Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-08-06
A ScoHHdrel Punished by a BOg.
A Horrible Story of Crime

1 ..... g. A Horrible Story of Crime.
The Augusta (Ga. Chronicle of Sunday
last contains the following story, for the
correctness of which it vonches in every
particular
I In one Of the mountain counties of Geor-
gia there live two families, each before the
war noted for its wealth and refinement. =
Since the war the families Whom we shall
call respectively L. and L.). though they
had. like nearly every one else. lost every
thing by the conflict still retained the gh
| position III, society which they had for so
long time filed. Mir. l.. was married
man, fIfty-five years Of age, while Mr.. Il.
is young man. recently married to very
beautiful woman, between whom and a
ldaughtef OF Mr. L., about the same age,
there exists very intimate friendship
Some days ago Mr.. r. was compelled to 90
to Atlanta on business, leaving his wife en-
| tlrely alone in his house, rs the only house
servant, cook, slept at the negro quarter,
half q mile from the dwelling. Mrs r.,
as She had been advised by her husband,
went over to Mr.. L. s, and requested his
ldaughter to spend the nights with her IN
til her husbands return. This Miss L.
after obtaining her mothers consent prom
ised willingly. Having accomplished her
purpose, and feeling very much relieved in
mind, Mrs. r. returned home and spent
the day performing the usual household
duties. When the morning had passed
away and the afternoon came, and then the
sun set without bringing her friend, she
felt no alarm, but thought that the latter
had decided not to come until after tea,
when her father, across the field which sep
arated the two houses, would escort her,
4 A00 nrrlr hn
| household affairs arranged and the cook
dismissed for the night to her dis
tant cabin at the "quarter. -
About nine o'clock Mrs. r. began to feel
a little uneasy, as Miss L. had not yet
come, when servant came up to the house
and brought q note from her expected
| friend, stating that she would be unable
| to spend the night with her, as she had
promised, for her father, from some causo
or other, had positively refused to give his
consent to the arrangement. After deliy-
ering the note the servant took his depar-
ture and the brave woman prepared to
spend the night by herself. Feeling that
she had protector in O large and very
fierce yard dog belonging to her husband,
she took him into her bedroom, and, after
securing the house, lay down and resigned
herself to sleep.
AUOut GWelNo u ClOth SuO was dWhk6uCu
from her slumbers by a noise in the house
and the angry growing of the dog, and
discovered that the hall door had been
forced and that some one was standing at
her room door seeking an entrance. Speak
ing as loudly as her fright would let her,
Mrs R. asked, "Who is there ?" A
mans voice, which she did not recognize,
replied by telling her to "open the door.
Again she asked the same question, and
again received the same reply, the stranger
adding that if she re4used he would break
the ID door down." During this dia-
logue the dog, still growing, crouched
upon tho floor as if ready to spring. g.-I
Thinking to intimidate this man, who
sought her ruin, Mrs R. cried to him
that if he forced the door she would shoot
him. Laughing scornfully, tho ruilian
threw his weight against the light door, |
when, quick as thought, the savage dog |
sprang forward and fastened on his neck |
The man, astonished at this sudden attack, |
attempted to kill the dog with knife which /
he held in his hand, but unsuccessfully. |
and the powerful animal dragged him to
the ground, still retaining his hold upon
his throat Stunned ut first by this un-
Iooked-for deliverance, the woman, in
few seconds, regained her presence of mind |
somewh ran screaming from the house, |
never stopping until she arrived at the |
place of the l.. s, where her cries soon |
aroused the family. Her tale was rapidly |
told, and the servants were preparing to
90 to the scene Of danger, when suddenly |
Mr.. L. was missed, and his wife, almost |
on the instant, as if struck by sudden
presentiment, screamed "Merciful God it
must be my husband - With a cry of
horror, the party set forth, and ran as fast
to the house of Mrs. r. as the latter had
run away from it Il few minutes before
Arrived there they found the man still on
the floor, and. the dog still graspiDg his !
throat. Beating him away from his prey, |
they found the suspicious OF Mrs. l.. but
too correct it was her husband-but the
teeth of the dog had done their work, and |
he was dead
It appears that he had returned to his
home at five o'clock on the previous even
ing, and hearing of the departure OF r.,
and the intention Of his daughter to spend
the night with the young wife, he posi- |
lively refused to allow her to do SO, as |
signing some frivolous cause for the re-
ftlsal That night he left home, saying |
that he was going to set up all night with
a sick reighbor, who lived some miles |
distant It is supposed that he concealed |
himself in the woods until midnight and
then, influenced by unholy lust, forced Nh
entrance into the house of r., to violate
the person of the wife Of the latter. When
the case became known the most intense
excitement prevailed in the county, and
had not Providence punished the criminal,
he would probably have been hung to the
nearest tree by the enraged populace.