The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1850-04-18


At this reponse, so touching in its sim
! pie pathos, portion of the auditors buzz
ed applause, and the rest wept.
| On the instant, however, the stranger,
whose appearance had previously excited
such merriment, started to his feet, ap-
| preached the prisoner, and whispered
something in her ear. She bounded six
inches from the floor, uttered piercing
shrek, and then stood trembling as if in
the presence of a ghost from Eternity;
while the singular being, who had caused
| her unaccountable emotion addressed the
court in his sharp ringing voice, sonorous
as the sound Of bell-metal
| MAY it please your honor, viii as
sumo the task of de Tending the LADY,
"Whatr' exclaimed the astonished Judge
'are you licensed Attorney"
"The question is irrelevant and imma-
| terial," replied the stranger with vene-
| nous sneer. "as the recent statute entities
, any person to act as counsel at the request
OF a party"
.'But does the prisoner request liz" in
quired the judge.
.'Let her speak for herself" said the
stranger.
II do" was the answer as long drawn
! sigh escaped, that seemed to rend hervery
| heart strings.
The case Immediately progressed; and
as it had tinge Of romantic mystery, we
viii epitomise the substance Of the evil
dence.
About twelve months before, the deien-
dant had arrived in the village, and opened
an establishment of miiinary. Residing
in a room connected with her shop. and
all alone; she prepared the articles of her
trade with unwearied labor and consum-
mate taste. Her habits were secluded.
modest and retiring; and hence she might
have hoped to avoid notoriety, but for the
perilous gift of that extraordinary beauty,
which too often, and to the poor and
iriendiess always. proves curse. She
was sought after by all those glittering
fire-flles of fashion, the profession of
whose life, every where, is seduction and
ruin. But the beautiful stranger rejected
them all with unutterable scorn and loah-
ing Among these rejected admirers was
one of a character from which the fair mil
liner had every thing to fear. Hiram
Shore belonged TO family, at once, opu-
lent, influential and dissipated. He was
himself licentious, brave and ferociously
the Southwest. 1t was generally known
that had made advances to win the favor
Of the lovely Emma, and had shared
the fate of all other wooers-a disdainful
repulse.
At nine o'clock on Christmas night,
1887, the people of Lewisburg were star
tied by loud scream, as of one in mortal
terror, while, following that, with scarcely
an interval, came successive reports of
fire arms, one, two, three; dozen deaf
ening roars. They flew to the shop of the
milliner, whence the sounds proceeded:
! pushed back the unfastened door, and a
| scene of horror was presented. There
| she stood in the centre of the room, with
a revolver in each hand, every barrel dis
charged, her features pale, her eyes fash
ing wildly, but her lips parted with fear
! full smile. And there at her feet, welter-
ing in his warm blood, his bosom literally
riddled with bullets, lay the all-dread du-
ellist, Hiram Shore, gasping in the last
agony. He articulated but single sem
| tence: Tell my mother that am dead
| and gone to hell!'' and instantly expired.
| ..In the name of God, who did this!''
exclaimed the appalled, spectators. -,
| Il did it" said the beautiful mllliner,
81 did il to save my honor
As may be readily imagined, the deed
caused an intense sensation. Public
opinion, however, was divided. The
poorer classes. crediiing the giil's..verison
of the facts, lauded her heroism in terms
Of measureless eulogy. But the friends
Of the deceased, and of his wealthy fami-
ly, gave different and darker coloring 10
the affair, and denounced the lovely hom-
icide as an atrocious criminal. Unfortu-
nately for her, the officers of the law,
especially the Judge and sheriff, were de-
voted comrades of the slain, and displayed
their feelings in, revolving partiality.-
The Judge committed her without the pri-
vilege of bail, and the sheriff chained her
in the felon's dungeon!
Such is brief abstract of the circum-
stances developed in the exami nation of
Witnesses. The testimony closed and
the pleading began.
First of all, three advocates spoke in
succession for the prosecution; but neither
their names nor their arguments are worth
preserving. Orators of the blood and
thunder genus, they about equally parti-
toned their bowling eloquence betwixt
the prisoner and her leather-robed counsel,
as II IN doubt who of the twain was then
on trial. As fos the stranger, he seemed