Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1880-07-10
A THRILLING STORY.

ly sou as commander of ore Of his SHIPS
10 Bilboagin Spain, for cargo of wine.
The credit which he possessed was take''
advantage of by his son, who secrete''
the money with which he was intruste
for tho purchase of tho cargo; aha
the Spaniard who supplied him Gu TIKI
occasion sent his nephew with him I"
Ireland to receive the debt and establs:'
n further correspondence. Tho youn4
men, who were nearly Of the same agr,
sailod together with that apparent COZ.
| fdence ard satisfaction which congeni&l
pursuits generally create among man
kind.
The ship proceeded on her voyage, and
| rs every day brought them nearer the
place Of destination and the discovery OF
the fraud of young Fitzstephen, he cor:
ceived the diabolical resolution of mur
dering his friend; a project in which,
by promises of reward and fear, he
brought the greatest part of the ship
crew to join. Oh the night of the fiftl.
day the unfortunate Spaniard was vio
lently seized in his bed and thrown over
board. A few days moro brought til"
ship to port. The father aud frieuds OF
young Fitzstephen received ham with Joy.
and in a short time bestowed a sufficien,
capital to enable him to commence busi-
ness.
Security had now lu!led every serse OF
danger he sought the hand of a beauti-
full girl, the daughter of one of his neigh
bors His proposals we,e accepted, ant:
the day appointed which was to crown
his yet successful yilliany, when ono OF
the sailors who had been with him or
the voyage to Spain was taken i'll, and
finding himself on the point of death sent
for the father, and communicated II full
account of the horrid deed his son had
committed. The father, though strucl;
spcechless with astonishment and horror,
at length shook off the feelings of tic
parent, and exclaimed: "Justice sha.l
take its course" He Immediately cause!
his son to b. seized with the rest of the
crew, and thrown into prison.
They all confessed their crime Z:
criminal prosecution was commenced,
and in few days small town in til"
west of Ireland heheld sight sc arcely
PARALLEL in the history of mankind; n IA
CneF, 1lhc duOCHeI oiuCuS, oiO'1ue, III tuuS
ment on his son, and like him. too, con
derhniug him to die as sacrifice to pub
lie Justice flther consgning 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 blow; a father
with his own lips pronouncing that sen
tet,ce which left him chiidless, and at
once blasted forever the honor of an an
cient and noble family!
Were any other but your wretched fl,
tl,er our judge said the virtuous mag
istrate, I might have dropped tear ov
er my child's misfortunes and solicited
his life, though stained with murder
but you must die. These are the las:
drops which shall quench the spark of
nature; and if you dare hope, implorC
that heaven may not shut the gates OF
mercy on the destroyer of his fellow
creature.' Amazement sat on tie ccun
tenarce of everyone. The fellow-citizcrs
of the inflexible magistrate, who revered
his virtues and pitied his misfortunes.
saw with astonishment the fortitude WITH
which he yielded to the cruel necessity.
and heard him doom his son to public
and ig -,ominious 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 spa e his son. His
wretched mother flew in distraction t.
| the heads OF her own family, and conf ur-
| ed them tor the honor Of their house, to
| rescue hor from the ignomy in the death Of
her son must bring upon their name. Th"
citizens felt compassion for tho father:
] affection F'or the man every noblicr feel
ing was reused, and they privately deter
| mined TO rescue the young man from prl-
son during the night, nnder the convic-
ton that Fitzstephen having already
paid the tribute due to justice and to his
honor, would rejoice at the preservation
Of the life of his son. But they little
knew tho heart Of this noble magistrate
Bv some accident theic determination
reached his ear he instantly removed his
son from the prison to his own house.
which he surround ed with the officers of
Justice.
In tho morning he rartcok with his
| son the office of the holy COMMIT mon.
After giving and receiving mutual for
civcness, the father said: 'Ton have lit
tic time to live, my SON lot the care OF
yonr soul employ the few moments; tax"
tho last embrace of yocr unhappy faith
! oG.'
The son WIS then hung at the door of
his father-h dreadful monument of the
| vengeance of Heaven and an instance OF