New-York tribune., 1874-12-11
chose their prsc ra,oassor without giving him chance

and windows were Gang wide open. The ground had
noas ali around the lot marked sts OF the sen,es
who came the scene az the hour spove nameu mai
strong force OF volunteer cavalry wearing red ranne
shrts ana black caps ana trousers. rode up ana were
posted fifty PAGES apart, around TIE ehtIrc n1'u %
then the guns and of the artillery rumDieu up
then more cavalry and infeaCry came; ana ,hen .
solemn hush settled over the awful scene anu no n f
the south wind among tue tree branches and tue oe
casional Inpatient stamp OF horses moor % on nI @ half
sward. All eyes turned 10 the jail, soahv a.,
away down the road, bat nothing couiu oe see ts
the CLINT ot ba onets anu et pGtonS ana onened
bright sunshine untll, OF SUDDEN, tne as. Spraes
rignt lett, and wagon, drawn ny Two Wills @
caipe into view. In H. seated on long pOx o iresnN
DEAL was an old man, Of figure, clad IN BLACK suit
with black soueh nat on LIS head anu ~, eoioe
formed and advanced toward US. There was the QUO
helpless old man. suffering IRON 1ye saDer ahu oayohoS
Major Lorings t" BaaaiiOn Of Dftens'1s'"
Capt WiAiams's Aoltoei.er Gaard"
Capt SCOTS "Petefsburg Grdys',
Capt Miiier's ginta V9tnntees"
Capt Rddy's Young Guard"
THE LAST SCENE.
The eoroe passeu tnrJugn tue triple squares Of troops
ana over Tue hOck and wound around lne scano'u ~
company of Grays-opened ranks, and john Brown ue
nded, with seltpossession and dignity, anS e
people, and remarked 10 Capt AVIS ms ldoI' uP a
the 1eauty ol the seene A. was a%d iSe seamns guns
ana sparkling uniforms were strongly eiItreu
the somper uats of sou and woods Away on 10 INC eae'
and south tue splendid mass The Blue Ridge loomed
against tue sky, and shut In the Ioril0n. Osel 'u
Woods towards tho nortneast, long. tnln stripes oI
cIos had gradually Ioreboding the st0ru
that came IN due llne tDat evenings while, looking To-
wards tine south there lay undua.ine, iertlle cOuh,
stretching away the distant mountains Brownseye
fingered Wisttully upon the few Clvlahs VINO nau oo
permitted gaze from distance upon tne udeeuS, dc
IT. 50 IL seemed me, he longed lor gnnpse Oh one
friendly face then, with another glance at t'e sHy anu
the faraway Blue Ruge, ne turned W Tue cue!ih anu
sIgnued tnIt he was Ieady. HIS sloucn hat Was re-
| moved. his elbows and ankles pinloned ana whito
| mood was drawn over his head. Inc woriu was e"uo
rom bis Al fore YER and and Eternity were Lace 10
| face. A.. One would nave Thought that, siter ai'
their indecent haste TO get nun teu oo tn nor oid
fenced and hung, theYwOud have .nc po gu
Tnsrs VIZ Still Inc shadow OF possibility that some
Cauuus-sown soldiers might spflns out "a t'o sou
movements or troops nither and lntner marehngs ana
cOuntermarcnings; ana soOd tnere, Sa'0 ntn ~ manu- 1i'
for eigbt minutes, that seemed centuries DeIoie COl
scott losing pltieuce, gave the signal IDen sheriff
Campbell cut the rope, the Trap Ieii, wiz "1inuS
scre.cI of lJs hinges, and Jonn BrJWns poiy HduX
iri,ne IN tne lr. You could have beard tho sigh OF
satisfaction that passed over the whote si'he1 most 80
dead was stiffness thaI Drooded over IL. lhere was
but one spasmodc Gluten OF inc tied anu LII GT
jerks and Gaivers OF tos a1 DANCED IN mdar for
twepty minutes the CuarieStown Surgeons WehU up anu
HSted The arms and dropped them IKE lead. ana paced
% ear "a the oead tniugs Guest elt the wrists
for pulse Tuen the military surgeons nau tnodf @ ,uH
and lett the body TO dangle aud swing by It's heoA
eiehteen minutes more Wbie turned W tnls suo VI
dat swinging, pendulumiKe, from the 1orce OF !ne
RISING wind At last the hon was declared dead anu Tue
body lump and horrid with an lnchdeep groove cut nI9
its heck Dy the Kentucky hemp halseI sent s d spee
donation FOR the occasion, was lowered down anu
sIumped into heap II wac then Put ho & useh ,nut
cofo lifted wagon again, the pody closed
IN it. The cavalry took the fgat "r 'he co'uAn
aud the mOurnful procession moved oH
A pRFR LASCB IN THE FIELD OF LIFE AND LETTERs By
Mason.
The writer of these essays has selected
George Eliot, Bryant. and Lowell, as suggesting the
occasion free utterance Of opinion ON various topics
OF poetry rhetorical composition. and literary arr in
general They are certainly free from commonplace and
every approach imitation Of favorite models
and will attract attention by the novelty OF their
manner If not by their originality of thought. Mr. Will
kinson regards George Eliot great elemental power
in modern literature. Within her range she is no less
dramatic than Shakespeare. Her novels are often con-
ceiyed in O succession OF scenes, instead of con-
nected narrative. When she ceases TO be dramatic,
see uses her marvellous insight In a manner
80 subtle and searching that mere dramatic
exhibition seems almost vulgar In comparison.
At the same time she is profound and various thinker
But her power of emotion is no less great than her
power OF thought. Her brain has not wrought alone.
Her heart has wrought with it. The wonder of her
sibiy is equal 10 the wonder of her intellect Butts
not sentmentalist Her passion Is deeper than the
sentiments 1t Is transient sympathy with fictitious
sorrow but O part OF her own personal experience.
Nor Is the moral quality Of her novels less remarkable
than their literary excellence. She is writer of great
and generous moral aims. 1t is her noble ambition to
breathe an amper breath Of moral Inspiration into the
hearts OF brothers and sisters The three papers on
Mr. Lowell evnce a profound study OF that unique
writer present acute critical analysis or the
peculiar merits and defects OF his genius Mr.. Wilkinson
sums I'D the case with the announcement that
not prose, but verse, is Mr. Lowells liter
ery yernacuar In writing prose, he writes, as
Milton wrote, with his left hand. But whether In prose
or in verse 1t is almost solely by genius and acquire
ment quite apart from the long labor OF art that he
produces his final results He thus chooses his place IN
the vahala Of letters among the many nhertors OF
unfulfled renown" His will be treasured in the
history OF American literature chiefly gracious ira
dton of personal character universally DEAR OF culture
only second the genius which adorned OF fame coD
stanty greater than the achievements to which 1t
appealed" The essays devoted to Mr.. Bryant
mainly occupied with verbal criticisms. especially
his translation OF the Iad showing refined sense Of
the force and beauty Of language, and the subtle
with which words into verse for the express
sion OF feeling The volume closes with paper on
the character OF Erasmus, whchI is Of more quiet
tone than the preceding essays, and perhaps that
account will be found adapted to the general
taste 1t presents rapid glimpse OF the genial scholar
in his learned studies and the struggle between the
natural bent Of his genius and the demands OF his
times Erasmus is justly represented anticipating by
several centuries the state OF elegant culture which his
liberal spirit and fine intellect largely helped pro-
duce. "a recuse scholar among men OF the world and
man OF the world among reeuse scholars. he may be
considered the earliest of that succession Of interpret
ers between high education and the masses of the
Die who have already done 80 much toward making
education popular and the people educated" The plan
of Mr.. Wkinson's volume necessarily gives 1t frag
mentary character but it exhibits justness less
than a bolduess Of thought. which would find
q oongenial task IN q composition Of consecu-
tive and integral form. He often betrays ap-
parent desire for effect, but this Is probably
nothing more than horror Of duness and the natural
exuberance OF an ardent temperament. His love OF
paradox usually covers the expression Of important
truth If he a superhuous intensity Of
hna han
yydness OF perception and earnestness OF feeling His
work is never superficial. crude, he fine