Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1855-09-12


issued to apprehend him, and so rapid hae
been all the proceedings that he was takei
on board of South American Packet, within
/ five minutes Of the tine of sailin9z
"Suspected and apprehended for murder,
exclaimed Fanny Talbot. "The murder o
my friend Isabel! Oh, papa, how horrible
.buthe is innocent. He never could commi
murder. The court will frd the real mur
derer and will acquit him" and Fanny Tai
| bot spoke confidently.
al hope so my child, but appearances are
strongly against him.
But papa, you do not believeh him guilty ?
"My child, | will not say what i believe
| dare not believe anything. My good wish
es are for the youth, but fear it will 60 il
with him at the trial"
ooh, papa responded Fanny fervently
do not say so, even if you think So"
Meantime, the day of the trial approached
Fanny Talbot had watched the tide Of pub
lie. opinion to discover that the universal
voice was against the ungrateful man who
could murder his liberal employers daugh'
ter. Fanny also watched her fathers coun
tenance to gain some consolation from him
as to Ildo's chance of acquittal, but she
could CLEAN nothing there.
To-day the trial takes place, dear father.
eyes my daughter"
You are to sit in the jury box-one oi
the twelve?"
"It is a terrible thing to decide upon the
fate of a human being, and terrible must be
the remorse of him who sentences brother
to an ignominious death, and afterwards
when it is too late finds the murdered man
as innocent as the one he was supposed to
have murderedw
elbow strangely you talk~ exclaimed
Mr.. Talbot, startled by her words and
manner.
Father, lido Sternberg is innocent"
every like" gloomily replied the father.
"And dear father, you must not permit
his death; if all the other insist, you must
refuse to be convinced. They cannot hang
him without your sanction"
"'But, my child, my friendship towards
him is known-my reputation may suffer,
may be ruined in consequence"
But then, you will have saved an inno-
cent man from frightlul death. And dear
father, no one can suspect you who. are so
UPRIGHT, of partiality."
Well, dear child, we will see what can
be done 10 save him."
Father you must promise me" exclam.
ed Fanny Talbot with unwonted vehemence;
and then she poured into her fathers ears
the deep abiding interest she took in the
young man, also her deep seated convictions
of his truth and innocence, and the grounds
of those convictions, saying that if he were
hung and could have been saved by her ia.
ther, she could not live to bear the horror
of the thought.
Deeply affected by his daughters plead.
ings MIR. Talbot left her to attend the trial,
with solemn promise to do all in his pow.
er to save the prisoner.
The trial proceeded-the evidence was
all convincingly against the young Pole.
His own words were few and pointed; he
declined any explanation of the case, but
distinctly and firmly pronounced that he was
not guilty ofthe awful charge preferred against
him.
His calm, majestic manner did much to-.
ward establishing his innocence in the minds
of some. But all the evidence being so
strange and decided against him, the presi.
ding judge closed his speech with pronoun-
cling the prisoner guilty" and recommen.
ding the jury to remember the responsibility
resting on them and their duty to society.
The impatient multitude without and
within awaited the decision of the panel for
twelve long hours. At length they returned
and the crowd was hushed into silence.
"We cannot agree!" was the response
of the foreman to the usual question.
The bench was perplexed. The presi.
dent went all over the whole of the evidence,
again dilating upon the point which proved
so conclusvely the prisoners guilt.
The jury withdrew, and thirty hours, time
was passed before they pronounceda a second
decision, and then the verdict of eleven was
guilty, whilst the twelfth juror firmly per-
'sistedin the;belief of the prisoners innocence,
and solemnly avowed he would suffer death
himself before he would assist in. his con.
demnation.
Finding this man so solemnly impressed
with the prisoners innocence, and his argu-
ments in his favor still sounding so convin.
cingly in their ears, to the establishment of
all present, the eleven unanimously concur.
red with the one in verdict of acquittal.
The prisoner being therefore set at liberty
narrowly escaped the lynch law Of the infu.
rated mob without. A strong police guard
alone protected him.
Once more lido Sternberg stood upon the
deck of vessel bound for South America
A boy whom he recognized as one in the
employ of Mr. Talbot, approached him and
placed a letter in his hands. The captains
orders meantime had been given, the anchor
was drawn up and the brig under way
With a cat-like spring the agile messen.
ger jumped upon the wharf, receiving a
Justify cheer from the jolly jack tars who
witnessed the feat.
lido leaned his head mournfully upon his
hands, and gazed abstractedly upon the re-
ceding shore.
Suddenly he bethought him Of his letter
He opened it, and to his surprise roll ol
bank bills fell from it. They were all bills
of large amount. The letter merely said
"You will not refuse the enclosed from
one who believed in your innocence. When
you make the fortune which know your
energy will achieve in the new country to
which you are; going, you can repay them,
If you like, TO your sister FANNY"
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