The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-03-07

! however, he made no attempt to con-
fute his opponents oratory. He mere
" opened a book Of statutes, and point
ing with his thin finger to one of the
/ pages, desired the referees to read it,
while he retired a moment for the prin-
! cipal witness
We had scarcely finished the section,
I which fully decided the matter in our
( minds, when Burr rc-entered with tall
and elegant female leaning on his arm.
She was attired in simple white dress,
with wreath of ivy encircling her
large straw bonnet, and a lace veil
completely cOncealing her cOuntenance
Burr whispered few words, apparent
Iy encouraging her to advance, and
then gracefully raising her veil, discov-
cred to us face of proud, surprising
beauty. | recollect, as well as if it
happened yesterday, how simultaneous
the murmur of applause burst from
the lips Of all present. Turning to the
plaintiff, Mr.. Burr asked, in cold,
quiet tone:
DO You know this lady ?"
"Will you swear to that ?"
Il will To the best of my knOwl-
edge and belief she is my daughter"
Can you swear to the identity ?''
Il can"
What is her age ?"
''Shew thirty years old on the Goth
day Of April"
when did you last see her ?'
''At her own house about fortnight
since"
when did you see her previous to
that meeting ~
The plaintiff hesitated-a long pause
ensued-the question was repeated,
and the answer at length was:
"On the I4th day of May, II"
"When she was just three weeks
old - added Burr.
Gentlemen" continued he, turning
to us, Il have brought this lady here
as an important witness, and such, l
think, she is. The plaintiffs counsel
has pleaded eloquently in behalf Of the
bereavej husband, who escaped the
perils Cf the sea, and returned only to
f:nd his home desolate. But who will
picture to you the lonely wife, bending
over her daily toll, devoting her best
years to the drudgery Of sOrC!id power
ty, supported only by the hope Of her
husbands return Who viii picture
the slow process Of heart sickening,
the anguish Of hope deferred. and final
ly the overwhelming agony which
came upon her when her last hope was
eXsingU:shed, and she was compelled
to believe herself indeed widow
Who can depict all this without aWak-
ening in your hearts the warmest sym
pathy for the deserted wife, and the
utmost scOrn for the mean, pitiful
wretch who could thus trample on the
heart of her whom he svTore to love
and cherish? We need not inquire
into his motive for acting so base
part Whether it was love of gain, or
RIGHTEOUSNESS, or selfish indifference,
it matters not ; he is too vile thing
to be judged by such laws as govern
men. Let us ask the witness-she
who now stands before US with the
frank, fearless brow of a true-hearted
wOman-let us ask which Of these has
been to her n father ~
rT',.',i,pcr to the lady in a tone whose
sweetness was strange contrast with
the scornful accent that just character
lied his words, he besought her to re-
late briefly the recollections of her
early life A slight flush passed over
her proud and beautiful face as she re-
piled:
"My first recollections are Of a small,
ill-furnished apartment, which my sis
ter and myself shared with my moth
er She used to carry out every Sat
urday evening the work which had oc-
cupied her during the week, and bring
back employment for the following
one. Saving this wearisome visit to
her employers, and her regular attend
ance at church, she never left the
house. She often spoke Of my father,
and of his anticipated return, but at
length she ceased to mention him,
though | observed she used to weep
more frequently than ever. L then
thought she wept because we were
poor, for it sometimes happened that
our support was Onlya bit OF dry pread;
and she was accustomed to sew by the
light Of the chips which she klndIed TO
warm her famishing children, because
she could not purchase a candle with
out depriving us of our morning meal.
Such was our poverty when my moth
er contracted a second marriage, and
the change to US was like sudden en-
trance to Paradise. We found home
and father" She paused.
"Would you turn my own chlld
against me ~ cried the plaintiff, as he
impatiently waved his hand for her to
be silent.
The eyes of the witness flashed fire
as she spoke.
.sYou are not my father!'' exclaimed
she, vehemently What! call you my
father-you, who so basely left your
wife to toll, and your children to beg
garu? Neverl Never Behold there