The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1875-02-11


!. tut.l alone, know we had separated
was tha last person known 20 be With
b.W, au3 ! was BOW arrested 500 suspicion
Of bis murder A search Of lbe premises
was immediately instituted TIE watch
was lonad iu rhe drawer 80 which had
placed It, aud was Identified ss ,ho prop
ergy Of lhe murdered man. His horse,
toe, was fouud In my stable, for tie ami.
maI bad Just pat there was none other.
recognized him myself when J saw him
10 the light, What I said, | know not
My confusion was taken as additional
evidence. Aud when, al length, did
command laugnage to give an intelligent
statement, 30 was received with sueers Of
iuercdulity.
The mob spirit is inherent 10 mau-at
least iu crowds OF mcu Ii may not al.
ways manifest itsc.l ia physical violence,
Il sometimes contents itself with lyncnlng
a character. But whatever its form, il is
always relontle,s, p.tiIess, cruel
As the proofs OF my guilt, one after
another, came 90 light, low mutterugs
gradually grew into a clamor for vcu-
gence; and but for the Gmucss of one
mantle officer who had ne In charge
would doubtless have paid The penalty
OF any supposed offence on lbe spot, Il
was not sympathy for me that actuated
my protector His heart was as hard as
his Office; but be represented the majesty
of the law, aud took Il sort Of pride in the
position, IS much uudcr The glance of
bis eye as before the muzzle Of his pistol,
the cuwsrdly clamorcrs drew back. Per-
haps they were not sufficiently numerous
to feel the fuI effect Of that mysterious
reflex Influence which makes a crowd Of
men so much worse aud at tunes so much
better than any one of them siugly.
At tbc end of some months my trial
came. 1t could have bat one result
Circumstances too plainly declared my
guilt, alone knew they lied. The alb
seuce of the jury was very brief. To
their verdict / paid but little heed. Ii
was a single hideous word; but had
long anticipated it, and It made no
impression. AS little impression was
made by he 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 vouchssfe,
sounded like the hollowest of hollow
mockeries. 1t may be hard for the con-
demned criminal TO meet death; it is
still harder for bin who is innocent The
one when the first shock is over, acqui-
esces in his doom, and gives himself to
repentance; the heart OF the other, filled
with rebellion against mans injustice,
can scarce bring itself to ask pardon of
God had gradually overcome this
feeling, in spite of tho good clergyman's
irritating efforts, which were mainly di.
recled towards extracting confession,
without which he assured me he had no
hope TO offer.
On the morning Of the day fixed for
my execution, felt measurably resigned.
| had 50 long stood face to face with
death, had so accustomed myself to look
upon it as merely momeutary pang,
that | no longer felt solicitous save that
my memory should one day be yiudicat-
ed, She for whom bad gone to prepare
a home, had already found one in heaven.
The tidings Of my calamity had broken
her heart. She alone, Of all the world,
believed me innocent; and she had died
with a prayer upon her lips, that the
truth might yet be brought to light. All
this had heard and it had soothed as
with sweet incense my troubled spirit.
Death, however unwelcome the shape
was now "a portal beyond which ! could
see one angel waiting to receive me.
heard the sound Of approaching footsteps,
and nerved myself TO meet the expected
summons. The door Of my cell opened,
and the sheriff aud bis attendants entered
He held ia his hand paper. 1t was
doubtless my death-wurraut, lie began
to read II. My thoughts were based else
where. The words fuIi add free pardon
were the first to strike my prc-occuped
senses. They affected the the bystanders
more than myself let SO il was; J wa.
pardoued for an ofcnsc had never com.
millrdl
The real culpril, uone other, it is need
less TO say, that he who sought aud
abused nv bospitality. had been mortally
wounded IN recent afrray in a distant
city. but had lived long enough to make
a disclosure. which had been laid before
the governor barely in time to save me