She here made another attempt to rise, but in vain. She then laid down for a little time quite still and motionless, but was again seized with another fit of despair. Placing her eyes fast on the object of her consolation, in the most terrific and agonizing cries, she exclaimed, that she now "felt the pains of hell searing her very soul!"
. . . . . . .
The turnkey now came in, and assisted to support her. For some time she remained in most exquisite anguish, until she at last sunk back on her pillow, weak and exhausted, and her immortal spirit winged its way, to appear before its eternal Judge, there to answer for the deeds committed in the body, and we hope will, or has, found more favor and mercy, than she did from the human tribunal, which sentenced her to die, according to the civil law, which I hope will still continue to be rightly and justly administered, because on its administration depends our safety and happiness, as well as civil and religious liberties.
Her death was truly heart rending and awful, and should serve as a warning to all those who read this account, to be prepared to meet their eternal Judge, to render such an account of their past lives as may stand the test on that great day, when each and every one of us shall have the book of life unfolded, either to our everlasting happiness, or eternal condemnation. When we reflect how awful must be the afflictions of the guilty sinner in the last and terrible moments, when, finding their earthly career of misspent time about to close on them for ever, what price would they then give for a new life, or the opportunity which was so abused; what would then signify the paltry, ill-gotten treasure, which was obtained at the expense of the tears of the widow and the cries of the helpless orphan, or at the expense of the life and blood of their fellow being, and last of all, at the lost of their happiness here, and their immortal souls hereafter.
The ill-fated and long to be remembered Sophia Hamilton breathed her last on the evening of the 3d of September, 1843. Thus terminated the cruel, atrocious, and blood-thirsty career of father, son and daughter. And now, gentle reader, you may contemplate over this melancholy field of human wickedness, which, I venture to say, stands unparalleled in the annals of crime; for true it is, that as man lives, he generally dies; as we find Brown did, who was mentioned in the foregoing pages, and whose career ceased with hers; therefore it is to be sincerely hoped that the exposure of the lives of those atrocious beings may be a timely lesson to those who may read this; that all may learn to avoid a wicked, regardless course of life in youth, lest it might grow up to maturity, and cease only with their mortal career. When we behold the hardened and regardless sinner, who perhaps mocks at the idea of practical religion, as well as the boasting, disdainful infidel, who not only mocks, but tramples on the holy ordinances of religion, could we behold him prostrate on the couch of death, then indeed, we would find an awful lesson in the contradiction of his previous pretentions to attempt to mock, or at least disregard every thing that was sacred. Even the modern infidel Paine, who mused and cherished the grossest and most blasphemous infidelity in France, but thank God that the day was then arriving when infidelity together with the inquisition was about to find a deep grave in that once happy land he not content with that defeat in vain attempted to introduce it into the land of his nativity, but found himself again frustrated and it was then that he in his last effort turned his attention to America where he got permission to publish his works the fruits of which require but little commentary. Reader if I have wandered from my subject, it is in order to show that a miserable death is the fruits of a wicked life, for how did Paine seem to feel on the matter during the close of his earthly campaign, he died like Voltair his predecessor and many other remarkable infidels, yes reader, and like Judas who betrayed his divine master afflicted by the bitter gall of remorse and sorrow, but it is to be feared not true repentance. Therefore we should try to live as we would wish to die, or at least with a conscience as free from guilt as possible in order to render our last moments happy. Still keeping in view the subjects here quoted as a living lesson, which on due reflection will not fail to dictate to any thinking mind the true path to virtue here below, and to everlasting happiness hereafter, the true object for which man was created and endowed with reason to guide and direct his path through this life of troubles which he makes for himself by his own neglect of his duty.
In giving to the public on abridgement of the life of this atrociously wicked women, we hope that our numerous readers, either moral or immoral, will never need such a lesson as that already detailed; but it may be truly looked upon as one of the most astonishing circumstances of the age, in the midst of civilization and morality. Were we to attempt to give even an outline of the melancholy and sad-looking scene which the trial presented, it would, we fear, fill the minds of our gentle and tender-hearted readers with horror; but we have endeavored as much as possible to avoid the darker and more disagreeable portion of the cruelty with which this vile creature was charged. We assure you reader, that we entertain too much respect for the feelings, as well as the moral effect which the exposure of such crimes might have on the weaker minds, and we therefore consider it a duty we owe to the public to lay before the world the foregoing pages.
As regards the truth of the foregoing, we presume the greater portion of our readers throughout Canada and the United States have already seen an outline, if not a detail of her trial, through the columns of the numerous journals, and consequently we were induced to search after and find out a well authenticated account of her parentage, of which we gave an abridged account in the foregoing papers, hoping that it will not be doubted by any incredulous of the truth or authenticity of this narrative. If they will find a Montreal or Quebec journal of the middle or latter part of August their doubts will be satisfied. We hope the public will feel satisfied with the account here given, as we were prompted by no other view than that of preserving the honest fame of those who enjoy a moral reputation, and to secure a peace of mind to those who are yet unconscious of offence, as it is well known, to the misfortune of many, that an artful mind, actuated by illusion, if not checked in youth, may pass on to acts of fraud and violence, and in some instances to deliberate and cold-blooded murder; as it appears that then even the tenderness of the female sex, of which the foregoing pages furnish an example, is converted into the barbarity of the traitor, that she who should make her arm a pillow for the head of her husband, conspired to raise it against his life, that the bosom which should be filled with fidelity and affection, planned his destruction. Hence, as has been observed by the author, it is his sincere hope, in sending this narrative abroad, that it may be the means of saving some misguided youth from similar offence, as there are many in the moral retiracy of village life, little conscious of the wickedness and depravity of the world. They too often advance on the journey of life without caution; a road which every youth should walk with the vigilance of an experienced mariner, who watches the uncertain clouds in order to prepare in season for a coming storm, which, if the ill-fated subjects of this narrative had done in early life, they would have avoided their unhappy lives, and untimely and disgraceful end.