Harpers-Ferry free press. [volume], December 31, 1823, Image 4

About Harpers-Ferry free press. [volume] (Harper's Ferry, Va. [i.e. Harpers Ferry, W. Va.]) 1821-1824

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“ It is the gift of Poetry to consecrate
every place in which it moves, to breathe
around nature an odour more exquisite
than the perfume of the rose, and to shed
over it a tint more magical than the blush
of the morning.”
LOVE’S LEDGER.
BY SAMUEL WOODWORTH.
I own .myself your debtor, Love,
For ’tis to you, my bliss I owe;
Then say if I’d not better, Love,
Repay the balance kiss I owe ?
In justice you’ll receipt it, Love,
An^ prove that you are true to me ;
If I should then repeat it, Love,
There’ll be a balance due to me.
That little urchin, Cupid, Love,
The only clerk we keep, you know,
Is either blind or stupid, Love,
And apt to fall asleep, you know.
’Tis best, then, thus to jog him, Love,
And make him earn his pay you know;
For should we chide or flog him, Love,
The boy might run away, you know.
The rogue possesses talents, Love,
His pinions furnish quills, you know,
And when he strikes a balance, Love,
He must inspect our bills, you know.
Then let us ne’er dispute, my Love,
While time enjoyment rifles so,
But take a kiss to boot, my Love,
I cannot stand on trifles so.
Short reck’nings make long friends, my
Love,
Accounts should ne’er be running so,
Then let us make amends, my Love,
For ’tis unpleasant dunning so.
Through life’s allotted term, my Love,
If thus we don’t forget we owe,
When death dissolves the firm, my Love,
We’ll pay the only'debt we owe.
[A". Y. Mirror.
MANDONOCH—a tale.
“I ask no favors from you, nor indeed
can you bestow any, for life has now no
charms, and 1 shall be happy in reposing
in the grave,”—were the words of the
convict Mandonoch, when the judges,
who were about to sentence him to death,
©ff’-iiTa fttt ijy.Jbue.j.vttnld.d
soul disdained to accept a favor when of
fered conditionally, much less would he
avail himself of one when it was to be ob
tained by a violation of his word. The
man who had brought himself to the verge
of destruction by a breach of the laws of
his country, had still too nice a sense of
honor to forfeit it for the paltry reward of
existence. “You see before you,” conti
nued Matidonpch, “one who through all
the vicissitudes of his life (and they have
been many, very many) still preserved the
consciousness that he was a man. He
has infringed the laws of society, and he
is ready to lay down his life as a repara
tion for his offence ; but he will never sa
crifice the companions of his fortune to
secure that which he has long considered
a burden.” The judges then consulted
among themselves, and after a pause of a
few moments, the eldest arose. The court
was wrapped in silence. Not a whisper
disturbed the solemnity of the scene,
when the awful sentence was pronounced.
Mandonoch listened with calm attention.
His features preserved their serenity, and
the frown of majesty which generally
dwelt on his brow, gave place to a faint
glow that illuminated his countenance.
When the judge was reseated, Mando
noch bowed profoundly, and thus replied.
“To you, sir, who have, in the perform
ance of your duty, pronounced my fate, I
'return my thanks for the impartiality
with which you administe ed justice. To
die is what I wish ; but to die an igno
minious death 1”—he shook his head, his
features were momentarily convulsed ;
but he recovered his firmness and resum
ed—“An ignominious death must he
hateful to every one who has ever been
held in estimation by his fellows; but it
is the work of an over-ruling Providence,
and I submit. If it will not be an intru
sion on your patience, I will relate the
most momentous occurrences of my life.”
The judges bowed assent and he went on.
“ Born to an honorable station in society,
educated beneath the eye of affectionate
parents, my prospects were as flattering
as youthful fancy could paint. Alas, soon,
very soon, were they clouded by misfor
tune. My parents died ere I arrived at
the age of maturity, and left me to the
guardianship of a man whose ruling pas
sion w as avarice. He cheated me out of
my fortune, trepanned me on board a
ship bound to India, and exposed me to
the greatest hardships. I was cruelly
treated by the person to whom I had been
consigned. However, some time after
my arrival in India, I escaped. Return
ing to England I found my guardian re
velling in the fortune which was mine^
ana enjoying the luxuries of life, while
the rightful possessor of his wealth was
exposed to all the ills of poverty. My
absence from my native home had been
several years, as the difficulty of return
ing retarded my departure from India.
From being exposed to the inclemency of
the weather in different climates,my coun
tenance was considerably altered, and the
wretch baffled all my attempts to rein
state. myself in my fortune, and treated
me as an imposter. Without funds to
enable me to force him to resign his
wealth, which he had so infamously ob
tained, what could I do ? My heart pant
ed for vengeance, and I slew him. Hav
ing gratified my revenge at the expense
of my peace, I fled again to sea. But the
ocean seemed to have conspired with
fortune to rob me of the least taste of en
joyment and content. The vessel to which
I belonged was wrecked on the coast, and
every soul but myself perished with her.
I was taken up by a party of smugglers,
who conducted their illegal trade on the
coast; and, disgusted with society,! rea
dily acceded to their proposal to join
them. Active and enterprising, I obtain
ed their favor, & after a residence of some
years among them, was appointed their
chief. Our band was numerous and dar
ing. The quantities of goods which were,
through our means, introduced into the
country, attracted the notice of the officers
appointed to prevent this illicit trade.
They led troops out against us, and many
severe conflicts ensued. The fame of Man
donoch and his hardy band, spread far
and wide; for I feared not death, and to
preserve the companions of my fate, I
was actuated by love and gratitude. It
was for them I conducted the fight,—it
was for them I engaged in a sanguine,
though a'"|>artial warfare with my coun
trymen ; out never ior*myseii; toe me jl
led I abhorred; but I had no alternative,
At length larger bodies of troops were
despatched against us. I was outlawed,
and a price set upon my head. This I
well knew, and all my followers were well
acquainted with it; but they were faith
ful, and I believe would have sacrificed
their lives to preserve mine. Shall I then
basely expose them to death, because I
dread its approach ? No; it comes as a
friend to release me from the tormenting
fiend recollection ; and the soul of Man
donoch is too proud to preserve existence,
were it ever so dear to him, when the
lives of his friends in misfortune must be
the forfeit. Often, when night had cast
her congenial shadows over the face of
nature, did I wander among the craggy
cliffs which form the battlements of Eng
land, and in conversation with myseif
imj fti" •'f o ui ■&'&«. vt w. '■.'u.sv.. jVf*.
They observed my sorrows, and while
they lamented them held them ever sa
cred. In one of these nocturnnl rambles,
fortune led those who were in pursuit to
the place where I indulged my melancho
ly. I was taken a prisoner. Their tri
umph was great, although they had only
to boast the capture of a man like them
selves,—but that man was Mandenoch 1
You have taken me, but yet there re mail
eighty men, who pride themselves o<
their independence,and who will lay dowi
only with their lives. Severity will nev
er succeed, unless they are extirpated.—
Lenity might induce them to return to <
state of obedience to the laws, but if yo\
attempt to force them to resign their li j
berty, I see nothing before you but blooi I
and slaughter.” |
Here Mandonoch ended. He bowed
with manly firmness to the court, and re
tired to his dungeon. The next morning
he was conducted to the place of execu
tion ; where attended 'by thousands of
spectators, he prepared to meet his fate
with fortitude. The crowd admired his
firmness; and while they condemned his
life, they could not but pity the man who
was above their compassion. His coun
tenance was unmoved, and without utter
ing a word he mounted the ladder. His
step was firm, and his whole conduct man
ly : insomuch that no one among the
throng but wished his reprieve. Mando
noch seemed for some minutes in silent
prayer. He turned to the crowd, and
with a haughty condescension bowed to
them as they gazed upon his majestic
form;—then gave the signal, and his
manly soul fled forever 1
Poverty.—God tempers the %vind to
the shorn lamb ; and the poor and desti
tute are taken care of, often in a most
miraculous manner, yet without the agen
cy of a single miracle. To be tossed
about on the waves of the wide world',
without one spot which he can call his
own—to be friendless in the midst of
mankind, looked down upon by beings
of the same flesh and blood—to be ex
posed to the storms of winter, and the
burning sun of summer—to hunger and
hardships—to sickness and sorrow; ah!
humanity would sink beneath the weight,
was it not for that supporting hand which
binds up the broken heart. When the
gloom of misfortune is the thickest, often
the bow of mercy shines the brightest;
when the unkindness of the world presses
heavily, then are the smiles of heaven the
most reviving; when the grave opens,
and he stands upon its brink, then are the
hopes and prospects of heaven the fairest.
EFFECTS OF COLD.
The intensity of cold in large tracts of
country removed beyond the ameliorat
ing influence of the ocean, is well known
to be much greater than any we experi
ence, though situated in a more norther
ly latitude. An instance of this is re
corded by Mr. Schooclraft in his narra
tive of travels to the sources of the Mis
sissippi, in the course of which in lat. 43,
he found two Frenchmen, who had set
tled in that region of gloom and desola
tion, for the purpose of trading in furs.—
“In the person of one of these, Mons. D.
(says the author,) we witnessed one of the
most striking objects of human misery.
It appears, that in the prosecution of the
fur trade, he had according to the cus
tom of the country, taken an Indian wife,
and spent several winters in that incle
ment region. During the last, he was
however, caught in a severe snow storm,
and froze both his feet in such a manner,
that they dropped off shortly after his re
turn to his wigwatn. In this helpless
situation, he was supported some time
by his wife, who caught fish in the lake,
but she at last deserted him, and on our
arrival, he had subsisted several months
1 upon the pig-weed which grew around
his cabin. As he was unable to walk,
this had been thrown in by his country
man Bor by the Indians, and appeared to
have been the extent of their benevolence.
We found him in a small bark cabin, on
a rush mat, with the stumps of his legs
tied up with deer skins, and wholly des
titute of covering. He was poor and
emaciated to the last degree—-his beard
was long—cheeks fallen in—eyes sunk,
but darting a look of despair—and every
bone in his body visible through the skin.
He could speak no English, but was con
tinually uttering curses in his mother
tongue, upon his own existence, and ap
parently upon all that surrounded him.—
We could only endure the painful sight
for a moment, and hastened from this
abode of human wretchedness; but be
foreleaving the village Governor Cass
sent him a present of Indian goods, gro
ceries, and ammunition, and engaged a
person to convey him to the American
Fur Company’s fort at Sandy Lake,
where he could receive the attention due
to suffering humanity.”
Original Anecdote.'—The following cu
rious anecdote, told by the captain of
a whale ship which was at Valparaiso,
shews of what unshaken fortitude the
hardy sons of Neptune are possessed, and
what indifference they evince even under
the severest misfortunes. “One morn
mg, says he, “ as we were cruising aboul
us. Vve immediately manned 4 boats
and soon came up to this monster of the
deep, which proved to be a whale of the
sperm kind. We attacked him, and in
5 eturn tor a death-wound which we inflict
ed, he, as is frequently the case with these
ferocious animals, stove one of the boats.
In the confusion which ensued, one poor
fellow unluckily came within reach of the
whale, who, although in the agonies of
death, made shift to draw one of his legs
into his mouth. T. he thigh was pierced
with one of his tusks, and consequently
broken. .Luckily for the sailor, however,
the whale began to gasp, which afforded
him an opportunity to escape from the
jaws of immediate death. On being ear
ned to the ship, it was found necessary
to amputate the leg above the joint,
which operation was borne with the
greatest equanimity. Shortly after, con
tinued the captain, I asked him what
were his feelings, when he was in the
whale’s mouth, cWhy,’ says he, ‘I
thought he might furnish 60 barrels of
fire tty good oil.’—[Sal. Obs.
A member of that shrewd, but highly
iespectable society of Friends., feeling in
clined, after a hard day’s journey, to re
jaie himself with a glass of wine, request
ed the landlord of the inn where he put
ip for the night, to bring him a bottle of
lis best red port, and to prevent scruples
is to measure, to draw the cork and de
■ant it in bis presence. The order Boni
ace began immediately to obey; but
he bottle happening to burst and spill
he wine, while in the act of drawing the
:o:-k, he exclaimed, “curse the bottle
m<rehant for sending such an unsound
botlel” which latter circumstance caus
edthe spirit of the shrewd guest to move
bii to say, “friend do not curse thy bot
tlernerchant, it is thy own fault, for if
tfu wilt be so silly as te cram a quart of
jwu into a bottle that will not hold a pint
atH ha!f> thou must expect it to burst,
.thefore thou shouidst calmly put up
|wi' thy loss and not abuse thy bottle
! mthant.”
i
! ____
ige Foster.•—A short time before
| hhfreat lawyer’s death, he went to Ox
; totii cuit, in one of the hottest sum
; rri< that had been remembered—his
t0 the Grand Jury was as follows :
ttlemen, the weather is extremely
ho. am very old, and you are very well
acinted with your duty; practise it.”
^ NGLISH ALMANACS,
(Itlrman style,) for sale at this office.
POiJE.—Mr. Pope was always com
plaining to his friends that he was poor. ^
He had an income of nearly eight hun
dred pounds a year, but could never be
prevailed on to keep any account of his
expenses. There was a picture of his
painting at Caen wood, Lord Mansfield’s
—the portrait of Betterton ; and there is
still a head of Vandyck by him at Home
Lacy. If the conversation did not take
a lively turn, he used to fall asleep in
company. His sister used to say, when
a child he was exceedingly handsome;
and she imagined that excess of study
had distorted his body. At ten years of
age he wrote a satire on his schoolmaster.
He was always anxious to have his de
fects of shape concealed in any bust or
portrait that was taken of him. His eyes
were remarkably vivid and bright, and
an eminent paifrier, in allusion to their
liveliness, observed, that they spoke
“ sense distinct and clear.” He would
occasionally sit with his head upon his
hand, leaning on a table, for an hour to
gether, without opening his mouth. He
was an unpleasant inmate in a house, giv
ing the servants of it a vast deal of trou
ble, but always paying them with great
liberality. Of his Man of Ross, (Mr.
Kyrle,) there appears to be but little
known. At King’s Arms Inn, at Read
ing, there used to hang up a picture of
him some years ago. It represented him
as a man of a grave and serious aspect,
with a long flowing wig, and a night
gown. The Clerk of Ross, who died in
1780, remembered the Man of Ross well.
He says, be kept open house on a market
day, and treated ihis guests with great
hospitality. His arms are, I think, on
one of the entrances into the area near
the church, where the reservoir of water
is. There is now erected, in the church
of Ross, a monument to his memory, with
Pope’s beautiful lines, by way of inscrip
tion.—E7iglish fiafrer.
Intelligence for Tipplers.-—In Stokes
county, N. C. nine persons have been in
dicted by the grand jury, for habitual
drunkenness.
Mrs. Brown, of New London, Conn,
was lately burnt, while in a state of in
toxication, in such a manner, that she
survived but a few hours.
Mr. E. Fillow, of Norwalk, Conn, was
killed a few day since, while in a state of
intoxication. He fell before the wheel of
a loaded cart which he was driving, and
was crushed to death.
ILL be this day received,
1 hogshead Sugar,
1200 pounds Havanfc'offee, warranted
iieelrom pebbles, at 25 cents per lb
2 hogsheads Molasses,
400 pounds Lump Sugar,
Almonds, Figs, Prunes, Raisins, Peptf
Allspice, Cloves, Cinnamon, Rice,
tobacco, Spanish Segal's, Starch,
I owder, Logwood,'
Salt-Petre and Blitter,
ALSO,
A pretty general assortment of
DRY GOODS,
amongst which are Bombazetts, Flannels,
Llankets, Sattiuetts, Ladies’ Morocco
Boots, Children’s Leather Boots & Shoes,
Men’s stout Laced Boots and a further
supply of
Ready Made Clothing.
D* A. WEEQC& Co.
Dec. 10, 1823.
WE have received another supply of
. . ,those superior WATER PROOF
MA 1 S, mac]e expressly for us by T. M.
W. Young. also.
Men’s Wool and Youth’s
Children’s and Misses’ FUR HATS.
D
Dec. 17, 1823.
A. WEED 8c
Co.
A LAD WANTED.
ANTED, to attend in a store, a
smart, intelligent Lad, of the age
teen or fifteen years. The oppor
lor improvement will be the only
compensation allowed. Apply at the of
hce of this paper.
Dec. 17, 1823.
of four
tunity
r^OR SALE, by us, one hundred and
L ilty bushels Ground Alum and Li
verpool Blown SALT.
_N°v. 26, 1823. D. A. WEED & Co.
1 lie Death-Bed Confessions
OF
Lady Guernsey,
IN which many of the principal causes
that led to the death of'the late Queen,
eaioline, of England, are contained.
I'or sale at this office, price 25 cents.
ICPA few copies of the above work
may be had at Mr. M‘Kewan’s in Mar
tins burg.
Complete Tutor for the Violin.
.4 copies yet remain on hand,
{ *• *or sale, at the office of the Free
Jress. Price, 75 cents.