Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1885-10-02

~
So With our cheeks all but touching, we
read together.
1.-THE confession Of William Evans, now
lying in Tewpham Jail under sentence of
death:
"On the fifth Of January, this year, ! re-
turned from New Zealand. | worked my
passage home. When l reached London I
had but a few s~hillings in my pocket. l had
no articles Of value which could sell All
l owned, except my clothes and thelittle bit
OF money, was a pistol which a man on
board the ship had given me. 1t was a pistol
of his W invention He had several with
him. and said he wanted to get the sort
known. Why he gave it to me God knows;
but he did, and a couple Of cartridges.
al spent my m~oney-all but a shilling or
two. ! tried to get work, but none was to
be had. Then l remembered that l once had
a friend who lived near Roding. / went
there by train. had just enough money
to pay my fare. l found that the man !
knew had left the place two years ago. l
walked back to the town penniless and des'
perate.
"The first thing did was to go to the
pawnbroker's and try n sell the pistol
The man wouldn't buy it at any price. DE
said his shop was full of pistols. / vent away
and walked to the railway station to try and
earn a few pence somehow. ! was in despair
all but starving.
"About seven O'clock the train from Lon.
don came in. A tall gentleman came out OF
the door of the station. l asked him If he
had any luggage l could carry for him de
told me to be of. Then | asked him, for
PHYS sake, to give me a shilling to buy some
food. He cursed me, and l began to hate
him.
"he stood under the gas lamp, and drew
out a great gold watch and looked at the
time. Then he asked a man near which road
he must take to get to q village named Cher
well. The man told him. Isaw him walk
way, and l knew where he was going.
II shall be hanged next week; there is NO
hope for me. But l tell the truth when ]
say that, bad fellow as / am, l had never
committed such a crime as the one which at
that moment entered my head. That tall
mar had money, jewelry and good clothing
/ had nothing. l was starving. So l raj
on, got before him, went miles up the road
and sat down in the bitter cold on o heap o
stones, waiting for him to come, and making
up my mind to kill and rob him. ] knew
must kill him, because he was SO muc
stronger and bigger han was. My pistc
was loaded.
"He came. l saw him in the moonlight
Istood up as he came near and, God forgiv
me, pulled the trigger, and shot him throug
the heart. He fell like a stone, and l kneI
l was a murderer.
"Oh, if l could / would have undone tn
deed Istood for a long time before l dare
to go to the body and steal the things TO
which had committed the crime. Then
nerved myself and went to take the prict
for which, unless God is meroiful, l had solo
my soul.
II never took a farthing, Just as l wa
about to begin l heard the sound Of feet.
looked up, and saw a woman or O spiri
coming to me. dropped the pistol in terror
l felt sure she saw me. l looked at he
under the moon. Her face was white, he
lips were moving, her hair was all hyin
about. She came straight to where tn
dead man lay, then stopped and wrung he
hands. l fed away in deadly fear. Ira
across several fields. l dared not stop
thought that spirit or ghost was ~following.m
~ ran on until the snow began. l mus
have died in that snow storm if l had nc
found a half rooted cowshed. / crept int
this, and lay all the night and part Of tn
next day. l was the most wretched being i
the world.
Hunger at last drove me out l &c
through the snow somehow, and reached
house, where the people saved me fror
starvation. But nothing could make me 6
to the spot where l had done the murder
My life since then has been one of agony
Even now that l am going to be hanged
am happier than l have felt for month!
May God forgive my crimel
81 pleaded guilty at the trial because
turned round in the dock and saw tt
woman who l thought was q spirit standin
1. up and ready to denounce me to the judg
knew that she saw me that night, and
Q was bound to be found guilty.
81 have confessed all. Every word Of tn
is truth. AS l hope for mercy, it is all tru,
civilian EVANS"
r "P. ST. took the above confession dow
from the prisoners dictation. 1t should
all you want. The man seems thorough
penitent, but l do not trouble you with h
a expressions Of remorse and regret.
8 II remain, dear sir, yours faithfully,
@ "STEPHEN CRISP"
: We read the letter; the paper luttert
8 down from our hands; we turned to eaC
: other. Tears of deep thankfulness were
| my wife's sweet eyes. Down to the smalle
detail the wretched mans confession mac
everything clear. Nothing was left n
: planned, except, perhaps, the motive whiC
Q induced Philippe to go that night
t meet her would-be betrayer on
o more. This we shall never know, but h,
: temporary madness may amply account fl
it. We need seek no further; the fainte
d doubt as to her own perfect innocence is r
moved from my wife's mind. Hand in ham
q heart to heart. lip to lip, we can stand an
feel that our troubles are at last over.
Our troubles overl Shall those words
the last l writea No, one scene more-tl
scene that lies before me even now.
An English home. Outside, green shave
o lawns, trim paths, and fine old trees. /
q side, the comfort and the peace which NAL
an English home the sweetest III the worl
8 For when the need was gone; when SUM
Spain no longer was for us the one safe Ian,
its charms diminished, and we pinned to s
s once more England's fair fields and rudd
b honest faces. So back we came, and mat
a ourselves a home, far, far away from ever
spot the sight Of which might wake SO
thoughts. And here we live, and shall liz
o till that hour when one of us must kiss ii
/ others clay-cold brow, and know that deaf
o has parted those whom naught but deaf
could part
Y Look out; look %throughthis shaded win
: dow. There she sits, my wife; a tall son
her side, fair daughter near her. Year
Q many years have passed, but left no lin
p upon her brow; brought no white threads
/ streak that raven hair. The rich, brigl
beauty of the girl is still her own. To m