Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1876-12-22

you now stand--l accuse you as the one |
who ruined my life, and bowed down the
hairs of my poor old father, even unto the
grave Did you not win my love and
confidence with your false and specious
words, and then, when you were bound
to me by every tic of affection and honor,
did you not bascly desert me for richer
bride When you saw my grief for your
cruel and hecrtless desertion, did it trou-
bic you-did you heed it? ask you now,
Hiram Nelson, to account for my life and
that of my father--the lives which you
refused on earth"
The merchant gave sigh of relief as
the phantom concluded and glided silent
ly away; but an exclamation of horror
broke from him as he saw that its place
was occupied by a new accuser, and that
one, the phantom Of his dead rife!
"My husband, | too, am your accus-
er Did you not wed me for my gold,
when you loved and was bound to an
other and was that not an irreparable
wrong to me? Did you not repel me with
your stern, harsh demcanor, and reject
my profered love with cold cutting words
of contempt and scorn? Did you not
humiiate me upon every occasion; and,
finally when our darling Maude was
born, did your love for me increase P
No you loved the child as much as your
stony nature was capable of loving any
thing; yet you had no thought or care
for the poor mother, whose wealth made
you what you were, and whose life you
blighted through the commission Of your
crime against her. When you saw me
sinking daily, hourly, into the grave
when one kind word, one fond caress
would have arrested my progress and
saved me, did you care? Alas! you
turned coldly away, to lavish carcsses
upon your favorite dog, secretly rejoicing
that you would soon be forever rid of an
irksome burden, and | died neglected
and Gesolate; but, I tell you now, Hi
ram Nelson, you who were my husband
upon earth, IA far heavier burden shall
Cypress you--a burden whose irksome-
ness shall never know alienation and
[ accuse you as my murderer"
Groan after groan broke from the
wretched man, as he saw these incontes
tible proofs of his guilt and crime accu-
mulating in over Thelming numbers
against him. yet he uttered no word in
extenuation.
The spectre of his dead wife had scarce
ly disappeared when another phantom
stood FORTH revealing the countenance of
Richard Carter, CHASTITY pale with the
pallor of hatred and death
"Wicked and misguided man, | now
too add my testimony to the host of
others that appear against you! | mar
red your daughter, Maude, against your
desire and command, because we loved
each other with pure and holy love that
was implanted in our heart by God, the
Father of all and from that moment
you did not cease to prosecute US with an
undying hatred-ferce and undying as
the sleuth- 's-while you deprived
me, one after another, of my only means
of subsistence and my wife and our lit
tie ones knew not where to obtain crust
of bread yet, oh, God! you, you, in
your wanton cruelty, cast into the streets
the food that would have saved their
| lives | wrote to you, imploring, beg
ging for mercy, not for myself, but for
them, and you refused me with bitter in
sulting words Each weary day | crawl,
ed out, weak and emaciated as / was,
through lack Of food, into the streets OF
the great, selfish city, seeking for work
and onl returned each day to find my
wife and children whitening and dying
around me for want of what could not
give them; you had blackened my good
name in the eyes of all men, and | coulc
obtain no employment. At last, the be
ginning of the end came, and was lief
alone upon this earth waiting for ma
time to come. 1t was not long, and a,
| lay dying upon my rude pallet, the
cold pure moonlight streaming down up.
on me from the rifted clouds, the memory
of all my bitter wrongs flashed over me,
and then, Hiram Nelson, [ cursed you
with my last breath-you and yours
forever more--and invoked the Divine
vengeance of God upon your head Goo
has heard me; and | charge you with
my murder, and that of Maude and oul
children -
From out the boundless in6nity Of
space, calm passionless voice exclaimed
at is enough the witnesses against
this man are as numberless as his crimes
and sentence shall be pronounced p
The merchant looked around him, but
every avenue of escape was guarded by
stern and implacable angels, holding aloft
their flaming swords.
A sad. sweet voice-the voice of Mer-
cy-pleaded in touching accents.
"Not yet; give him but little time
he may repent, and be saved from death
through all eternity"
ono +! retribution must come. Drar
back the eel Of tie future t'
''No. no, no" gasped the merchant
in agony, with a fatal preseience of what
was to come; Il will repent: Twill re-
trieve all that is possible give me but
little time longer"
Hiram Nelson" said the same calm,
passionless voice, ''your prayer is grant
ed, and short period of probation is
given to you. The past is not irretrev-
able, and you may repent and your record
be blotted out in the future"
With convulsive gasp of joy the
merchant started up and awoke to find
himself sitting in his chair, holding the
letter of Richard Carter in his tightly
clenched hand. Falling upon his knees,
while the twilight of Christmas Eve
gather ed and darkened around him, be