St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-04-27

taph d scotf. And alas for the glory of
womanhood! upon the widowed moth
er, and bereft daughter the constant |
presence OF the rare wines and liquors |
had III measure, cast their blight. |
Grief at the loss of their protector, the
well beloved husband and father, led
them to the bedeviled cup to seek there
stupefactiOn from grief. The daughter
had previous to her parents untimely
death, been married to one who should,
in this sore distress, have stood by her
side, at least, as guide and courageous
friend; but he with weak dissuasiOn
had fled from the scene of dissipation.
No hand was stretched out to save no
voice gave warning of the future wreck.
But Crime came nOiselessly in to COM
plete the work of vice, and murders
grim aud sombre resolve barred out all
light that might have led into the IA
dance of redemption.
That is beautiful fiction which is
impressed upon the yeals of childhood,
that in every home hOvers an angel of
light, who guards the waking and sleep
ing hours but alas for the security OF
the soul this angel has its antagonist,
as vigilant and eager for evil as the
former for good black, malignant
creature-Sin-bOr and hell-branded-
striving every moment to stain and en-
thral the pureness and brightness of
life. SO, standing out from the realms
of fable, it is but too true that in many
IL family circle, crawls, unseen, some
vile and VenOmOus motive that waIs
against the harmony of love and right
with secret but relentless enmity. And
| WI hon thiS * p1Ipa1 with taInnt
and tact in intrigue of sin, how fearful
becomes the invisibly working foe to
| the genius of candOr and innocence.
In the brain of many low, obscene
being burns Il perception and cOmpre
hensiOn that, but given an upward i'm
pulse, might startle the world with its
brilliance. Being compelled by circum-
stance of situation, or birth, or bound
in the withcs of strong and base passion,
it glows with the blackened fire of evil
accomplishment, and strives only for
the blacker laurelS following the sue
cesseS of crime.
In the employ of the deceased mer-
chants family was Il female servitOr.
This woman was of common parentage
and of but little education her life had
all along been apparently low and grow
elling; yet her intellect was strong and
vigorous in the ambition to rise from
menial lot by any means, he they fair
or foul; with much in it of the instinct
of the beast of prey, which pulls down
its victim at the bidding of that divided
craving satisfaction of appetite and
the pride of conquest.
With rapid power of divination this
creature of poverty scanned the golden
promise of the future to be gained by
the adoption of Il pandering line of con-
duet, nothing less than to encourage
: parent and child to drown shame and
grief and thought beneath the floods of
: poison which she should prOtfer day by
/, day, and urge upon them with constant
solicitude; while influence over the
mind of the mother should be gained
when the enervating forces of drink had
Sapped the strength and left in its place
resistless weakness. One apparently
great obstacle stood now in the path
way of this wOman's avarice; the broth
er of her mistress, who had of late been
sent for to take up his abode i'll this
: home of debauch.
But the man was rough, cursed with
base passions and weak-brained. AT
him were the attentions of the hag di-
rected, and with success, for plying him
constantly with dTaughts of wine and
liquor, and holding the steel of her will
continually over his cowardly nature
the man became the abiect slave of hel
: who ruled him, as brain and resolution
be it inclined toward light or gloom
ever will rule that which in its ignO-
| rance and entire brutality is but a shade
| above the grossness OF matter.
I Thus then did this she monster hold
: her victims surely and relentlessly
biding her time and crouching 10y the
! side of the fallen woman, with her hand
4 ever offering the bane of their lives
, seeming to join often in their orgies fol
1 the purpose of lulling aught of suspi-
3, ciOn that might creep into the poor sod
den brains of her captives; and meas.
! uring out the hours of their lives witt
; the patience Of the spider watching the
throes of the ensnared insect.
In that once elegant home scenes O
/ the widest, maddest debauch now fillet
b, up the measure of the nights and days
| hOwlings of deliriOus torment and o.
: drunken quarrellings awOke the echoes
/ of the surrounding groves that had once
| answered to the gay laughter and joy
2 Gus shout of reasonable and unsullieC
mirth. The dwelling had become trans
| formed from an abode of peace and do
e mestic happiness into hell of inebriat,
. lunacy.
= Under this awful strain the youthful
e strength of the daughter first bent anC
/ broke beneath her like rotten twig
, huring her headlOng with her new bOrI
/ babe into the mold of the tomb, in al
D the early summer of her years; will
constitution and intellect burnt out by
f fiery indulgence until naught remained
= but the ashes.
1 Soon followed the widow down int
+ the same shadows Ofnever ending night
= with mind as flimsy as a shadow, ant
:. drugged into insensibility at the last
t BV the will of the dead mistress, almOS
I the entire property was bequeathed t.
Il the brother. This will was drawn il
{ accordance with the subtle plan of thi
+ genius of crime, for all or any larg
n portion of the estate willed to servan
Il would only have excited fierce contests
e and raised in addition strong suspicion
e of foul play. She did better far, for il
4 a few short weeks she bound to her Il
t marriage the nerveless fool possessed o
e this fortune, who had become. beneatl
= her sway, as abject slave as ever rule
d coveted, with the every desire of tn
5. woman he had followed, standing as hi
e law-with her every thought embodied
V III his immediate action. No trust ha'
e she in the mans action when once draw
e out from under the shadow of the vim
e or still, and in part or whole freed iron
# their Overhanging curses. Too Gun
= ming by far to release her prey from til