Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1874-11-12

this must be substantially true am
obliged to believe, and will tell you
wherefore. Three or four times in my
life, that know of. it has happened to
me to walk in my sleep. The last time
(about nine years ago), l was next day
to preach a funeral sermon over the re
mains of man who had unexpectedly
met with dreadful death. | was 1T a
loss for text, when the words of a
wise man among the ancient Greeks
suddenly occurred to me, ''Call no man
happy until he is in his grave" To use
the words of heather for a text of a
Christian discourse, was not, metIiought
seemly; but then | remembered that
The same thought, expressed i'll we'll
nigh the same terms, to be met with
somewhere in the Apoorypha. ]
sought, and sought, but could not find
the passage. | was late, i was wearied
by much previous labor; I therefore
went to bed, and soon fell asleep.
Greatly did | marvel the next morning
when, on arising and seating myself at
my writing desk, saw before me,
written in large letters on piece OF
paper, Let no man be deemed happy
before his end cometh (Syrach XII. "a.
But not this alone; | found likewise a
funeral discourse--short, but as well
written as auy | had ever composed
and all in my own handwriting. In
the chamber none other than l could
have been. know, therefore, who it
was no o.her than myself. Not more
than half year previous, | had in the
same marvellous state, gone in the
night time into the church, and fetche d
away Il handkerchi which | had left
in the chair behind the altar. Mark
now-when the two witness this mor>
ming delivered their evidence before
the court, then my previous sleep
walkings suddenly flashed across me;
and | have likewise called to mind that
in the morning after the night durin y
which the corpse must have been buried
| had been surprised TO see my dress
ing~gowu lying on the floor just inside
the door, whereas it was always my
custom to hang it on chair by my
bedside. The unhappy victim OF my
unbrided passion must, in all likeli-
hood, have fallen down dead in the
wood and must in my sleep~walk
ing have followed him tIither Yes
the Lord have mercy $50 it must have
bettl."
On the following day sentence of
death was passed upon the prisoner
q sentence which many felt to be severe
and which led to a friendly conspiracy
on his behalf and lad it not been for
his own refusal to be party to any
thing unlawful. he might have escaped.
The gaoler was gained over, aud a
fisherman had his boat in readiness tor
a fight to the Swedish coast, where he
would have been beyond the reach of
danger. But Soren Ovist refused to
flee. He longed, he said, tor death,
and he would not add new stain to
his reputation by furtive flight. He
maintained his strength of mind to the
last, and from the scafuld he address.
ed to the bystanders discourse of
much power, which he had composed
in prison during his last days. 1t treat
ed Of anger and its diretul consequen-
ces, with touching allnsion to himself
and the dreadful crime to which his
anger mi-led him. 'rhereafter, he dotf
ed his coat, bound with his own hands
the napkin before his eyes, and sub.
mitted his neck to the executioner'
sword.
One and-twenty years after the pas
tor, Sorcn Ovist, of Veilby, had beer
accused, tried, condemned, and execut.
I'd for the murder of his serving man
an old beggarrhan applied for aims te
the people Aalsoe, the parish adjoining
to Veilhy Snspicions were aroused b,
the exact likeness the beggarman bore
to Aiorten Bruins, of lnvors,rnp, wht
had lately died, and also by the cur
ious and anxious inquiries the mar
made concerning events long past. The
pastor of Aalsoe, who had buried Nor
ten Bruins, took the vagabond to his
parsonage, ard there the fellow, al
unconscious Of the portentous nature OF
the admission. acknowledged that he
was Nisls Bruins, the very man ful
whose supposed murder the pastor had
suffered the shameful death of a crimi.
nal Had his brother Morten surviy, {
him. ii is pretty certain the trnth, con
cealed SO long, had never been known
as Niels had only returned to the dis
trict in the hope of proti'ing by Nor
tens death, the news Of which hae
accidentally reached him. He profess,
.d-and, indeed, plainly experienced :
the utmost horror on hearing the dread
tnl history Of the pastors cruel fate
1t was all Morten's doing, he said; bu
he was so overcome by the terrible mar