Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1865-09-21
=cHARIEsTOwN, THURSDAY \, SEPTEMBER d. 1866.

4 son had the pleasure of receiving o letter from
I the same persons who had signed the certificate
stating that they had thoroughly traced and
investigated the report concerning the charac-
ter of Sophia Thompson, and found that all the
evil rumors were utterly false, and had ongina-
ted from one or two young ladies whom they
named, out of envy, hatred, malice revenge
for supposed insult, and jealousy of her future
| good prospects That her character was fair,
and uncommonly respectable . tlsha
This letter also enclosed a certificate from
the clergyman of the village, strengthened By
the signatures Of the first Judge Of the county,
/ and all the most respectable men in the village
or near it: and lastly, a paper which the young
ladies, IF ladies they might be called had sign
el, c. n e:sing AMI acknowltd ging that they had
propagated infamous reports against Sophia
Thompson, without truth, without cause or
foundation, knowingly and wilfully intending
to ruin her. ne 'tA
These papers Mr.. Thompson Showed to the
young gentleman whose sister had sent him the
| libel, as before mentioned, whe appeared to be
! very much mortified at the disclosure and beg
ged thousand pardons of Mr.. Thompson, ior
! the part which he had innocently acted in the
affair, which was likely to ruin his sister, the
assailant of character, instead of Sophia the as
sailed So it often happens 50 the vicious
minded pull down mischief on their heads. @.
The next point to be considered was, how
should jackson be informed of le result. Mr..
! Thompson felt delcacy too tender to admit
lof HE per- onal interference, and well he might,
as this affair was, in measure, the affair OF love
between Col. jackson and his daughter. Ed
Tiyingham was anxious to start forthwith
after him. for it had been lately ascertained
that jackson was at Augusta, in Georgia; but
the family thought it best to let the Colonel
take his own time to return, and things their
natural course. 1ivingham therefore went to
Connecticut dida 'tfai fs---'.f ~
!, Matters remained in this situation for about
six months, in which time Sophia made several
conquests, although she kept as retired as pos
sible .'s a4iq a7ra' -'..a.e ~
d AS for poor Van Dorman he never troubled
her afterwards; having enough to do in paei-
| fying his friends, and Mr.. Thompson through
them. for the ridiculous part he had acted
His passion, too, was somewhat cooled by his
plunge into the quag- g-rnire of the swamp, l5f
1t is Through much tribulation" that the saint
shall center into the kingdom of heaven 1T
is also through much tribulation that the lover,
very frequen.ly,is brought to the consummatlon
of his. or her wishes, in the married state-that
earthly paradise lost" : 81 gouso . = as5 I
The next shock that Sophia received was
from notice in the papers, that Col. jackson
had accepted challenge to duel, from an OH
Ger of the navy, and that meeting would soon
take place. ,as .Ja1,
This intelligence threw Sophia and all the
family into the depth of distress They knew
that jackson was concientiously opposed to the
practice of duelling; but they knew also that
he possessed an undaunted and lofty spirit,
~iljch could not hrapk an insult, =, lie had held
COlonels commission IN the British Army,
when quite young but had resigned it in dis
gust, OH account of the principles Which he had
inbbed in chil lhl oil, III favor OF American lib
erty-under whose banners he was born.
y The papers were searched with great avidity
for about twenty days, wien news arrived that
the parties had met and thatt the difference was
terminatedn manner highly honorable to the
character of Col. jackson. raoh
But poor Sophia was destined to face another
whirldwind more terrible than all the rest
About two months afterwards, when Sophia
had Just returned from pleasant walk in high
spirits, she took up paper and read in it that
| Colonel Francis s. jackson was married on such
day, by such priest, at Augusta, to Miss
Eleanor Woodhouse. rao
Had thousand claps of thunder all struck
around her at once, she could not have been
more amazed. Here was an end to all her hopes.
| Her father and mother stTove to console her,
but in vain. She became seriously Ill, and IN
a few days would have passed to the world OF
spirits, had not a aphysician been found whose
skill was infallible. ioss 70 .lii. aa.oi. saaaa
DR.. N, of William street, who had con-
stantly attended her for several days, at last
brought remedy, which affected amaterial
alteration favorable to her recovery, IN few
minutes.
He first went and told Sophia that she must
prepare for a sudden shock-to muster all her
| fortitude and resolution. He left her and IN q
few minutes returned, with no other than COL
Jackson.
"Dear injured girl, said he, "give yourself
no more trouble. am satisfied OF your inno-
cence-I am not married, and never will be to
any person but yourself"
Suffice to say, that Sophia shortly exchanged
her couch of sickness for the Hymenial Altar,
and the family were all made happy and inde-
pendent for life. rT ~ lo sHai .a
The moral to be drawn from thisstory, which
is founded principally on fact, excepting the
names of the parties,) is obvious-that-
| Virtue will triumph at last,
When vice and folly stand aghast.
The next Southern papers brought con-
tradiction of the report that Col. jackson was
married. 1t was all a mistake, and wholly
,-;+Lo,,t fot,ndationr ...rrrf.ra I XIX