The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-07-29
A Father COndemnlng His Own Sea to
Death.

DEAN.
In the year 1926, James Lynch Fitz-
stephen, a merchant who was at that
time Mayor of Galway, in Ireland. sent
his only son as commander of enc of mis-
ships to Bilbao, IA Spain, for cargo of
wine. The credit which he possessed
was taken advantage of by his son, who
secreted the money with which he was
intrusted for the purchase of the cargo,
and the SpaniSrd who supplied him on
this occasion, sent his nephew with him
to Ireland TO receive the debt and es-
tablish a further CORRESPONDENCE. The
young men, who wore nearly of the
same age, sailed together with that ap-
parent confidence dissatisfaction which
cOGSenial pursuits generally create
amoag mankind. The ship proceeded
on her voyage and as every day brought
them nearer the place of destination
snd the discovery Of the fraud of Young
EiUzstephen, he cor ceived the diabOlical
resolution of numbering his friend; e
project in which, by promises of reward
and fear, he brought the greatest part
Of the ships crew to join. On the night
Of the fifth day the unfortunate Span
lard was violently seized in his bed and
thrown overheard. A few days more
brought the ship to port. The father
and friends of young Fitzstephen re-
ceived him with Joy and in a short tim e
bestowed sufficient capital to enable
him to commence business.
Security had now lulled every sense
of danger, he sought the hand of a
beautiful girl, the daughter Of one of
his neighbors. His proposals were ac-
cepted and the day appointed which
was to crownhisyet successful villainy,
when one of the sailors who had been
with him on the voyage to Spain was
taken i'll and finding himself on the
point of death sent for his father and
communicated full account of the hor-
rid deed his son had committed. The
father, though struck speechless with
establishment and horror, at length
shook off the feelings of the parent, and
exclaimed: Justice shall take its
course" He Immediately caused his
son to be seized with the rest of the
crew and thrown into prison. They all
confessed their crime-a criminal prose-
cution was commenced, and in a few
days, a small town in the west of Ire
land beheld sight scarcely paralleled
in the history of mankind; father, like
another Brutus, sitting in Judgment on
his son, and like him, too, cOndemning
him to die as sacrifice to public Justice;
a father cOnsigning his only son to an
ignominiOus death, and tearing away
all the bonds of paternal affection,
where the laws of nature were violated
and justice demanded the blows father
with his own lips pronouncing that SEN
tence which left him ehildless and at
once blasted forever the honor of an
ancient an noble family "Were any
other but your wretched father your
Judge" said the virtuous magistrate,
" might have dropped q tear over my
child's misfortunes and solicited his
life, though stained with murder; but
you must die. These arethe last drops
which shall quench the spark of nature,
and if you dare hope, implOre that
heaven may not shut the gates of mercy
on the destroyer of his fellow-creature. "
Amusement sat on the countenance of
tNNlN OllC- 1 uC lClibN-CAllLtltS VI tllt
infexible magistrate, who revered his
virtues and pitied his misfortuneS, saw
with establishment the fortitude with
which he yielded to the cruel necessity
and heard him doom his son to a pub
lie and ignominious death.
The relatives of the unhappy culprit
surrounded the father, they cOnjured
him by all the ties of affection, of nature
and of compassion to spare his son. His
wretched mother flew in distraction to
the heads of her own family and con-
iured them for the honor of their house,
to rescue her from the ignominy the
death of her son must bring upon their
name The citizens felt compassion for
the father; affection for the man; every
nobler feeling was reused and they pri-
vately determined to rescue the Young
man from prison during the night I'M
der the conviction that Fitzstephen
having already paid the tribute due to
justice and to his honor, would rejoice
at the preservation of the life of the son.
But they little knew the heart of this
noble magistrate. By some accident
their determination reached his ears;
he instantly removed his son from the
prison to his own house, which he sur
rounded with the officers of justice.
In the morning he partook with his
son the office of the holy communion.
After giving and receiving mutual for
giveness the father said: l." You have
little time to live, my son; let the care
of your soul employ the few moments;
take the last embrace of your unhappy
father"
The son was then hung at the door Of
his father-a dreadful monument of the
of heaven and an instance
of the exercise of justice that leaves ev-
erything of the kind in modern times at
an immeasurable distance.
The father Immediately resigned his
office; and, after his death, which speed
lily followed that of his son, the citizens
fixed over the door of the house
death head and crOss-bones carved in
black marble to perpetuate the remem-
brance of this signal act Of justice.
Origin OF a Long Word.