The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1862-01-14
DR.. Winship's First Lecture.

DT' WllSIllpS IllSt LoCtuic'
Mercantile Hall, in Summer street, was
engaged for melt Icing central, modest
/ IN point ol size, commodious, and iavora.
/ bl, known. ~ ibis time ! was ia excel
! lent health and weighed one hundred and
/ iorty.lhrec pounds. But from tic moment
OF the public announcement Of my leet ire,
/ my appetite for food, for meat particular
/ ly, begaa 10 fail me. How pceyish and
/ ltriaolc he is growngF heard one mem
I Der ot lle family remark to another. soon
4 Tie grucers scales indicated that my weight
was diminishing. Ii fell to one hundred
aud forty -one,---then TO one hundred and
| forty. -lhrn 10 one hundred thry-eight,
--.ud liua ". when tie 30lb of May ar
rived, | found ! @eigIled only one hundred
and dirty -four pounds!
/ lhe crisis VAS noN at hand. Do not
laugh al me, sc self.assured ones, with
your comfortable sense oi your own pow
ers,--yc Who care q, little for an audience
\, lol field u cabbages, do not jeer al
one WHO has icit lhe rangs OF shyncss and
/ qnailed under the imaginary lerfors OF a
| first public appearance. For you il may
be small matter TO face an AUDIENCE
that nearest appro Almallon 70 the macy
I headed monster which We can palpably
encounter; bat for one whose diiiidcnce
lad become tie standard OF lhat quality to
! his acquamtances, the venture WIS peril
Gus and desperate, as the sequel showed.
Never lad lime rolled by with slch fear
lul velocity as on lhat evcntlu! day. Break
fast was hardly over before preparations
we're being made for dinner. Small APP
petite had | for tilher Before had fin
ishcd pacing the parlor there was sum
mon. TO tea. Ii was ike the summons TO
tic criminal Rise up, Master Barnar-
dine, and be hanged. With Il II ost shall
low niiecalion Of uonchdtonce / sat down
at Tie table a child might have detect
cd my agitation; and yet, with horrible in
sincerity, alluded 10 the news oi the day,
and asked the family why they were all
siIem. They saw from my look that they
might rs well have joked with man on
his way to execution.
Having dressed aud adorned myself for
the sacrifice, returned to the parlor, when
the rumbiing OF eoach-wheels. the sudden
letting dowuof steps, and then irighttully
dlseordant ring Of the door-bell, sent the
blood from my checks and made my heart
palpilale ikea trip-ham ner. Is tll-tii-that
the oii-oiiirer,-l mean the cuachman !
,tanmered. Yes, there was no doubt about
IT,
Strengthening my person, ] affected a
dignliied calmness, and assured my dear,
anxious mother that was not in The least
nerVous--oh, mol ia the least
Ii was gloomy night, and the streets
wore dismal aspect. Tie hail was dis
tant about three miles but IN some mys-
tericus manner, or bJ some route which |
have never been able 10 discover the
coacllman seemed TO abridge the distance
10 less Than halt mile. We are in Sum
mcr stteet,-beiore tic door. Some ju-
yenilc amateurs, attracted by stories Of the
strong man, surround the carriage TO get a
sight OF him.
"Hal What are these Sure. hangmen,
ThA. Gene to nd MY hands, aud theu 10 drag the
Before sne juignent-seat nOS they are new
shapes,
Aud do appear like furiest'
The words ot Sir Giles Oyerreach, one
Of the paris | had studied during my his
tronic acees, were not at all inappropriate
to the state OF niud in which, with knee
joints slipping from under me, now made
my way np stairs. Having reached the
upper emry, ! paused, aud glanced at the
audience through The windows, before en-
lering the liitIe retiring Dom behind the
stage. With an inward groan at my pre-
sumption, passed OH. Toihink, that, but
tor my own madness, might have been
al that nometll comfortably al hume, read.
ing the evening paper Nay, we're it not
better TO DC tossing on stormy seas. driy-
ing OF a lee shore, ioiiing a. a slave umier
Iropic sun. than here, with gasping au-
dicnce waiting 10 deyour Ine with theif
eyes and ears
The iirst thing | did, on reaching The re-
lliring-room. Was 10 give way 70 fearful
fascination and take another peep al the
audience from behind curtain al the side
entrance. thea looked al my watch
Twenty minutes 10 eight People we're
pouring in, notwithstanding the inclcment