Year: 1876

deadly weapon, Charles approached
the appointed spot,


Yes. there was the cid man; he
could see him; now was his time! and
drawing near to the motion
less form, Charles raised his club and
struck the man a deadly blow upon
the head.


Down he fell, without groan. But,
oh, horror! it was not the tramp. He
had mistaken his man. 1t was the
grandfather of his afiianced wife, old
Mr. Ward.


The unhappy old man had undoubt-
cdly been restless and had taken
walk down the quiet street, stopping
for moment to rest under the tree,
and thus had been mistaken by Charles
for his intended victim.


The young man did not stop to as
certain his victims condition, but
rushed from the spot, half crazed.


Some passers by returning home
dered man, with the old tramp ben,ling
over it.


The victim was conveyed to his
home, and the old vagrant lodged in
the Jail.


Great wus the excitement in the
town, and the people were highly in
censed against the the man who had
done the deed, for no one doubted
that tramp, Eben Hamlin, was guilty
one.


The trial came on, and the prisoner
told his story, how he had made an sp-
pointRent to meet man on the fatal
spot, and how when he came there, he
found the body of the murdered man,
already cold in death. When asked
whom he expected to meet, he would
not answer, and merely said that he
was not at liberty to state.


SO Ebsn Hamlin was tried, senten-
ced and hanged, for the assassination
of Joseph Ward


Just before leaving his cell far the
gallows, he took from his pocket q
package Of papers, and giving them to
the attending minister. said.


AFTER am dead i request that you
will give this packet to the young law
yer, Charles Carleton, but no. until
am dead. Will you do it ?" The
good parson promised, and the prison.
er went to his death.


The minister did as he was reuusted,
and Charles received the legacy of the
criminal who had just been purnish-
ed.


Locking himself in his apartments,
Charles broke the seal of the packet,
and read as follows:


CHARLES CARLEToN-My son:
When you read these lines, | shall be
at peace in my grave. am an old
man and can better afford to die than
you, SO give you one more chance to
repent. Young man, l am your fa-
ther! Think then, that you have al
lowed your only parent to die felon s
death in your stead! Your mother
died in giving you birth! was a sal
lor, and could not care for you, so l
left you at the door of the orphan asy-
lum, where your first years were pas
sed. | never lost sight of you, but
traced your career step by step till
you repaid your benefactor with such
black ingratitudc as to offer insult to
his niece. When you left him for the
law school, | was informed OF it, and
followed your career with much soli-
cltude. l hoped you had reformed.
When learned of your success, and of
your intended marriage, | was happy
for l believed you had commenced
better life. Upon that fatal night /
disguised mysely as n tramp, and en-
deavored to test your feelings by caus-
ing you to believe that meant you
harm. Week and foolish boy. If you
had met as you promised, you would
have been put in possession of wealth
sufficient to make you the equal in
fortune of the woman you were to
marry. | intended, to make myself
known to you, and enjoy, for the few
years remaining to me, a sons regard
and support. But it was not to be.
You imagined that held some secret
which would destroy your future pro.
spects, and you resolved to strike me
down in cold blood. When you ap-
preached the place in which we were
to meet, you saw man whom you
believed to be me, and you, creeping
up behind him, cruelty struck the
blow which killed him, and for which
| am to die. AS | have already SAID, l
am content. will die and make no
sign, that you may have time to re-
pent. Good Bye, my son. Perchance
we may meet in another world.


"Iour father,


EBEN HAMILTON, alias. .HAMLiN."


Thus ran the letter, Charles read it
through like a man in a dream-then
dashing it to the floor, he went into
his bedroom and closed the door.


A few moments after, the people In
the house were startled by the report
of a pistol.


fastening to the apartment from
which the noise seemed to come, they
found it was that of Charles Carle-
ton.


Entering the sitting room, they
fourd the letter on the floor, and break
ing the lock of the door which led into
his bedroom, they found the unhappy
yOung man lyinp upOn the bed with n