Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1851-09-05

Tor accordingly.
leave TO herr" | asked, quietly, fixing
my eyes steadily upon his quiveting faces
II don't know"
"rha,'s a falsehood. Remember
you're upon your oath, man. and an.
swer me truly: How much did Mr..
Steele leave to his niece!"
"What's the good of bullying msi I
sell you don, know"
Then came momeit's pause, and
then | said suddenly,
"Who mixed up the medicines!'
The mans face was horrible 10 look
at, as | asked this. White il had been
all along; bu, now ], was CHASTITY the
eyes started and glared. and white fro,h
came out, fringing the blue livid lips
| shuddered as I looked. There was
evidently some terrible mystery, and Z
almost dreaded to speak lest il should
oyerwhelm me.
"Who mixed up tie medicinesi" I
asked again. sas
A yacan, stare of terror was oil nv
answer. a### sa
Il mus, have an answer" I said
s,ernly, "Or | shall ask his losdship to
commi, you."
"Oh Lord. Martha, it's come a, las,!''
exclaimed the wre,ched man. 81 knew
il would!' and utiering hideous screatl:
he fell upon the floor OF the witness box
in strong commissions.
After this witness had been carried
out, and as soon as the confusion had
subsided. Mr.. Ashley rose to reply upon
his evidence; but as il was impossible 10
recall the man, and endeavor 10 set him
right with the jury. or TO remove from
their minds the fearful impression he
had made, the counsel confined his re-
marks to few commonplace observa.
,ions, which he hurried over as quickly
as possible.
Lord Cranston then summed up; but
the jury needed him very little: they.
in common with all the court. were "a
ziug on the prisoner, who had tainted in
the dock, and whose beautiful aud sor-
row-siricken face lay white and move
less before them. Her head was sup
ported by one Of ,hs turkeys, and
surgeon, who happened to be near, lad
entered the box to chafe her hands and
bathe her face: bu, to those rough men
in whose hands her fate reposed, this
swoon appeared like death; and knew.
as looked upon their plying faces. ,ha,
not the mos, ohdurate among them would
venture 10 pronounce the word which
must, in the event Of her recovery. doom
her TO die. *@
And ! was right. Almost without
turning in their box, and quickly, as il
glad to release her, and do their part to-
wards comforting her, they returned their
verdict, and she was Immediately acquil.
ted, and borne out Of tho dock, senseless.
Alice Sharpe absconded during the
confusion in court. and her husband, in
the intervals of delirium, and jus. before
his death, made fearful confession, of
which can ouly give the outline:
Martha, Fanny. and William Steele
were the three children of a .radesman
living in Yorkshire village. The son
of the Squire, attracted by the bold beau
ty of Martha, paid her SO much a.tcn-
,icn that she fully expected he intended
to marry her, and therefore boas,ed of
her conquest to all her companions; but
just when she had decided in her mind
;ha. the proposal ough, to be made. Fan.
ny returned from school.
From that time Martha lost her EN-.
pire over her lovers heart; and. in her
treatment Of the unfortunate cause Of
her disappointment, showed the FIRST
symptoms Of that innate cruelty Of heart
which afterwards worked so much evil
10 herself and others. In few months,
worn out with her sisters unkindness
and taun,ing words, and urged by her
lover, poor Fanny Steele eloped. only
leaving behind her vague note for her
brother William, whom she dearly To-
we'd.
Soon after this, their father died. and
Martha accepted a situation as house.
keeper to solicitor in Liverpool
There she became acquainted with her
cousin George. and in a very short peri
od obtained so great mastery over him
as to persuade him to commit the forgery
for which they were both subsequently,
tried and acquitted. After this, she was.
Of course, homeless and charac,erless;
her guilt had been too evident to admit
Of any doubt, and il was very well
known that her life had only been saved
by some flaw in the indictment: no
wonder. then. she found it impossible to
obtain any situation.
In this position she thought Of her
brother. She knew that he wac most
merciful and forgiying, and thought ,ha,
if she could only persuade him Of her
innocence of the crime for which she
had been tried. he might receive her q
gain. This, after time. he. consented
to do, on condition that she changed her
name, so that she might not be recogni-
zed as the heroine Of the celebrated for.
gerry case. Thic prosiso, however. rea-
sonable as it was. angercd her greatly.
but she affected to be grateful, and after
her brother broke up his comfortable
- Il ~ &.