The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-02-02

another moment | was in the clutches of /
those who claimed me as their prisoner
Il was too much stupelied at first to
ask what it all meant. did SO at last, |
and the explanation came--it was terri.
be Ny friend, with whom l had so
lately set out in company, had been found
murdered and robbed near tho spot at
which |, but alone, knew we had sep
Grated. was the last person known to
be with him, and | was now arrested on
suspicion Of bis murder A search Of the
premises was Immediately instituted. The
watch was fouad in the drawer in which
| had placed it, and was Unidentified as
the property of the murdered man. His
horse too, was found in my stable, for the
animal had just put there was none 9th
er. recognized him myself when | saw
him in the light What | said, know
not My confusion was taken as addi
tional evidence And when, at length,
did command language to give an iutell
gent statement, it was received with
sneers Of increduIity.
The mob spirit is Inherent in man
at least in crowds Of men. 1t may not
always manifest itself in physical violence.
1t sometimes contents itself with lynching
character But whatever its form it is
always relentless, pitiless, cruel.
'As the proofs of my guilt, one after
another, came to light, low muttcrings
gradually grew into a clamor for ven
geance and but for the frmness of one
man--the officer who had me in charge
| would doubles have paid the penalty
Of my supposed offense on the spot. 1t
was not sympathy for me that actuated
my protector His heart was as hard as
his Office but he represented the majesty
of the law, and took a sort pride in the
position. As much under the glance of
his eye as before the muzzle o. his pistol,
the cowardly camors drew back Per-
haps they were not sufficiently numerous
to feel the full effect of that mysterious
reflex influence which makes crowd of
men so much worse, and at times so much
better, than any one of them singly-
AT the end of some mouths my trial
Sauc. II tuulu uhNc Gut oEe result
Circumstances too plainly declared ny
guilt | alone knew they lied The ab-
sencc OF the jury was very brief To
their verdict l paid but little heed /;
was single hideous word but 1 had
had long anticipated it, and it made no
impression. As little impression was
made oy the words of the Judge which
followed it; and his Solemn invocation
that God might have that mercy upon me
which man was too just to vouchsafe,
sounded like the holowest Of hollow mock.
cries. 1t may be hard for the condemned
criminal to meet death, it is still harder
for him who is innocent The one when
the first shock is over, acquiesce, 10 his
door,, and gives himself to repentance
the heart Of the other, filled with rebel.
lion against mans injustice, can scarce
bring itself to ask pardon Of God. | had
gradually overcome this feeling, in >pite
Of tho good clergyman's irritating efforts,
which were mainly directed towards cx.
tracing a confession, without which he
assured me- he had DO hope to offer.
On the morning of the day fixed for
my execution, felt msasuraby resigned
had SO long stood face to face with
death, had so accustomed myself to look
upon it as merely a momentary pang
that no Ionger felt solicitous save that
my memory should one day be vndicat.
ed She for whom had gone to prepare
home, had already found one in heaven
The tidiDgs of my calamity bad broken
her heart, She alone, of all the world
believed me innocent; and she had died
with prayer upon hor lips, that the
truth might yet be brought to light. AL
this had heard. and it had soothed a.
with sweet incense my troubled spirit
Death, however uDwelcome the shape, wa!
now portal beyond which could SET
one angel waiting to receive me. hoart
the sound Of approaching footsteps, and
ucrvcd myself to meet the expected sun
mons. The door of my cell opened, aud
the sheriff aud his attendants entered. Ii,
held in his hand paper l. was doubt
less my death.warraui, He hogan Il
read it. My thoughts were busted else
where The words full and free par
doc" were the first to striitk5-rny preoceu
pied senses They affected the bystand
ers more than myself Yet SO it was
was psrdoned for an oifense | had nevc
committed
The real culprit, none other, it is need
less to sag, that be who had shought an'
abused my hospitality, had been mortal
wounded ia recent atIray in dlstan
city, but had lived long enough 10 max
a disclosure, which had been laid beior
the governor barely in time to save IN
from a shameful death, and condemn III
TO cheerless and burdensome life 1hi
is my experience. My julgmeat u
yours. in the case before. leads TO bu; on
conclusion, that of the prisoners guilt
but not less confident and spparently III
erripg was the judgment that was ialsel
pronounced my own"
We no longer imporluned cur fellow
/, juror, but patiently awaited our discharg
on the ground Of inability to agree whic
came at last.
The prisoner was tried ani convicte
at a subsequent term, and at the last mC
ment confessed his crime on tho scaDol(
\ PROMPT CoNoREssMAY. "A newl
+ elected Congressman Of Wisconsin is niue
, annoyed because Of this story about hin
self 10 The Beaver Dam paper The HoI
--read ia the paper that Congress WI
!, to assemble Dee. T. so he packed up h
. clean linen, aud with his wife and one c
: two children started for the National car
ital IL time TO claim his scat In the liou.
OF Representatives at the opening scssio'
Alter his arrival there II did not take hl
great while to learn that school wonl
! not begin for him until the An Of Marc
, he reiufned home after an absence
: three weeks, AMI finds it hard to co1yip'
his friends that he was only just visitin
in Missouri"