The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-09-20
BY HORSLEY BROS. & FIGUERS.

|
the fear became a certainty that 81,
must have been lost and all on boar
peilshed, There were reasons whic
rendered the loss less severe to the OWL
er than would have been supposed bu
they were private, and did not breven
him from receiving The coincidence q
his friends. He had too much sens
to murmuf over the Inevitable, an,
too much wealth TO be crippled by tn
10 IS of a single ship; besides he was s
happy and blessed i'm his family, hi
fair wife and lovely children, it woul,
seem nothing could give him lAstinj
sorrow which left them untouched.
If Joy Adrian could Lave had suci
a home and such surIouhdihse wha
might not his life have beeh. He live,
until he was ten years old with Mexi
can woman who was paid a trifie nov
and then for the scanty care she sav,
him. About that time he ran away t.
sea and was entirely lost sight of TO
years by all those interested in him
or a fiery, impetuOus nature cafihs
for nothing but the uratiiica,ion O
his own passions, Recognizing no Law
higher than his own will, he becam,
old in crime while young i'm years ant
the demon of hate seemed to hold I'M
disputed sway over MIN. l Question
il any good influence ever touched hi.
life unless it might haxe been tn,
much-vaunted teachings of Nature
and they could scarcely be expected {,
reach his ease.
In the early winter of 1870, Mr.
Rouse sat In his luxurious office, bu
had no thoughts for the letters and
| papers which were pressed upon hi.
notice; he had made a greater venture
than the sending out Of ships or buy.
ing up of stocks, and he had inany
misgivings as to the result.
Months had elapsed since he had
heard from Charlie, his only son, who
had gone West the year before.
The reveris was broken in upon by
an old friend.
"Mr. Rouse, can 1 see You alone fol
| few minutes?'
The key was turned, but the visitor
hesitated. AT last, "You have not seen
the morning papers, have you?'
"No, | have not, have just come
in; is there any special newsT
"Well. folks are talking, and, In
short, l thought had better see you,
though of course Ii cnnnOt be your
Charlie"
The paper was laid before Mr.. Rouse,
but he begged his friend to read il
aloud. The item had been taken from
an exchange, and told with horrible
minuteness of a murder committed by
young desperate named Charlie
Rouse. "He had been in M only
a few weeks, but i'm that time had be-
come terror to the whole place, and
it was thought the Vigilance Com
mittee would make short work of him.
He says he has father living In New
York, man of high suclal and politi-
cal position, who will buy him off, ,
but he will find he is in too tight a
place for his fathers money or Influ-
ence to avail him. His victim was an
entire stranger, and there was nothing
about him which would give a clie to
his name or where he came from. 1t
is thought young Rouse could tell, but
he refuses to answer any questions"
"When did you hear from Charlie ?'
The father groaned, at is nearly
eight MONTHS"
WAS he wild or anything of that
sort when he went awRy2"
Not that l know; indeed, thought
him singularly free from any of the
vices of youth. Why do you look at
me so2 Did you ever hear a word
against him ?''
~ have heard something about his
gambling a little-and this morning
was told that he drank considerable
before ho went away. 1t pains me to
rel cut this to you, and trust that we
shall soon have Charities name free
from even the suspicion of this dread
full crime. / know that the son of such
father could never be guilty of any
meditated wrong"
Letters were sent, and kilograms
dispatched, but communications we:e
far from perfect in the newly settled
which the delay involved was almost
uncomfortable. Those much interested
believed they knew it wa. not their
Charley, and yet they could not eat
nor sleep, and there was q terrible
readiness in their friends to condOle
with them. The society where Charlie
had been so popular seemed to accept
at once the fact of his guilt, so many
had noticed downward tendency i'm
him before he left" and it was more
than hintei that there was a "cause
for his sudden G ing away from home. I"
His mother and sister were wild with
anxiety, though they never doubted
for moment their Charles innocence
of all he stood accused OF. TO them he
was the perfection of manly grace and
excellence, and it only needed time to
clear him from the vile aspersiOns
which those who had once claimed to
be his friends were ready to cast upon
him. Meanwhile the averted looks,
or, what was worse, the mockery of
words, were torture to those loving
IeartS. Mr.. Rouse hoped, prayed, and
feared, and left nothing undOne which
would help TO set his boy right in the
community, or if he was in trouble, to
have justice done him. There were
daily reports, giving various reasons
for the deed, and several times it was
rumOred that young Rouse had been
hung by an armed mOb."
Terrible as was the calamity, it was
light in comparison to the blow which
fell upon them at last. There could no
longer he aLy doubt.
"On the third day after the murder,
Charles Rouse was taken from the Jail
by the Vigilance Committee, and hung
by the neck until he was dead. 1t was
thought his fathers wealth would be
used to free him, and he would be
spirited off by those who would expect
to make n fortune thereby. He was
perfectly at ease after his capture, and
said repeatedly, 'Oh, the O.d man
won't let me swing for it,
"Public Indignation was SO great
against him that he could have been
hung i'm the daytime, before the Jail,
without the least opposition; but on
the third night a party of armed men
entered the Jail, secured the keeper.
then went to Rouse's cell, and told him
TO dress i'm hurry, as they had busi-
ness with him. He seemed to under
stand, and make some joking kind of
remark about their selecting such a
stormy night, and said he should
probably have kept twenty-four hours
longer.' 1t was raining furiOusly, and
the wind swept down the canon SO
that the men with their prisoner made
slow time i'm their march.
"About a mile from the place, there
is solitary pine standing on the hill
side, overlooking the whole town. Ar
irving there, they halted, and soon
improvised a gallOws with rope
over huge limb. The preparations
completed, they tried to make Rouse
tell the name of the unfortunate man
he had so brBtally murdered. He re-