The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1851-08-02
"a, ILL.,, SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 1851.

was innocent, and that Mrs. Shrrpe had some
Serious reason for wishing to get nd Of her
But, unfortunately, til. was unly my own con
vic ION; | could zee uo way OF working it out
OF of bringing a jury to 50 desirable u conclu.
sion, and the more satisfied | became, the uorc
uncomfortable was also, because, knew ,bnt
nothing that was not very plain and unuis.Gk.
able, would except by great chance, DC accepted
by Lord Crau5tuun.
One help had and next to common sense
Witnesses It l. the greatest that counsel can
hare--a shrewd, clever, practical attorney.
II WAS afternoon before the trial came on, J
shall never forget nay sensations, as | saw the
prisoner come up 20 the blr. ShO WAS not sim
ply pretty, she was beautiful, fair i cit and del
icatc as high bonn lady and graceful exceed
ngly. There was general murmur in court
as she appeared, and even the old Judge was
soitened Oh, what | felt knowing that under
God her life was IN my hands. was very
nervous, the pen held, ieigniug to make note.
remh.ed III my hand, aud ! Shrered from head
to foot a. if ague-strickcn The constable was
the first witness called His evidence was short
aud clear He stated that l.o Was scat fr At
twelve o'clock st nigh. to apprehcnd Miriam!
Lyndon the prisoner, Who wis accused Of haV
us set fire to her masters house, that Is hen
he reached the place he found it burning IN
ir, in room which lac was told was the prj-.
0 els bedroom, and IN another immediately uu.
der the chandler Of her employers That upon
s'ar,h,ng the house the prisoner was no, 20 be
found but that after little delay she was dis.
cuvcreJ IN an out building at some distance from
the house, pressing bunnet=.
The mur was turning to leave the box when
It struck ne that | might put a question or
two with effect, and therefore desired hlm to
stay.
When yoI reached Sharpe's house corn.
menccd, what had been done tc cx'ingul-h the
lircl Was there any engine or people thcreT
No, SIR none, nothing h I'd been done as see d
the Ire w,s dying ont Oi 'iscll--a few pals OF
water would have put it out altogether; the
straw blil"d bit fierce at first but there was
nothing ivr it to catch hold Oh, there hadn't been
10 body Of fire.
You >ay you found the fire burning in two
rooms, the prisoners and the one under her en-.
pl1yer>, WAS there much light, much glare
an through the windows, any thing to attract
atiruuunf
No, -lr'
1t wa a light, moonligh, night, l thinkr
'Yc,, sir'
Was the freight then less visible from the
moot shining on the windows, than 1t would 9th.
erHi,e have beoni
Yes, .lr'
How far was the clubhouse where the prisoner
WAS workiug at tie end Uf the orchard, iruu the
dive ling hou,ef
'Ay"u, three hundred yards, more or less
In gong IN aud out oE the outhouse US you
have Just told the cogrt the prisoner would Of
tea have occasion to do IN the course of hen work
was there any ding IN the appearance Of the
house to draw her a,tentlunf
No sir; shouldn't have known there was a
fine outside Of the house.
Did the prisoner exprcss any surprise at see.
iuI youf
~ s.r it seems there was bonnet Of my
mi,.issrs altering at the shop, and she tboIshi
Id come for IT, for she said, I'm sorry your wife
tuscan ut done, Nj, Harris, but we've been st
busy
Did she seem regularly a. work, as il she had
been at It sumc timef
Yes, sir; there was lots Of bonnets about Z;
she had been securing and pressing
Wien you took her into custody, what did sh,
sayf
i tll her nothing at fir.,, only rs lie was sus
pecicd OF setting fire tI lhe LoIse, and ,hcu sh,
.UYkrd all amazed. duwbfouudcl a. il were hut
after a hit .he said very steadily like i know
nothing OF it, never had such thought"
The next witness was the servant grl.
Her testimony was clear and short. She hnC
seen Miriam 20 TO her bedroom at tie usu. tine
had retired herself Immediately after and slep
suundly uq;il aroused by her mistress, who toll,
her that Miriam had set her house OH FIRE, an,
had run away. She WAS very much frightened
and by her MISTRESS orders went 10 the cun-iu
Die. She did rot see the burning rr,us until her
return with the man for whom she hnd rc,u sem
she wished to DO 80 but her mistress refused {,
lgt her She knew of the quarrel tina, L1l taEci
place IN the evening between MIS-. Sharpe auy
Miriam, and heard the former say that her az
prentice should rue III, day sHc lad set h,r coI
nt her master 1t WAS unusual to work at Ii,
bonnet pressing and securing ut night. but once o.
twice before, Miriam had worked ail night, b.,
her MISTRESS orders. Mrs ShTDe was - rcCu
lar Turk to hrr; md her master worried the hi,
Of her, she. led the life of black slave hc.we,l
! them. Never heard her swear 20 be rcycrg,d o.
| any such thing nnd would not believe IT, Their
wasn't much burned only u cupboard door nm.
shelves in one room, AMI IN old bels;rdd in an
other, there was lot ol straw and mltchc. un
der the bed Mham had NJ call with either.
| The apprentice was called next She was
| bold impulcutooking girl, dressed in YER
snowy style, and stared rouni the court in x
most msulcut manner She took the t~ullnnu
great ilppanay, AMI when she turned
! look at Miriam wlf,h be,rayrSn,(
of her heart, and il. cause
She swore to many
oucr on the day prev
which She had dcel,
yrn;rd on her mistress
placc A, the garden gate 717N9o'Nn old ia'6
ioned Lodge vt the gate, open to the road Pen'
ole can i, ard rest in It, ANY body there would
Geo All tho people who came down the garden
wax They could not help seeing.
Cross examination did very little with The vii,
ncsa ,xrept To show the bitter feeling with which
,he regarded Miriam to elicit tho fact that the
vonny lawyer had formerly been a lover ci her
avn but had deserted hor Tor Miriam, mud that
lar avn cb ,r,ctpr WAS Gr from stniuless