Fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, cousins, and all persons to the
most remote degree of kindred and acquaintanceship, were present--all
excited by the alternate expression of grief and low-breathed vows of
retaliation; not only relations, but all who were connected with them
by the bonds of their desperate and illegal oaths. Every eye, in fact,
coruscated with a wild and savage fire, that shot from under brows knit
in a spirit that deemed to cry out Blood, vengeance--blood, vengeance!
The expression was truly awful; all what rendered it more terrific was
the writhing reflection, that numbers and physical force were unavailing
against a comparatively small body of armed troops. This condensed the
fiery impulse of the moment into an expression of subdued rage, that
really shot like livid gleams from their visages.

At length the carts stopped under the gallows; and, after a short
interval spent in devotional exercise, three of the culprits ascended
the platform, who, after recommending themselves to God, and avowing
their innocence, although the clearest possible evidence of guilt had
been brought against them, were launched into another life, among the
shrieks and groans of the multitude. The other three then ascended; two
of them either declined, or had not strength to address the assembly.
The third advanced to the edge of the boards--it was Mat. After two
or three efforts to speak, in which he was unsuccessful from bodily
weakness, he at length addressed them as follows:--

"My friends and good people--In hopes that you may be all able to
demonstrate the last proposition laid down by a dying man, I undertake
to address you before I depart to that world where Euclid, De Cartes,
and many other larned men are gone before me. There is nothing in all
philosophy more true than that, as the multiplication-table says, 'two
and two makes four;' but it is equally veracious and worthy of credit,
that if you do not abnegate this system that you work the common rules
of your proceedings by--if you don't become loyal men, and give up
burnin' and murdherin', the solution of it will be found on the gallows.
I acknowledge myself to be guilty, for not separatin' myself clane from
yez; we have been all guilty, and may God forgive thim that jist now
departed wid a lie in their mouth."

Here he was interrupted by a volley of execrations and curses, mingled
with "stag, informer, thraithor to the thrue cause!" which, for some
time, c