The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-03-03

psnitence. They chiseled out their names
on that slab, as you perceive, and hither,
as duly as the morning and evening shad-
ows, comes the ghost whom we beheld,
and, after prayer for the souls of them
50 tenderly beloved in their innocence,
and doubtless even more tenderly beloved
| in their guilt and in their graves, she car
ries to her lonely hut but the water that
helps to preserve her HOPELESS life, from the
well dug by dearest hands, now moulder-
ing away, both flesh and bone, into the
| dust"
After moments silence the old man
continuation he saw that I longed to
hear the details of that dreadful catastro-
phe, and his own soul seemed likewise
desirous of renewing its grief
The prisoners were condemned. Hope
there was none. 1t was known from the
moment of the verdict-gu ilty-that they
| weuld be executed. Petitions were, in
deed, signed by many, many thousands;
but it was all in vain, and the father and
the son had to prepare themselves for
death. i. -~v, 49, ...5.,-f o. r.. - =.
About week after condemnation I
visited them in theircell. God forbid that
should say that they were resigned. HUI
man nature could not resign itselftosuch
doom; and found the old man pacing
up and down the stone floor, in. his clank-
ing chains, with hurried steps, and a. coua-
renance of unspeakable horror. His son
was lying on his face upon his bed of straw,
and had not lifted up his head, as the
massy bolts were withdrawn, and the door
creaked sullenly on its hinges. The father
hxed his eyes upon me for some time, as
II L had been stranger intruding upon his
misery and, as soon as he knew me, shut
them with deep groan, and pointed to
his son. 4 have murdered William-I
have brought my only son to the scafEold,
and am doomed to hell!' gently called
on the youth by name, but he was insensi-
ble-he was lying ina fit. Il fear he will
awake out of that fit,' cried the old man
with broken voice. .'They have come
upon him every day since our condemna-
ton, and sometimes during the night. It
is not fear for himself that brings them on
for my boy, though guilty, is brave
but he continues looking on my face for
hours, till at last he seems to lose sll
sense, and falls down in strong convulsions,
| often upon the stone floor, till he is ali
| covered with blood The old man then
went up to his son, knelt down, and, put.
ting aside the thick. clustering hair. from
his forehead, continued kissing him for
some minutes, with deep sobs, but eyes
dry as dust.
"But why should 1 recall to my re-
membrance, or describe to you, every hour
Of anguish. that I witnessed in that cell9
For several weeks it was all agony and
| despair-the bible lay UNDECIDED before
their ghastly eyes-and for them there
was no consolation. The old mans soul
was filled with one thought-that he had
deluded his son into sin, death, and eter-
nal punishment. He never slept but Wis
ions, terrible as those of sleep, seemed Of
ten to pass before him, till have seen the
grey hairs bristle .horribly over his tenn
pies, and big drops of sweat plash down
| upon the floor. I sometimes thought.
that they would both die before the day
OF execution; but their mortal sorrows,
though they sadly changed both face and
frame, seemed at last to give a horrible
energy to life, and every morning that l
visited them, they were stronger, and
more broadly awake in the chill silence
of'their lonesome prison-house.
81 know not how deep change was at
last wrought upon their souls, but two
days before that of the execution, on en-
tering the cell, found them sitting calm
and composed by each others side, with
the Bible open before them. Their faces,
though pale and haggard, had lost that
glare of misery, that SO long had shone
about their restless and wandering eyes,
and they looked like men recovering from
long and painful sickness. I almost
thought / saw something like faint smile
of hope. God has been merciful unto u.s.,
said the father, with a calm voice-'I
must not think he has forgiven my sins,
but he has enabled me to look on my poor
sons face-to kiss him-to hold him in my
arms-to pray for him-to fall asleep with
him in my bosom, as I used often to do IN
the days of bis boyhood, when during the
heat of midday l rested from labor below
the trees of my own farm. We have found
resignation at last, and are prepared to
die CONCERTED.
"There were no transports OF deluded
enthusiasm in the souls OF these unhappy
men. They had never doubted the
truth of revealed religion, although they
had fatally disregarded its precepts; and
now that remorse had given way to peni-
tence. and nature had become reconciled
| to the thought of inevitable death, the
Tobt that had been darkened, but never
extineuished In their hearts, rose up anew;
and knowing that their souls were immor-
tai, they ihumbly put their faith in the
mercy Of theiS Creator and their Re-
deemer. .,.st;asf,5-s.4s llsFT ,yAss T
sit was during that resigned. and serene,
hour, that the old man ventured to ask for
The mother of his poor unhappy boy. I /
told him the truth calmly, and calmly be /
heard it all On the day of his condem-