Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1903-05-27
made as though he would draw his


wild beast loosed from its cage, and,
graphing with him, forced him 1ack'
wards down the steps. He ragged and
swore at me, and struck me with the
| heavy keys which he held in his hand
until the blood streamed down my
face and nigh blinded me; bit I clung
the more tightly to nim, and, putting
my foot behind him, tripped him and
threw him heavily to the ground. His
head struck the stone floor with stun
ming force, and he resisted no longer.
With glad cry l sprung to my feet,
and, sratching the sword from his
side, fell back a pace that l might
give greater force to my blow. Nery.
ing myself with the thought of all |
had suffered in the past, was about
to strike when I felt the light touch OF
hand On my arm.
Great God! What did see! Stand.
ing beside me, in a radiance OF light
that seemed in moment to melt the
black shadows enveloping my heart,
was my darling boy, with a look OF
mingled reproach and compassion on
his pure young face that blottej
from my mind all further thought oi
/ evil. With cry of shame threw
the, murdercus weapon from, my hand
and falling On my knees, wept bitter
tears of sorrow, and thanked the good
God who had sent him to save me
from the commission of that hateful
! deed. Then blessed calm. such as !
had never known before, fell upon my
spirit, ard / raised my eyes to the
bright figure above me. A heavenly
smile lit up his angelic face, as If in
approval of the change his presence
had wrought in me-and he was gone.
Rising up new man, went into my
cell, and bringing forth pitcher Of
water, bathed the temples of the,
prostrate guard and moistencd his
lips. Gradually he returned to con.
sciousness. and when he was sufll.
GENTLY recovered, handed him his
sword, and kneeling before him,
begged forgiveness for the injury !
had done him and the still greater
wrong l had meditated against him.
But with muttercd threats and curses
he spurred me from him, and bidding
me enter my cell. locked the door on
me AID left me.
The next day l was taken before
the governor and condemned to be
linouted
Gas soon as the sentence had been
pronounced l was taken to the prison
courtyard and fastened by the wrists
to an iron post Then two stalwart
warders, with krouts in their hands.
barred my shoulders and commenced
to lash me.
What l suffered as the cruel thongs
descended en- my flesh and Tapped
around my ouivering body no words
can express. I shriekcd with tho
agony and called on them in mercy
to kill me outright. But they lashed
me the more, and 1 was at the point
20 -------.H-it--... r.-e,---
touch on my arm that had already
spared me worse punishment, and,
looking up, beheld my boy beside me-
"As his tender compassionate eyes
met mine the pain of the scourging
ceased, and l felt not the blows they
rained down on my bleeding shoul
-ders, - Lifting his hand, he directed
my attention to spot some few
yards ahead-and there beheld a
strange sight.
''Bound to an iron pillar, with his
! face turned from us. was another
prisoner, his two shoulders barred and
livid from the blows that had already
been shoWered upon them. AS l
sazed On the cruel sight the prison
walls melted before my eyes and be-
held, as in a vision, the whole world
spread out before me. And l say
myriads of people-men, women and
children of all sorts and conditions
focking from every point toward the
pillar where the poor prisoner was
tied. And as they drew nearer | saw
that all-evcn the children-bo:e
scourges in their hands, with which,
as they passed the pillar, they smote
with reluctance, as ii urged On
by those behind. Others, and they
were numberless, smote with all their
might and with malice inconceivable,
while others again turned and smote
more fercely than before. One there
was who .riveted my attention. by, the
eagern2ss with which he pressed on
to the pillar, and by the revc ing ex.
preston of his countenancG. Never
had | seen so much malice and hatred
delivered with one blow as when he
struck those now fleshless bones. ]
cried aloud with horror at the sight
and strained to burst my bands, that
L might. tear him to pieces, so infuri-
ated was l by his brutality. And in
that moment both he and the victim
of his malice turned and looked at
me and my heart sank within me.
'In that raging brute whom l had
cursed and hungered to tear l beheld
none other than myself, and in his
yictim-the man Of sorrows-the mas.
ter of all.
| ASu IL0 NlSIOu lduSu oiio AoeAN
myself lying on a bed in the prison
hospital. l had been unconscious,
they told me, for many hours-so Sc
we're. had been the punishment l had
suffered at the hands of the warders.
! when l was we'll enough re-
turned to my work, and thenceforth
my life was a happier one. The one
short glance of divine forgiveness
which the master had deigned to cast
on me at the pillar changed my whole
life, and gave me new hopes of bet
Liter one hereafter-of glad reunion
with those had loved long since lost
a while.
"For many years have waited for
that happy day of emancipation, and
l know now that it cannot be far off
nay, that it is very near. Often, OF