“In the interim, other articles of evidence leaked out.  That of Mrs. Lewis hearing a pounding, and screaming and her smelling fresh meat burning, for not till now had this come out.  He was offended with her for disclosing these things, alleging that they might have some weight against him at the pending trial.

“In connection with this is another item, full of horror.  Mr.s.  Lewis, or her girl, in making her bed one morning after this, found, under her bolster, a keen BUTCHER KNIFE!  The appalling discovery forced from her the confession that she considered her life in jeopardy.  Messrs. Rice and Philips, whose wives were her sisters, went to see her and to bring her away if she wished it.  Mr. Lewis received them with all the expressions of Virginia hospitality.  As soon as they were seated they said, ’Well, Letitia, we supposed that you might be unhappy here, and afraid for your life; and we have come to-day to take you to your father’s, if you desire it.’  She said, ’Thank you, kind brothers, I am indeed afraid for my life.’—­We need not interrupt the story to tell how much surprised he affected to be with this strange procedure of his brothers-in-law, and with this declaration of his wife.  But all his professions of fondness for her, to the contrary notwithstanding, they rode off with her before his eyes.—­He followed and overtook, and went with them to her father’s; but she was locked up from him, with her own consent, and he returned home.

“Now he saw that his character was gone, his respectable friends believed that he had massacred George; but, worst of all, he saw that they considered the life of the harmless Letitia was in danger from his perfidious hands.  It was too much for his chivalry to sustain.  The proud Virginian sunk under the accumulated load of public odium.  He proposed to his brother Isham, who had been his accomplice in the George affair, that they should finish the play of life with a still deeper tragedy.  The plan was, that they should shoot one another.  Having made the hot-brained bargain, they repaired with their guns to the grave-yard, which was on an eminence in the midst of his plantation.  It was inclosed with a railing, say thirty feet square.  One was to stand at one railing, and the other over against him at the other.  They were to make ready, take aim, and count deliberately 1, 2, 3, and then fire.  Lilburn’s will was written, and thrown down open beside him.  They cocked their guns and raised them to their faces; but the peradventure occurring that one of the guns might miss fire, Isham was sent for a rod, and when it was brought, Lilburn cut it off at about the length of two feet, and was showing his brother how the survivor might do, provided one of the guns should fail; (for they were determined upon going together;) but forgetting, perhaps, in the perturbation of the moment that the gun was cocked, when he touched trigger with the rod the gun fired, and he fell, and died in a few minutes—­and