening before had grown into ter
I rible tempest, during which ship had been
driven on the rocks, and utterly wrecked. All
/ the crew were drowned but one man, whom
they dragged out OF the surf and carried 10 Der-
| by Haven. He had apparently, however, been
saved from death in The water to die on ihe
land, tor he was so grievously bruised and CIT
by the rocks on which he had been thrown.
that life was ready to leave him altogether.
When father Kelly came in, he found him ly-
ing on the floor, wrapped up in such dry CLOTHES
as the people had at hand. He had begged
them to fetch the priest. His back, he said,
was Broken, and be knew he could not live an
other hour: Sc the people fetched Father Kelly,
as we have seen, and left the two together.
''Father,' said the dying man, "wIlI yoe
hear She confession of dyiLg man, murder
er 90
The priest seeing there was no time TO lose,
sisniird his assent and Lan~Etes ae----. = 49,
side, bent his ear to listen.
Then the man, with strange breaks and
rambIlngs in his speech, told him Of murders
out in the wide seas, and horrible recoIlecl lons
OF cruelty and rapine.
awe took Spanish ship some weeks ago,
added the man, and came here TO water being 2
safe place; when God forgive my soul =
committed my last crime and stole from the
captain box Of gold he took out OF the
SpanIard Another man and | were in the
secret. We brought It with US, and buried
in the graveyard of little chapel, intending
to make our escape from the ship on the first
opportunity, find our way over here, recover,
and enjoy the booty we had got
"To whom Gid it belong?" said the priest. 4
'God knows" replied the man; 'to me now
suppose Those who owned it can use it no
more, the ship from which the captain took It,
went down with all on board; we burnt her."
"What was her mage 2" asked Father Kelly.
''Name?" SAID the dying nan. "Tnere take
the gold, and shrve me; have confessed"
Then, without another word he died. The
people buried him, and gathered up some few
pieces of timber from the wreck Of bis ship
but nothing came ashore to show whether she
was laden or not They never kaew her name,
nor, for great while, what she vas, the
priest not conceivng himself bound 10 tell them
even so much of what be had heard in confess
ION. Many years after wards the whole story
was found in book which he had left behind
him when he died
The words Take the gold" haunted the
good father long after he man who died in Ut
terIng them had been committed to the ground.
The chapel was finished but not furnished; the
fulflment OF the dream was incomplete. Many
a night the priest iay awake urging with him
self the awfuIneSs of search among the graves
for The treasure which he lad no doubt was
hidden there. Suppose he could fnt II,
should he credit the pirates word about The
death of its owner? Could he conscientously
appropriate it, not indeed to his own use, but
10 that of the chapel? He thought OF the ter
rible sentence which fell on those who put un-
halowed fire IN their censeFS: he thought of
the accursed thing found in the Jews tent, |
which brought trouble upon the whole people
to which he belonged. Then, again it looked /
as If the sin attached TO the appropriation of
this gold had been punished IN the presence OF
the pirates who had taken 1t. 1t looked as If
it were rescued from the world, TO oe devoted
TO that Of the church-snatched flom the devil
himself, to be given to St. Michael his chief
enemy.
On the whole be decided upon using the
gold, If he could find it. He m ust, however.
be CAUTIOUS IN the search; he would not trust
the people 10 look. 1t might not De there, and .
then he would be ashamed There might be /
more than he thought, and they might be temp
ted to take some; or if not that, be jealous at
hls retaining the possession himself. He
would search alone. The conversation he had |
heard outside the chapel while he listened on
the eve Of the storm, indicated the spot in
which he could look.
Having therefore waited for suitable moon
light night, he went very late to lhe church |
yard with a spade. There was no one there. (
The shadow Of the building fell upon the like
Iy snot; be could work nnneicieYed even ifI