Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1865-09-07

friends. and his other creditors accepted O.
what hecould spare without distressing his taml'
lv. and agreed to wait on him for the residue O.
their debts until he could retrieve his losses IL
some measure, and conveniently pay them then
demands.
For this purpose, they advised him to re-
move into some new fOurishing village IN th'
country, and furnished him with handsome
assortment of goods. He did pretty well tol
two wears. when uulucBily purchasing a large
amount of produce, which took a sudden iall
he again became involved, and meeting, about
the same time, with other severe losses, he hao
to 81 give up the ship"
Tivingham, the lawyer, happened to be IL
New York when the news first arrived, ana IL
order to Get business, represented Mr.. Ihomp-
son as knave, who had purpoSely stopped pay
ment to defraud his creditors. number OF
his creditors sent their demands to him to be
prosecuted. and amongst the rest Mr.. jackson
To whom Mr.. Thompson owed more than to al
the others. On hearing the statement, how
ever, of Mr.. Thompson, which was well au'
thenticated, they had ordered I1ylngham tC
withdraw the suits; but before this reached
him. so he said, he had taken Judgment bonds
of Thompson, entered them up, and had swept
all his property from him, to the last cent, and
confined his body in jail.
He had been confined for some months-had
been sick. but was now on the recovery; but
still without hopes of release. His situation
and that of his family was most deplorable, and
he might very properly have uttered something
like the following:
Darkis the world-my sun gone down
No star Of hope for me to rise!
The face of all things wears a trown,
Or on the earth, or in the skies!
Go on-unpitying world-go on
Pour all your vengeance on my head,
And when the cups last dregs are gone,
/ then shall have no more to dread
Long have toil'd to live-in vain
For life is nOught devoid OF rest
Long struggled with the friends Of pam,
To tear them from my tortur d breast
Butlike an arrow barbed and keen,
Their fangs work deeper IN my heart;
At every effort, every mean,
The wound still feels augmented smart
Why was made-or why thus born,
The sport of every wayward gale
Laupch'd on an ocean dark-forlOrn-
A leaky, shattered, crazy sail
Without a compass or a guide
Without a rudder in a storm
Withoutan anchOr-where TO ride
And chased by death in every form.
No home-no haven where TO steer
No chart-a sea without shore
Nolife-buOy, light or beacon near
No friends TO weep when I'm no morel
Thus sang the son of sorrow-when
A voice from heaven came whispering low
Place all thy hopes on ME-and then
See earth and heaven with brightness glow
lam the Sun of Righteousness,
That chases every cloud awayj
The gloomy horrors Of distress
Are changed to sparkling beams OF day.
Look up to ME-forsake the bark,
And fearless tread the stormy wave
No longer grope in scenes so dark,
For / alone have power to save.
The minister of the parish, a truly pious anc
benevolent man, had that afternoon been to Wis
it him. and poured into his wounded soul The
consultations of religious faith. He had attend
ed him through all his sickness and troubles
but Mr.. Thompson had never been so Susceph
bic Of pious resignation, as he had been on tina
dav. His foes for let a man fall into trouble
and he viii always find enough ready and vii
Eng TO believe the worst of him) had succeeded
SO far against Mr.. Thompson, as to deprive hin
the privilege of the yard, and 70 see him LOCKED
IN close prison; but the humanity of the jailo
let him out on parole, and during his illness h,
had been very kindly treated by him in his owl
apartments News was brought Mr.. ThOmp
son immedidtely on his family landing at tn
inn. as before mentioned, of the horrible dlSaS
ters which had happened, and he felt an agon,
unutterable until he saw them all yet alive
which was not long, for the boy had almost en-
tirely recovered, and they soon sought am
found the afflicted parent. The last stroke o
their miSeries appeared now TO be Struck-ye
they ould not but rejoice and thank Heavel
that their lives were spared. They were IN
formed too, that Tvingham had taken a rob
Der. and Sophia had glance at him, and knew
it TO be the stranger. All were extremely anx
ious TO hear the result. We must therefore re
turn to the inn where we left the whole grOupe
CHAPTER V.
1t has been mentioned, that in the attack q
the stranger in the pine woods, by two mer
he shot one Of them down; but his fall wa
more the effect of suddenaffright than Of sever
injury, for he received only slight wound i
the flesh, the ball just grazing the side of hi
head. These were the two men first mentlone
at the cottage. At the time the other two me
fired at the stranger, he was in the act of wheel
ing his horse round, in order to find out the fat
of his two first aSSailantS and this gave ther
all an advantage over him otherwise he Nigh
have escaped.
The alarm soon spread through the village
thata bold daShing high-wayro caugh
and 10 be examined for commitment, whic
brought high and low to the inn, as soon as til
foe cleared away, and the morning sun bcssS
10 show his dazzling counteuance above II
tops of the surrounding pines. Hearing th
hustle. and learning the cause, the man befoi
mentioned, who came in company with II
stranger to the village, had decamped IN hast
and this strengthened the suspicion against tt
prisoner; but the fact was, he had only fallen
company with him on the road, and did nj
know who he was. OF course he was muc
alarmed at what had taken place, and like
prudent man made off with himself, lest
might be taken for n aocomphce.