The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1866-11-23


ludcd enthusiasm in the souls of
these unhappy men. They had nev.
or doubted the truth Of revealed re.
lhgion, although they had fatally dis
regarded its precepts; and now that
remorse had given way to peuitence,
and nat ire had become rcconciled to
the thought Of Inevitable death, the
light that had been durkened, but
never extinguished in their hearts,
rose up anew; and knowing that their
souls were immortal, they humbly
put their faith In the mercy Of their
Creator and their Redecmer.
''"It was during that resigned and
serene hour, that the old man ven.
cured TO ask for the mother of his
poor, unhappy boy. I told him the
truth calmly; he heard it all. On
the day of his condemnation, she
had been deprived OF her reason,
aud in the house of q kind friend,
whose name he blessed, now remain.
ed in merciful ignorance of all that
had beiallen, believing herself, in
deed, to he a motherless widow, but
one who had long ago lost her hus.
band, and all her children, In the or.
dinary course Of nature. At this re.
cital his soul was satisfied The son
said nothing, 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 one consent of the many
thousand hearts beating there, to be
suspended. But us the hours adj
vanced, the frequent tread of feet
was heard in every avenue; the
streets began to fill with pale, anx.
ious, and impatient faces; and many
eyes were tuned to the dials on the
stecplcs, Watching the silent pro-
gross of the finger Of time, till IL
should reach the point at which the
curtain was to be drawn up from be.
fore most mournful tragedy. m |
"The hour was family heard thro'
the thick prison walls by us, who
were together for the last time in the
condemned cell. had administer.
ed to them the most awful rite OF our
religion, and father and son, sat to
gcthcr 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,
fe, bic and tottering, but cruel in his
d0crepitude, laid hold of the son with
a cord No resistance was offered;
but, straight and untrembling, stood
that tall and beautiful youth, while
the ficnd bound him for execution.
At this mournlul sight, how could
bear to look on his fathers facet
/! !es thiteer yere 9S nine g.s..syss eyes impelled
miserating soul. During that hid.
eous goHo, ho -os i....~--S.,I - ~,
executioner's approach towards him.
self; and all the time that the cords
were encircling his own arms, he a.,
felt them not,--he saw nothing but
his son standing at last before him,
ready for the scaff0ld. in-HF". i1'''
IL dimly recollect long dark
vaultcd passage, and the cchoing
tread of footsteps, till all at once We
stood in q crowded hall, with a thou !
sand eyes fixed on these two misera
BILE men. How unlike were they TO
all beside! They sat down together
within the shadow Of death. Pray
ers 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 i heard those
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 departure was come.
"They stood at last upon the scat.
fold. That long street, that seemed
to stretch away interminabiy from
the old Prison, house, was paved with
uncovered heads, for the moment
these ghosts appeared, that mighty
crowd felt reverence for human MA
ture so terribly tried, and prayers
and blessings, passion 'tcly ejaculat-
ed, or convulsively stided, went how
ering all over the multitude, as III
they feared some great calamity to-
themselves, and felt standing on the
first tremor of an earthquake.
1T was most beautiful summers
day on which they were led out TO
die; and as tho 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. 1t seemed a day made for hap,
piness or for mercy. But no person
dropt down from these smiling skies,
and the vast multitude were not to
be denied the troubled least OF death.
Many who now stood there wished
they had been in the heart of some
far.oG wood or glen; there was
shrieking and fainting, not only
among maids, and wives, and mat.
rons, who had come tlier, in the mys-
terry of their hearts, but mcn fell
down in their strength, for it was
an overwhelming thing TO behold a
father and his only sou now battered
Tor shameful death. els my father
with me on the scatfold?-give me
his hand, for see him not" join
| ed their hands together, and at that