The Soldier's Wife — page 131: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

412 found: and Bates’s guilt was placed beyond the possibility of doubt. He was as pale as death,--quivering from head to foot, and throw- ing his half-frightened half-appealing looixs around. “All up, Bates—all up, Bates,” whispered Mr. Whippersnapper to the discomfited barber. “Won't do, Bates—precious scoundrel, Bates— you'll be transported for it, Bates—as sure as youre alive, Bates—serves you right, Bates no pity for you, Bates—none whatever, Bates.” “Come, hold your chattering” growled Mr. Rosser to the little linendraper, who thereupon ghirank back in an instant. “You must give the officer that bank-note,” said the Baronet to the tailor: “it is a link in the chain of evidence.” “But who is to pay me for the scoundrel’s elothes ?” vociferated the unfortunate sufferer. “Oh! you must manage as best you can,” re- turned Sir Archibald drily. “Now, take him off, Mr. Rosser.” The officer speedily settled with Mr. Bushell the amount of his reckoning; and wishing the Baronet and the assembled company good night, bore his prisoner away to the carriage. ‘The tailor rushed after them to beg and beseech that Bates might be taken home first, to put on an old suit of clothes and surrender up the new ones; but Mr. Rosser gruffly replied that he had no time for such nonsense—and the equip- ’ bitterly bewailing his loss. Sir Archibald re- turned on foot to the Manor; and the village tradesmen, together with Mr. Davis, remained until a late hour at the Royal Oak, discussing the incident which had occurred. When the party broke up, the bailiff was far overcome ‘with liquor, and in this condition he staggered nome, where a violent altercation took place petween himself and his wife. When the Spring assizes were held in the eounty a fortnight afterwards, Obadiah Bates was placed in the dock, charged with stealing a letter containing a five-pound Bank of England note, the property of the Postmas- ter-General. Mr. Rosser, who appeared as a witness, stated that he was a Bow Street ofh- cer, and that in consequence of certain infor- mation he had received from the Post-Otheg authorities in London, he posted a letter, con- taining a five-pound note, the number of which he took, addressing the letter to Sir Archibald Redburn, whom he had previously ascertained to be the nearest justice of the peace in the neighborhood of Oakleigh. He likewise took means to make Sir Archibald acquainted with what was being done, and the object thereof. As had been auticipated, the prisoner Obadiah Bates intercepted the letter, and purloined the bank-note. The tailor,—for whom, we should observe, a subscription had been raised amongst. the tradesmen of Oakleigh,—likewise attended at the trial: and he proved that the prisoner bad paid him the particular bank-note alluded to, for a suit of clothes. The evidence was complete against Bates; and he was sentenced to transportation for fourteen years. Afew days afterwards _ age drove away, leaving the discomfited tailor, —just before the order jeeived in the gaol at Middleton, a few aye arrived at tle prison for removing the sonvicts after his condemnation, he THE SOLDIER'S WIFE. away to the sea port whence a ship was to sal for Botany Bay,—the barber received the fok lowing letter :— “Manchester, May 6th, 1835. “I have read in the newspapers the particu. lars of your trial and condemnation. I am thus avenged for the bitter wrongs yon have wrought against me: for it was I who gave the Post-Olfice authorities that information in pur suance of which they acted. You are going to a penal clime where you will work in chaite for fourteen years. Ihave been reading ao counts of the horrors to which transpo~ts are subjected, that I might glean an idea of the hideous sufferings which are in store for you. I gloat over your position. Would that cireum- stances perinitted me to visit you in your dun- veou, and behold the wretched spectacle that your appearance must present! Misereant that you are! you have persecuted me with the most unrelenting bitterness, Twice have you ruined my fairest prospects. wice have you been the cause that I was subjected to a horrible punishment. Nay, more,—it is through you that L bear upon my body the brand of a deserter—that brand which is indelible! But upon you a brand equally indelible is now set —the brand of a felon’s infamy! Ihave un dergone the tortures of the lash: but they are over now. My punishment is past: yours is about to commence—and it will endure for fourteen long years. Not a day will pass that [shall not think of you. But flatter not your self it will be with commiseration or sympathy. No: 1t will be with a fiendish delight—heaven pardon me for saying so—to reflect that you ure enduring the horrors of transportation. Mine was a generous heart: through your vil- lany it has been warped. Mine were noble feelings ; through your hideous treachery they have been destroyed. Oh, it is no light thing for any individual to be the cause of making such a wreck of a fellow-creature! But if my suiferings have been great, your’s will be hor- rible ; if your perfidy has been vile the pun- ishment will at least be commensurate. “Go, monster that you are!—go to the land of your exile and your misery! TZhere, when working in chains—in that cesspool of English erime—when smarting under the blow of a heartless overseer—when drenched with the heavy rains, or fainting beneath the intensity of the heat—when half starving upon the most nauseous fare—when subjected to the ill-treat- ment, the gibes, and the curses of your felon- companions—when in the bitterness of your mental agony calling upon heaven to send yeu death as a relief, beevuse, coward that you are! you will not dare to escape by suicide frora that earthly hell to which you are goine— when, [ say, you are passing through that pan- demonium of tortures—-then think of the man, his wife, and his child, whom you were twice the means of snatching from a havpy home and plunging into the vortex of inisery. Go, reptile !—I can waste no more words epon youl “Prepertok LONspALE” Such was the letter that Obadiah Bates re o Eomicbhoo (G CS . col