Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-03-20

re STOOD under the gas lamp, and drew
out great gold watch and looked at the
time. Then ne asked q man near winch rOal
he must take To get to II village nainet Cher
well. The man told him. saw hun walk
way, and | knew where he vas going.
II shall he hang 1t next week. there is no
hope Tor me. But | tell the truth when |
say that, bad fellow as | am, had never
commit d such n crime rs the one which ~
that moment entered my head Tnat tai
man had money, jewelry and good clothing:
had nothing. | was starving So | ran
on, got before him, went miles up the road,
and sat down i'll the bitter cold on heap oi
stones, waiting for him to come, and making
up my mind to kill and rob him. | knew
must Kill him. because he was so much
stronger and bigger than was. Ny pistol
was loaded.
ale came. saw him in the moonlight
l stood up rs he came near and, God forgive
me, pulled the trigger, and shot him Through
the heart. He fell like u stone, an | knew
! was murderer.
ooh, if ! could | would hav&undonn the
decd! stood Tor a long time hefo'a dar d
to go TO the body and steal the things Tor
which had committed the crime. Then |
nervcd myself and went to t. q the price
for which, unless God is mcrc a., / had sold
my soul.
II never took a farthing Ja.t as | was
about to begin | heard the SCUM @. feet.
looked up, and saw woman o. a spirit
fo igt s iH NE se s dr@oP i the N Gr2 a
under the moon. Her face Wa, whit" her
lips were moving, her hair wa, all flying
about. She came straight t. where the
dead man lay, then stopped an wrung her
hands. ] fed away in dcal lv fear. ran
across several fi"lds. | dared not stop. /
thought that spirit or ghost was iuI.nwingme
81 ran on until the snow begun. | must
have died in that snow storm if | had not
found a half rooted cowshed | crcpt into
this, and lay all the night and part of the
next day. | was the most wretched being in
the world.
Hunger at last drove me ont l got
through the snow somehow, and reached a
house, where the people saved me from
starvation. But nothing could make me 60
to the spot where had done the murder
My life since then has been one of agony.
Even now that | am going to be hanged |
am happier than / have felt for months.
May God forgive my crime!
al pleaded guilty at the trinl because |
turned round in the dock and saw the
woman who | thought was spirit standing
up and ready to denounce me to the judge.
knew that she saw me that night, and
was bound to be found guilty.
az have confessed all. Every word of this
is truth. AS | hope for mercy, it is all truel
CIVILIAN EVANS
"P ST. took the above CONF ssion down
from the prisoners dictation. 1t should be
all you want The man seems thoroughly
pentent, but do not trouble you with his
expressions of remorse and regret.
81 remain, dear sir, yours faithfully,
"STEPHEN CRISP"
We read the letter; the paper fluttered
down from our hands, We turn ,l to each
other. Tears of deep thank illness were in
my wife's sweet ewes Down to the smallest
detail the wretched mans confession made
everything clear Nothing was left unex-
planned, excert perhaps, the motive which
induced Philippa to 90 that night to
meet her would he betrayer once
more. This we shall never know, but her
temporary madness may amply account for
it. We need seek no further the taintest
doubt as to her own perfect innocence is re.
moved from my wifes mind. Hand in hand,
heart to heart. lip to lip we can stand AMI
feel that our troubles are at last over.
Our troubles over! Shall those words be
the last | writei No, one scene more-the
scene that lies before me even now.
An English home. OUTSIDE, green shaven
lawns, trim paths, and fine Old trees In
side, the comfort and the peace which make
an En- Llish nome tine sweetest i'll the world
For when the need was gone; when sunny
Spain no longer was for us the unA safe land
its charms diminished, and We pinned to see
once more England's fair fields and rudy
honest faces. SO back we came and made
ourselves Il home, far, far away from every
spot the sight of which might wake sad
thoughts. And here We live, and shall live
till that hou' when one of us must kiss the
has parted those whom nau hit but death
could part.
Look out; look throughthii shaded Win
dow. There she sits, my vie; tall son at
her side, fair daughter near he". Years,
many years have passed, but eft no lines
upon her row; brought no white threads to
streak that raven hair. The rich, bright
beauty of the girl is stlll her own. To me,
now of yore the sweetest, arrest woman
in the world
The children see me as gaze with thought
full, happy eyes upon that Iroup beneath
the trees. They call and bec.,n me. My
wife looks up; her eyes NEE. mine, just
raised from those sad pages. All! love,
sweet love, in tn Sc dear eyes what was 1t
once my fate to readi Snam,, aorrow, dread,
despair and love. All these, save love, have
vanished long ago; and "a | urn to pen
these lines-tle last-that loo% Of calm, as.
surei uncouded joy keep, with me, telling
me that from her life has pas Il even the
very memory of those dark, d : deve'
THE ENp.0