The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-04-07

which denoted that round shot from
one of our guns had done the mischief.
"Third cutter awayl" was the order
given, and an officer went on shore 10
ascertain whatever he could in regard
20 the affair He soon returned with
the intelligence that shot had struck
the house of Paola, knocked away one
corner Of iE, and smashed the dinner
pot which had happened, at that mo-
ment, to be boiling over q pan Of char
coaL
But that was not the worst of it. The
beautiful Spanish girl who had won
the heart of Paul Edwards was coming
toward the beach at the time, probably
in the hope OF seeing OF, hearing some
thing Of Paul; and the shot, after pass
ing through Paola's house, struck her
full in the breast and killed her out
right. The people on shore could not
decide whether the shot came ffOm our
frigate or from one of the Frenchman's
guns, as both salutes were fired nearly
together.
Some of our men were inclined to
laugh when told that Paola's house
had been knocked over by a round
shot; but, when the additional infOrma-
ton was given that the Y0nng Spanish
lady had been killed, all eyes were
turned graYely upon Paul, who seemed
thunderstruck by this Intelligence, and,
turning very pale, was unable to utter
a syllable.
Courses sometimes. come home TO
rOOst," said our First lieutenant, fixing
his keen glance upon the face Of Paul.
That somebody had put round shot
into one of the guns, when the salute
was fired, could not be doubted; and
it was pretty evident that more than
one of our officers suspected Paul Ed
wards, as Paola was the man who had
informed against him aud caused his
arrest. Who else but Paul could have
wished to iniure Paola? But the death
of the Spanish girl was a serious matter;
and the quarter gunners, therefore, un-
derwent a rigid examination.
AS for Paul, he was q changed man.
All his hveiness forsook him; he ate
very little, and seemed to be forever
brooding over the untimely death OF
the fair Spanish girl.
But was that all? Had he not to en-
dure the sad reflection that in reveng-
ing himself upon Paola he had mur-
dered the girl he eadored?
Great pains were taken to discover who
put that shot into the gun; and it was
suspected that one of the quarter-gun
ners was in possession of the secret;
but, if so, he never revealed it. Sus-
picion none the less rested upon Paul,
who became more and more gloomy and
emaciated every day, and life seemed
to be burden to him.
Such was the state of affairs, when
one morning, the startling fact was an
nounced that W s. had beer
found murdered in his hammock.
AS this was the man who had told
where Paul was concealed at the time
he had deserted, no one doubted that
Paul was the murderer. The Captain
of the frigate called Paul to the main
mast and began to question him.
"Have you any idea who stabbed
So" commenced the Captain.
eyes, sir" answered Paul, in careless
tone.
"Indeedl Whom do you suspect of
this wicked deed?"
"I am the man." said Paul.
"You!" cried the Captain, "And
what could have induced you to run
your neck into q halter in this man
ner?"
"He caused the death of the girl I
loved" answered Paul.
"Whatl 81" demanded the as
tonished commander. "Do you mean
to say that s. put the round shot in
to the gum"
"No, sir"
"How, then, could he be guilty, since
it was that round shot which killed
your Spanish girl?"
s. betrayed me, sir, and Paola
was equally guilty. [ put the shot
into the gun to kill Paola, and that shot
killed my girl. But for s. it could
not have happened, as Paola did not
know where l was concealed; he only
knew that s. could tell, and S
did tell"
"But don't you know that you have
only made things worse for yourself by
killing So"
you mean that shall be hanged, sir"
You cannot escape the punishment
of death" said the Captain, solemnly.
And death is just what want" re-
turned Paul. :" Life is no object to me,
now that that girl is dead"
Paul was tried for the murder OF
" s., and was of course con-
demned to die. 1t was necessary, how
ever, that the sentence should be ap-
proved in Washington, and before we
could hear from there it was generally
believed that the unhappy youth would
succumb to his grief. He survived,
however. but he was wasted to skele-
ton when the day of execution ar
rived.
As we could not put a man to death
in the harbor of Callao, we were OBJ
liged to weigh anchor and put to sea,
and, having saved Paul from the trouble
of committing suicide by hanging him,
we returned to our moorings in Callac
harbOr,