Southern shield., 1857-01-24

f-. -~--s 79 f'g s7sAs a'z1-7
 His replies were wary, thcv thought. anG guarded. 4 man of the world would have thought otherwise, and called them indig- nant.
 "Whero was lie going?'
 He replied to that question with e cool stare, and walked on.
 ''Where was helast night?''
 ''What mattercd that to the ouestioner?''
 .'Have you money about vou?''
 ''Some. What business is that of vours?''
 "Let us see it."
 At that he started back, and looked up suddenly into the faces of his interroeatorS. and drawing a pistol, held it vcrv much as if he intended to use it.
 One might have thought that he took them for highway robbers, so cool was his air: but they thought differently, and a@yanced, Thereupon he snapped pistol at tho head or the first. 1t diG ai0t 20 of. hi point of fact, the pistol proved to bcnot l0aLeCh i.3 knocked down he first one with tic butt Of 1t, and the second with his fist. by we'll directed blow under the ear, and then sprang on his horse and drove the spurs into him. But the poor horse was dead beat out, and stumbled with him 9 hundred wards off. throwing him into pile of stones, where he lay senseless until his resuscitated 0ppo- nents came up and made Q peaceable capture.
 His pockets contained 8 considerable amount of gold and bank notes. but noth- ing to indicate his name or character rresl- dence, nor did he communicate anvthing to his examiners. There was blood on his cont . but that might have been from his own wounds on the stonc-heap. He behaved singularlv, refusing to answer any questions or to employ any counsel.
 One curious fact appearcl-ono of those slight circumstances that often serve t0sup- port great consequences. The horse of the prisoner had been ridden hard. and died shortly after his capture. One of his shoes was broken, and the half was missing. This half was found lying in the road near the Davis house, where it had doubtless been lost, and the track of the horse was distinct from that point to the fence in front of the door, where he appeared to have paused. and then gone at long gallop into the back part of the county. The trace was lost 6 mile or two off, but he was doubtless return ing toward thc same place when arrested- It was supposed his object was to ayoidsus- picion.
 From that day till the opening of the court he had lain in prison, waiting trial, and con- stantly in the same silent, ,listless state.which argued a determination not to c0mpr0mise his position, or else pitch of desperation seldom met with in 9 young, strong man.
 Such was the man whose destiny was in my hands, next to Gods. But for q long time it appeared that he would answer frs at the bar of Heaven. l did not sec him for a week after 1 met him ill court. A mes sage was sent to me from the sheriff that the physician thought ha could not live during that night, and rode into town to see him. They seemed to regard me Gs his guardian, for 1 was the only one who had taken par ticle of interest in him, or who hld been in a2~ sense his friend since his cuast As i entered the room to which he had been trans ferred after this attack of illness, the phy- sican stepped back from his couch and whispered to me that he could not stand it much longer.
 He lat at this time on his back. His wild eyes flashed hither and thither with eager haste, and vet saw none of us. Others sur rounded his soul while we surrounded his body. Hewas lookingat them, talking with them now pleasantly, now bitterly, now furiously.
 ''Mothor, she said she did not love me Was not that enough? l tell you, Fred, did all that man could do, said all that ma1 could say. But she spmned me, neyerthc- less-drove me out By her coldness. Frozt he out, should have said"
 I have always much the same feeling when listening to the rawlings of delirium that a man has when forced to overhear ; conversation intended to be strictly private But there was no help for it now, and be- gan to ret a little insight into the character of my client as heard his first words, an; l listened intently, thinking, indeed. that was to lock all this up forever in my brain when he, poor fellow had ceased to rave. ' The story soon came out, scarcely witt more distinctness than in the words 1 hav, quoted. IL was tho old story Of mad lov,
 -a cold and naughty lady, an humble suit or, rejected firmly, dismissed, maddencd and driven away in despair.
 I In the mood which q passionate disposi ton was apt to fall into under such circum stances, he had come into the county anc gotten into the difficulty which now involved him.
 had readily seen that, in the combination ! of circumstances, there was really TO eyi- dence of guiltin man of good character 1 but had some doubts of being able to es- | tablish that in this case, if the evidences oi passion were to be relied on which now had
 pihed him sincerely That his whole life had been bound up in that love was manifest, and now all seemed over.
 lie had been silent for some moments, du- ring which was thinking, when he sudden ly broke out in voice of keen, implOrinG agony. It was like the call of a lost spirit It rang through the walls of the old jail waking tho prisoners in their solitary cells and soaring them into thoughts of unearthly visitors. thought it was the last-that his soul was, in that wild cry, going out on the untried journey. But it died down into 9 low moan of exhausted suffering, during which could detect the utterance of words, and suddenly they seemed to be Wor Is of pleasure. of delight; and he said, in a low, pleasant voice, "Ada Iay Ada my dar- ling! Oh, do so love and bless you, Ada' and, murmuring her name over and over, he fell quietly asleep.
 The struggle was over. 1 slept as long as be. in an arm chair near him, and was reused by his first movement. That was when he woke in his fight mind, and asked where he WAS. At first, as the recollection of his painful position came over him, ho seemed much troubled; and as his memory carried him only to the courtroom, and the plea of eCNro+ rr;It1, s5 bo asked onx,;o,,,7,- =. T --t