The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-03-03
NEW SERIES-NO. 5SS


nation she hid been deprived of her rea-
son, ana, IN TIE house of q kind friend,
whose name he Messed, now remained in
merciful Ignorance of an that had befallen
believing herself, indeed. to be a moth
erless widow, but on>, who had long 400
lost her husband, and Ill her children. IN
the ordinary course of nature. AT This
recital his soul was satisEsd. The son
said not word, but wept long. and Bit
terly.
''The day Of execution came at last,
The great city lay still as on the morning
of the Sabbath day; and all the ordinary
business Of life seemed, by the consent Of
the many thousand hearts beating there.
to be suspended. But the hours advanced.
the frequent tread of feet was heard in
every avenue; the streets began to ELL
with pale, anxious, and impatient faces;
and many eyes were turned to the diala
on the steeples, watching the silent pro-
gress of the finger of time, till it should
reach the point at which the curtain was
to be drawn up from before most mourn.
full tragedy. .atao 3aIe.
"The hour was family heard through
the thick prison walls by us, who were to-
gether for the last lime in the condemned
cell. l had administered to them the
most awful rite of our religion, and
father and son sat together as silent as,
death. The door Of the dungeon opened,
and several persons came In. One Of
them, who had shrivelled bloodless face,
and small red fiery eyes, an old man,
feeble and lettering, but cruel in his de-
cripitude, laid hold of the son with a
cord. No resistance was offered but,
straight and untrembling, stood that
tall and beautiful youth, while the
tiend bound him for execution At this
mournful sight low could bear to lool. ON
his fathers face? Yet thither were mine
eyes impelled by the agony that afflicted
my commiserating soul. During that
hideous gaze he was insensible Of the exc
cutioners approach towards himself; and
all the time that the cords were encircling
his own arms he felt, them not-he saw
nothing but his son at last before him,
ready for the scaffold. : .ez f..
81 dimly 'recollect long dark vaulted
passage, and the echoing tread of footsteps,
till all at once we stood in crowded hall,
with Thousand eyes fixed on these two
miserable men, How unlike they were to
all beside. They sat down together within
the shadow of death. Prayers were said,
and psalm was sung, in which their
voices were heard to join, with tones that
wrung out tears from the hardest or the
most careless heart. Often had l heard
these voices singing in my own peaceful
church, before evil had disturbed or misery
broken them; but the last word of the
psalm was sung, and the hour of their de-
parture was come.
"They stood at last upon the scaffold.
That long street, that seemed TO stretch
away interminably from the old Prison
house, was paved with uncovered heads.
From the moment these ghosts appeared,
that mighty crowd felt reverence for hui
man nature 80 terribly tried, and prayers
and blessings, passionately calculated, or
convulsively stifed, went lowering over
all the multitude as if they feared some
great calamity to themselves, and felt
standing on the first tremor of an earth,
quake.
"It was most beautiful summers day
on which they were led out to die; and
as the old man raised his eyes, for the last
time, to the sky, the clouds lay motionless
on that blue translucent arch, and the sun
shone joyously over the magnificent heav-
ems It seemed day made for happiness
or for mercy. But no pardon dropt down
from these smiling skies, and the vast null
titude were not to be denied the troubled
feast of death. Many who now stood
there wished they had been in the heart of
some far off wood or glen; there was
shrieking and fainting, not only among
maids, and wives, and matrons, who had
come there in the mystery of their hearts,
but men, fell down, helpless,-for it was
an overwhelming thing to behold father
and his only son now haltered for a shame
full death. Is my father with me on the
scaffold 2-give me his hand, for see him
not. joined their hands together, and
at that moment the great bell in the ca
thedral tolled, but am convinced neither
Of them heard the sound. For moment
here seemed to be no such thing as sound
n the world and then all at once the
multitude heaved like the sea, and uttered
> wild, yelling shrek. their souls were
% eternity-and I fear not to say, not an
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