Year: 1869

The landlady who had been told o


his intention to depart early, was not
surprised; but not seeing her uncle early


In the morning she went to call him.
She was dreadfulIy shocked to lind tire


bed stained with blood. aud every i'll
quiry after her uncle was in vain. The


alarm now became general aud on fur
ther examination,, marks Of blood were


traced from the bedroom into the street,


aud at intervals down to the edge Of the


pier head. Rumor was immediately y


busy, aud suspicion fell, of course, on
the young man who had slept with
him. that he had committed the murder
and thrown the body over the pier into
the sea. A warrant was issued against
him, aud lie was taken that evening ut
bis mothers house.. On being exam
ined and searched, marks of blood were
discovered Oh his shirt and trowsers,
and in his pocket were u knife and 4


remarkable silver coin, both Of which


the landlady swore positively were her


uncle's property. and that she saw them
in his possession the evening he retired
to rest with the young man. On these
strong circumstances the young man
was found guilty. He related all the
above circumstances in his defense; but
As he gould not account for the blood


Oh his person, unless he got them when


he returned to the bed, uor for tho silver
coin being in his possession, his story


was no, credited The certainty of the


boatswain' S disappearance and the blood
at the pier traced from his bedroom,
were two evident signs of his having
been murdered; and even the Judge was
SO convinced OF his guilt, that he order
ed the execution to take place in three
days. At the fatal tree the youth de-
clared his innocense, and persisted in It
with such affecting dissertations. that
many pitie,i him, though none doubted
the justness Of his sentence.


The executioners were not so expert
at their trade as modern ones, nor were
drops and platforms invented. The
young man was very tail; his feet some
times touched the ground, aud some of
his friends who surrounded the the gal
ows contrived to give the body some
support as 1t was suspended. After be-
Ing, cut down those persons bore 1t
speedily away In a coffin, and in the
co,,rse Ola few hours animation was
restored, and the innocent saved
Whe, hc was able to move his friends
insisted on his quitting the country and
never returning. He accordingly trav-
eled by night to Portsmouth, where he
entered on board man-of war, on the
point Of sailing for distant part OF the
world; and as he changed his name and
disguised his person, his melancholy
story never was discovered. After
few years of service. during which his
exemplary conduct was the cause of
his promotion throueht the lower
grades he was at last made masters
mate, and his ship being paid offin the,
West indies, he, with u few more Of the
crew, were transferred to another man
of-wnr, which had just arrived short Of
hands. What We're his feelings of as
tonishmsnt and then Of delight aud &c,
saw On hoa'i ''hfs' Rs f's lev Eft peEssasn The s
identical person for whn>e murder he
bad been tried, condemned and eXecut-
cd. five years before! Nor was the sur
prise OF the old boatswain much less
Wien heaheard the story. y


AneKplanation of ali the mysterious
then took place 1t APP
peared that the boatswain had been bied
for a pain in his side by the barber, Una
known to his niece, on the day of the
young man Is arrival at Deal; that when
the young man awakened him, and re-
tired to the yard, he found the bandage
had come of his arm during the night
and that the blood was flowing afresh-
Being alarmed he rose te go to the bar
ber, who lived across the street, but
press gang laid hold of hin just as he
left thv, public house They hurried
him to the pier where their boat was
waiting; a few minutes brought them on
board frigate, then under way for the
East Indies, and he omitted ever writ
ing home to account for his sudden dis
appearance. Thus were the chief cir
cum,tances explained by the two
friends thus strangely met. The silver
young man, could only DO explained by
the conjecture, that when the boatswain
gave him the knife in the dark, it Is
probable that as the coin was in the
same pocket it stuck between the blades
of the knife, and i'm the same manner
became the strongest proof against
him.