Weekly Calaveras chronicle., 1868-02-29
"God of mercy." exclaimed nv wife,

as she looked up in my fendish coun-
tenance, "you will not kill US, you will
not harm Willie," as she sprang to the
cradle and grasped him in her embrace.
1 caught her again by the hair, and
dragged her to the door, and as I lifted
the latch the wind burst in with cloud
of snow. With q wild "ha! ha !' I
closed the door and turned the button,
her pleading moan mingling with the
blast and the sharp cry of the babe.
But my work was not complete. l
turned to the bed where lay my eldest
son, and I snatched him from his slum-
bers, and against his half awakened
struggles, opened the door and threw
him out. In agony of fear he called
me by name l was not fit to bear, and
locked his little fingers in my side pock-
et l could not wrench that frenzied
grasp away, and with the GOODNESS of a
devil as | was, l shut the door upon his
arm, and with my knife severed the
wrist.
The speaker ceased a moment, and
buried his face in his trembling hands,
as if to shut out some fearful dream,
and his deep chest heaved like storm
swept sea. My father had arisen
from his seat and was leaning forward,
his countenance bloodless, and the large
drops standing out upon his brow
Chills cl ept back to my heart, and I
wished l was at home. The old man
looked up, and rever since beheld
such mortal agony pictured upon a
human face as there was on his. He
continued:
SIT was morning when I awoke, and
the storm had ceased. but the cold was
intense l first secured drink of wa
ter, and then 1 looked in the accustom-
ed place for Mary. AS I missed her,
for the first time a shadowy sense of
some horrible nightmare began to dawn
upon my wandering mind. I thought
l had dreamed fearful dream, but
involuntarily opened the outside door
with shuddering dread.
AS the door opened the snow burst
in followed by fall of something across
the threshold, scattering the snow, and
striking the floor with a hard. sharp
sound. My blood shot like red hot
arrows through my veins, and 1 rubbed
my eyes to shut out the sight. It was
-it-Oh, God, how horrible! it was
my own injured Mary, and her babe,
frozen to ice !!
The ever true mother had bowed
herself over the child to shield it, and
had wrapped all her own clothing
around it, leaving her own person stark
and bare. She had placed her hair
over the face of the child, and the sleet
had frozen it to the white cheek. The
frost was white in its half opened eyes,
and upon its tiny fingers. knew not
what became of my brave boy''
Again the old man bowed his head
and wept, and all that were in the house
wept with him. In tones of low,
heart broken pathos, the old man con-
tinued:
81 was arrested, and for long months
raved in delirium. l woke, was SEN
fenced to prison for ten years, but no
tortures could equal those in my own
bosom. O, God! no! I am not a fa-
natic; l wish to injure no one But
while l live, let me strive to warn 9TH
ers not to enter the path which has
been so dark and fearful a one to me.
I could see my angel mother, wife
and children, beyond this vale of tears"
The old man sat down, but spell as
deep and strong as that wrought by
some wizards breath rested upon the
audience. Hearts could have been
heard in their beating, and tears to fall.
The old man then asked the people to
sign the pledge. My father leaped
from his seat and snatched at it eagerly.
l had followed him as he hesitated
a moment with his pen in the ink; a
tear fell from the old mans eye upon
the paper.
"Sign it, young man, sign it. An
sells would sign it. I would write my
name ten thousand times in blood if it
would bring back my loved ones"
My father wrote his name, "Morti-
mer Hudson
The old man looked, wiped his tear
full eyes, and looked again, his coun-
tenance alternately flushed with red
and death-like paleness.
SIT is-no, it cannot be, yet how
strange" muttered the old man. "Par-
don me, sir, but that is the name of my
brave boy"
My father trembled and held up his
left arm from which the hand had been
severed. They looked for moment
into each others eyes, both reeled and
exclaimed
"My own injured boyv
"My father!"
They fell upon each other till it
seemed their souls would grow and
mingle into one. There was weeping
in that church, and I turned bewil-
dered upon the streaming eyes around
me.
"Let me thank God for this great
blessing, which has gladdened my
guilt burthened SOUL" exclaimed the
old man, and kneeling down, poured
out his heart in one of those most
melting prayers I ever heard The spell
was broken, and all eagerly signed the
pledge, slowly going to their homes as
if 10th to leave the spot. The old man
is dead, but the lesson he taught the
grandchild on his knee as his evening