The Westerly echo, & Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1854-1858, 1855-12-20

H.
studied, lab0rsd, strovs day BY day,
year after year, to forget, ssd in part
Nevertheless there were times when
tho memory Of the past cane over him
like food tearing up the strong bar.
riers ho had builded to keep them back,
sweeping over hs soul, sld laying il
waste and dssolats. Som stinss. in the
solemn nights hs would remember the
beloved wife Of bis early years, s,d
would weep bitterly in his lonesome
room. Oftsnsr still, bis radient daush-
Ter would appear before him i. oil Der
young loveliness, and be would shuddsr
as he thought what might now be her
fate, abandoned to the tender msrcie,
ola cruel world.
And a. years rolled on, hs grew old
fast and when Kate Cameron should
have been twenty-five her father was
prematurely old, and his mind was brok-
Ell by his sorrow.
And when shs threw back her veil
and looked at him when their eyes
met once, only Gns instant, and he saw
all the horrible scene before him, it was
not strange that reason for the time dc.
parted. 1t was only strange that any
life remained
It's astonishing what command men
may obtain over their features. He sat
in the chair, leaning back listlessly, wait
ing the coming in Of the verdict, and no
one weuld have dreamed that be was
more than ordinarily interested in what
was going on.
The night crept slowly on. The day
was approaching, and still no verdict.
Tic clerk had fallen asleep; the con-
stables sat noddipg on the steps that led
up TO the bench; the counsel had gono
ont, and were solacing themselves at the
neighborng hotel with cigars and punch,
discussing tho trial and the news of the
time, with an occasional joke and story
by way Of enlivenment. The candles
had burned down, and the long wick.
obscursa the light, 50 that it was difficult
to see across the court room. The low
huu, of conversation had given place to
profound silence, and now all was hush
ed, as Il tho same repose that blessed
others, guilty or innocent, we're blessing
the prisoner and the court alike.
But an observer, had there been one,
would have leen startled at the scene
which the courtroom now presented in
all this stiffness.
The Judge from letting his grey eye
rove around the rosm, had, when hs
saw that no one observed him, fxsd it
on tho prisoner, who sat 10 large chair,
erect as before. She had removed the
veil from her face, and sat uncovered,
with her gaze fxsd on his countenaaee.
Neither could see the expression of the
others face. Each knew that the other
was looking, but neither gave any indi-
cation Of the knowledge. Her face was
calm, but full Of deep, ardent, earne,t
love, mingled with impending anxiety.
Gould his have been distinguished, tho
similitude would have been startling.
Slowly the pight wore o.. A little
before daylight . stir announced the
coming Of the jury. A. they entered,
the courtroom resumed its former ap-
'pearancs The lighA were trimmed ;
the oonstsblss awoks tho clerk reused
himself to call over the names of the
jury. But they had only csms for in.
siructiOu.
In what the court said about charsc-
ter, were they to understand that lack
OF evidence Of tho prisoners good char
aoter was prssunptivs evidence of bad
character p
1t was nice question, and, in the
present instance, . terrible one. For .
father to direct . jury in determining
'he character Of bis daughter on pre-
sumptlve evidence, was a work reouir-
ing no small mental determination -
But be did it calmly, repeating what ho
had said before, and saying in substance
that though no evidence Of bad charac-
ter, it was entitled to its weight i, con-
ncction with tho other evidence in the
case
Day broke on the city, and light .tol.
INTO the court-roon-gray, and feeble,
and cold at the 6rst, flushing up at
Length into the full glory of the sunrise.
Men we're now astonishsd to observe
what change the night had made in
Judge Cameron's countenapee. lie
was haggard, worn, and thin. He look
cd twenty years older than on tho pre-
vious day. The prisoner remained in
visible.
Atseven o'clock the jury entered -
Man by man answered to bis name, and
tho clerk demanded their verdict.
None leaned more eagerly forward to
-hsar It than the Judge. The prisoner
alone seemed unmoyed. Her COUNSEL
sat with trembling hand waiting the an
uounoemsnt.
II was given at length:
Nor Gyrrrv,