Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1904-01-06

| by any meE69r OF his tamhy. Vhat
the horror'of that tragedy, commit.
ted ou a little island in the Sayan-
nah river, haunted this great and
igood man all bis days is not doubted
land it cast = dark cloud over a bril-
i 5iirant life.
] have knowna a great many mer
! who had taken human life under al
manner of circumstances and with
out single exception they wore th,
brand of Cain upon their brows
| There was no pleasure or happi
ness in store for them. Their exist
ence was one long reign Of remors,
and self-reproach, and If they die
not manifest the same by word O.
mouth, it could be seen in the rest
less eye, and nervous starting al
every unusual noise. Many turned
for consolation to drink, and which
only added fuel to the eternal &res
that ever burned within them
Others prospered, but during those
intervals when the mind was permit
ted to wander back to the past, a
look of haggard misery oyerspread
their faces. The brand of Cain was
fixed upon the brows of those she'd
ders of human blood by Divine ven-
geance, and only death can erase it.
l remember, while living in Ogle-
thorpe county, Georgia, talking with
young friend of mine who had
gone with party to chastise negro
for reported insult to white wo-
man. This young man was stationed
at a window through which the me-
gro endeavored to escape. He fred
on the man and shot him dead, his
body hanging over the sill. This
young man, who was successful
merchant, stated to me that he after
ward discovered that he had killed
an innocent and slandered man, and
the party who had made up that
story was enraged against the negro
because he had intended to leave his
farm and he wanted to have him
chastised. But my young friend
stated to me that his whole life was
blighted, and his entire existence one
of misery and remorse; that the
sight of the poor negro haunted him
all day long and was constant night
mare. Freely would he give up all
he possessed and become convict
in stripes to have that stain washed
from his conscience. He often felt
that did he possess the wealth of the
world he would freely give it for
even one days relief from the agony
of mind that pursued him, and that
he might experience the feeling of
innocence he knew before that
wretched night.
Were this globe of ours coined
into gold aud placed at my disposal
to take the life of the most debased
and miserable human being that
walks the earth, even under the most
justifiable circumstances, I would
scorn the bribe.
Unless man, as have stated, has
heart SCARED with sin, and is inca
pable of feeling remorse, l some-
times think it would be an aot of
mercy and kindness to put him to
Heath, after wilfully and deliberately
taking the life of fellow man. A
jury may acquit him, and he may live
a long life, applauded and honored
by the world, but there beats in his
breast an inner monitor, and which
will ever keep him reminded of that
dark deed. His entire existence will
be one prolonged agony, and there
will ever walk by his side in day, and
repose upon his pillow at night, an
unseen spectre of the dead man, and
from which terrible and constant
visitor there is no escape.
The murderer is reminded of the
fate that awaits him by the Bible,
and which commands that "He who
sheds mans blood by man shall his
blood be she'd"
/ admit that there are occasions
when it becomes imperatively neces-
sary to take human life, but my
greatest hope and desire is that no
such dread alternative shall ever be
forced upon myself. ] had sooner
go to my grave the victim of an
other, than spend my days on earth
with hands dripping with the life
blood of any one created in Gods
own image.
Life is sweet, but it is anything but
sweet to a red handed murderer.
In penning this article had no in
dividual case in mind, but give it as
the observation of my life and
warning.-T. Larry CAN'T.