Rutland County herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1849-02-07


/ employed in a lawsuit sgainn Mr.. Barker,
and had gained the cause for bis client
The jurymsn cherished y grodge against
him Tor his SARCASTIC elcqusnee on Ina, oe
ession. Moreover. II 50 happcned that
ncighbor Goodwin, who years ago had re-
proved his severity 10 the horse, took com
/ pa ssioas,e inleres, 10 the accused. he OF
ten consulted with his lawyer, and seemed
10 watch the eouuscnanee Of the Jury anx-
iously II was busy senson Of the year,
and The jury were impatient 10 be st their
workshops aud farms Mr.. Barker would
not have admitted il, even TO himself bu,
eli these circumstances helped 10 increase
his hardness agnins the prisoner. BY such
ineonceivably slight motives Is the conduct
Of men often swnycd on moS imporian, &C.
casiops
"If the poor young fellow really did
commit the act" said one Of the jury il
seems likely that he did ], in a state Of 10.
toxics,ion. was once drunk myself; and
they told me aherward that / had quarrel
led with a man, and knocked him down a
high flight OF steps; but had no resolec-
lion OF il. If and killed him, and they
had hung me for il, what an awful thing II
would have been for my poor father and
mother. IL taught me n good lesson, for
was never again intoxicated. Perhaps lhi.
poor youth nigh, profit by his dreadful ex
perience, il chance were allowed him
He is so young; and there is nothing bad
10 his counienance"
/" As for his womanly face" replied Mr.
Barker there is no trusting 10 that. The
worst villains are not always The worst look
ing As for his being intoxicated, there IL
no telling whether ii is true or not. Tha
: cunning lawyer may have made up the
story for the sake Of exciting compassion
and the witnesses may be more than will
ing enough TO believe everything strange
. in the prisoners conduct wss the resul, o
intoxication. Moreover, il won't do TO ad
: NIT shat plea in extenuntion for then, don
you see, a man who wants to kill his enem,
has only 10 &c, drunk in the first placer /
anybody killed my Joe, drunk or not drunk
| should want him TO swing for it."
BY such remarks urged in his vehement
way, he swayed minds more iimid and len
lent than his own, without being fully awar,
of wha he was doing. lie was foreman o
the jury; aud " ben the awful moment ar
= rived on which dsecnded the life Of fellow
being, be pronounced, tbs word Guilty" il
I strong, firm voice Tie next instant hi
, eye fell on tho prisoner, standing there 81
pale, and still looking at him with such fix
: cd despair There was something in thu
!. face chat moved him strongly. He turned
quickly away, but the vision was betor,
IL him. "This is weakness" he said to him
: self II have merely done my duty. Th'
: law required it, have done my duty -
Q But still the pale young face looked at him
. always and everywhere IL looked at him.
! He feared to touch q newspaper, for h,
= wished not TO know when the day of exc
cution would arrive. But oficious neigh
bors, ignorant of his state Of mind, were ca
!, ger to talk upon the subject; and whel
drawn into such discourse, he strove TO fer
lify his own feelings by dwelling on all thu
worst circumstances OF the case. Notwith
= standing all his efforts, the night proceed
:, ing the execution, he had troubled dreams
II in which the CHASTITY young face was Away
- conspicuous When he awoke, he saw j
- in the air, IL walked beside him as IA,
b ploughed the fields, it stood before him oil
the threshold of his own door. All tina
the merciful juryman had suggested came
before him with painful distinctness Coult
there be doubt that the condemned haC
really committed the murder2 Was be
"a intoxicated Might he have happened t.
- be intoxicated for the first time in his life
- And he so young But he drove thes'
!, thoughts away; saying over to himself
"The law required it. | merely did m
:. duty" Still everything looked gloomy +
n him The evening clouds seemed like fu
n neral pals, and pale despairiug face gaze
Is at him forever
e. For the first time in bis manhood, h
is crayed companion in The darkness. =
. Neighbors camo in, and described the exc
8 cution aud while they talked, the agitu
s, ted juryman beat the firebrands into thou
2 sand pieces aud spoke never word The
VS. told him how the youth had written lon
ne letter to his mother and he died calm al
resigned. "By the way, perhaps you kne
a. his mother, Mr. Barker" said one; tho
I'd tell me she used 10 live in this neighbor
h. hood Do you remember 6 girl by til
lie name OF Mary Williams
a, The tongs dropped from Mr. Bankers
v hand, as no gasped out, Mary Williams
a was he her sonF And the strong ma
- laid his bead upon the table and wePt
40 There was a silence in the room
r.. last. the loquac'ous neghbor said ina sui
no dued tone, i am sorry hurt your feeling
GA didn't know she was friend Of yours. y
he The troubled juryman rose hastily, wali
en- ed 10 the window looked out at the star
and clearing his ehoked Eoioe. said, IL
"a, many years sineo knew Der. Bnt she vi
ht good tempered, pretty girl; aud il seen
m, but yesterday thai zee used TO 60 togsth
Of 10 pick our baskets full OF berries. Aud
nd she was his moshsri remember no
be there was something in his eye thai soem'
go familiar 10 me
nv Perhaps the mention Of Mary's beaat
ed or the melting mood, 80 unusual With
ip- husband might haye excited vague fes