Year: 1871

r. OH Il HduusOtHe ldHu ITOulIuS all Oiu ~ y
grown mansion in the State of Virginia
one pleasant afternoon not many wears
since, agroup of young people of both sexes
were gathered Standing in their mids
was an old woman bent down, with age
looking as if she stood on the brink of the
grave, but her dark, restless eve showed
that there was vigorous life IN her mind
| ifnot in her body. >ee 80 .1IGaI
| She had been telling fortunes" for the
young people gathered around her, and tc
all but one she had foretold a bright ard
happy fortune. The exception Of this rule
was a handsome boy of nineteen with a
dark. passionate face, and an expression
which indicated perfect fearlessness.


Five years before the opening of this
story an old gentleman and his nephew
moved to Virginia from some Northern
State. and buying a farm. had made 1t
their home Mr.. Mercer and his nephew
Frank were treated with kindness by the
gentlemen of the neighborhood, and they
received invitations to visit the planta-
tions near them. Frank soon became ac-
quainted with all in the country, but his
uncle never left the farm, and seemed to
shun society. For this many reasons were
! given but the true one was that he had
lost all his family, and Franks parents
having left him to Mr. Mercnr's charge,
he determined to devote himself to the
boy, and found sufficient enjoyment in his
company and in cultivating his farm
Though reported very wealthy, and that
he always kept large sum of gold in the
house, Mr.. Mercer aud Frank lived in a
quiet way, and made no display.


Thus passed Franks youth from his
fourteenth until his seventeenth year,
when our story opens. A man of SUPERB
or education, Mr.. Mercer had been his
nephew's teacher, and had impaired unto
him much knowledge of the world, of let
ters, and people, so that Frank at nine
teen, was as we'll informed as if he had
possessed cultivated education. There
were those in the reighborhood who re-
ported that the boy was wild and dissipat-
ed. and this found ready believers in 9TH
ers; SO that Frank had some enemies as
well as friends.


Thus we find him and the evening of
the commencement of our story he had
been invited to an entertainment given by
L wealthy planter to his children.


Mr. Dewes. the planter, had three chill
! dren, the youngest and loveliest of whom
was Mary girl of twelve. Mary and
| Frank were the best of friends, and loved
each other dearly; SO when the fortune
! teller predicted dark and stormy future
for Frank the tears arose to the child's
eyes and she said, Don't listen to her,
Frank" af frs.f sF rs5 .res.r !..
But the boy laughed, and turning on
his heel walked away. sr1i r1 ...s...r .-
/ Two days afterwards he left home for
a weeks hunting in the mountains; but
| the second night after his departure the
neighborhood was aroused by the startling
news that old Mr.. Mercer had been mur-
dssed by his nephew. One of the servents
passing the house at night, heard a cry.
and seeing Franks window open, he
sprang in and walked across the hall to
! Mr.. Mercer's chamber, from whence the
cry came. Lying upon the floor was the
! old man, dead, while near him stood his
nephew, with bloody knife in his hand.
In fright the negro rushed from the house
and gave the alarm Persons from the
neighborhood were sent for, and Frank
was seized agains every protestation that
he did not kill his uncle, and thrown into
Jail.


The feeling againstEthe youth was in
tense, for the negro told the story of how
he had found Frank, and a wayfaring
pedler, who had just tascended the front
steps to ask tostay all night, corroborated
| the nepro's statement ~ .t


The trial came off and the charges were
made known. Frank was accused of
starting upon hunting expedition for
blind, and then returning from the noun
tain by night, had entered the room, and
attempting to remove a large bag of gold
kept by his uncle, had aroused him, and
upon being discovered had driven his
hunting knife into the heart of Mr. Mer-
Ger, the gold was on the floor. its weight
having burst the bag when it was raised.
The knife with which Mr.. Mercer was
killed was one he had given to Frank some
days before, and was large dirk knife
encased in silver scabbard.


Pale as death, but showing no sign of
fear or guilt upon his handsome face. the
prisoner sat unmoved by his sentence,
which was to die on the gallows. When
asked if he had aught to say, Frank arose,
and looking around the courtroom, In a
| clear voice answered


have! Circumstantial evidence has
condemned me! l admit that it looks as
If did the deed, but l am guiltless of
murder! Dropping my percussion cap
box in a mountain stream, returned
home for more for without caps my gun
was useless. 1t was lovely night, and l
determined to enter the house by my
room window, get the caps, and return
without awaking my uncle. tied my
horse to the fence, sprang into the window,
and then heard loud crash, call out,
and shrek in the direction of my uncle's
room. I rushed thither-a dark form
rushed by me in the uncertain light of the
room-and / fell over something on the
floor. With fear in my heart [ arose,
lighted a candle, and saw my uncle's body,
covered with blood, gold scattered on the
floor, and my own knife, which had done
the deed, lying near / picked up the
knife, and thus was found by the negro
and seen by the pedler. AS God is my
witness I did not murder the good old
man who has protected me throughout life,
and whom L loved as though he was my
own father. l am guiltless of the fendish
deed, but submit to my fate!


A silence fell upon all there were,
however, but few who would believe the
youths statement; among the latter was
Mr.. Dewes and his family, who, through
ali. remained staunch friends.
Frank Mercer was to be hung, to die an
ignominious death on the .gallows, and
hundreds 1ocked to the little town where