Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-12-07

her with mixed feeling of anxiety and curl
osity, to the counsel for the defence. A SUBJ
tie cross examination Of more than 70 hours
duration followed; and at it's conclusion,l felt
that tthe case for the prosecution was 50 damag
q, that verdict of condemnation was, or ought
to be, out of the question The salient points
dwelt upon, and varied in every possible way,
in this long sitting, were these
:" hat was the reason she did not return in
tho evening in question, to her aunt's to sup
per rs usaal l"
"She did not know, except that she wished
to get home" ~
Did she keep company with man of tho
name Of Pcarco!"
"She had walked out with him once or
twice."
+" When was the last time "
f" She did not know
i. "Did Pearce walk home with her on the
night Of the murder "
"No"
1" Not part of the way!"
" Yes; part of the way!"
"Dd Pearce sometimes wear black, shiny
hat1 "
"No-yes she did not rembcr."
"Where is Pearce now "
"She didn KNOW
I" Had she seen him since! "
"No"
Had Mr., Wilson ever threatened to- dis
charge her for insoence to Mrs. Armstrong +"
"Yos; but she knew he was not in earnest"
Was not the clasp-knife that had been
found, always left in the kitchen for culinary
purposes!" a'|
"No--not always; gonorally--but not this
time, that Amstrong went away, she was sure"
"Mary Strugnol, you be a false sworn wo-
man before God and man." interrupted the
male prisoner with great violence of manner.
The gu utbreak of the prisouep WIS checked
and reboksd by the judgS, and the cross,exami-
nation soon after closed. Had the county been
allowed to follow up his advantage BY, ,an I'D
dress to the jary, he would doubo not, spite
of their pre,4dces against the prisoners, have
obtained TN acqhittal but as it was, after q
neutral sort Of charge from the judge by no
means tho ablcst that then adorned the beach,
the jurors, having delibcrated for something
moro then half an hour, returned into court
verdict Of guilty" against bothPrisoners,
accompanying it, however, with strong recon
mendation to mercy.
"Mercy!" said the judge, "wbat for' On
what ground!" "
Tho jurors started at each other and at the
Judge they had no reason to givel The fact
was, their conviction Of the prisoners guilt
had been very much shaken by the cross-exami-
nation of the chief witness for tle prosecution,
; and this Recommendation was a compromise
which conscience made with doubt | have
known mary such instances.
The usual Ridiculous Formally, of asking the
wretched convicts what they had to urge why
sentence should not be passed upon them was
gone through; the judge, with unmoved feel
ings, put on the fatal cap ndthen new and
startling light bust upon the mysterious, be-
wildering affair.
"Stop, my lord exclaimedAmstrong with
, rough vehemrnce :" Hear mebpeak I'll tell
you all about it !; will, indeed my lord Quiet
Martha, tell ye. It's I, my lord, that's
guilty, not the woman. God Hess ye, my lord
not the wife! Don't hurt thoRife, and I'll tell
ttye all about it. alone amNguilty-not the
Lord be praised, Of murder, butof robbery.
J, john John!" sobbed thswifa, clngine
y passiona tely to her husband, let us die to
gether."
"Quist, Martha, | tell ye! Yes, my lord
I'sc tell yo all about it. l tas going away
= wife and for more nor a week 10 receive none,
for Mr. Wilson, on account Of sspggled good
: that money, my lord, as wat found in tn,
chest When we came home on that dreadful
0 Sunday night, my lord, we wert in back way
and hearing noise, went UPSTAIRS and fount
poor Wilson stone dead on the floor. | wer
: dreadful skeared, and let drop the candle
d called my wife and told her oft. She screamed
! out, and almost tainted away. And then, m,
- lord, all at once the devil shot INTO my head, t.
" keep the money had brought and knowing a
II the keys of the desk where themortgage writ
Il ing was kept in The bedroom, ltrept back, a
n as the false hearted woman said ,gsi the keys
10 and took the deed and then | persuaded m
. wife, who had been trembling i the kitchen
: all tho vile, that we had bettergo out Auie
10 again, as there was nobody in thi house but us
vs. | had tried that woman's door md we nigh
: perhaps be taken for the murders. And 8
VI we did and that's the dowdrigh honest truth
~ my lord. ain rightly served, but God bles
YOU, don't hurt ths woman--mysife, my lord
tn these thirty years Five and twaty years ag
n. come May which shall never p, we burie
of bur two children, Had they bod, l Nigh
he have been better man but " place the
ge left empty was soon filed up by I've of curse
IT lucre, and that has broughtme he. dossry
or it, but oh, mercy, my lord merc5 good ger
or tlcmen turning from the ston features {
on the Judge 70 the jury, as II the could bel