Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1858-06-26

he was summoned, and he could not
deny his own chirography.
The case looked dark. Many wit
nesses were willing to testify to the
prisoners good qualities but no one
could swear that he was not dissipated
and degraded. That house had been
to him indeed, a region Internal. Its
destruction cried out for his bodily life,
and its existence had long been eating
away his soul. Poor Charlie! l had
before been sure Of his innocence, but
now I could only shake my head and
pity him.
Finally he was allowed to speak for
himself. He said he was innocent of
the crime imputed to him. He said
that he had threatened to burn that
house down-that he had said about all
that had been sworn to. And further
more, that he was around the house on
the night of the fire. He was not ten
rods off when the flames burst forth,
and he was one of the first to give the
alarm. He had uttered one cry of fire
when he noticed where the flames must
have originated, and the thought came
to him if he were found there he might
be suspected Of having set the fire, so
he ran away.
He also said three nights before the
conAagration, he had been robbed in
that house. His pockets had been rob-
bed of everything in them, and his
pocket book containing forty dollars in
money, and some valuable papers had
been taken. He had gone there on the
night of the fire to try and persuade
them to give him back his money and
papers-or at least to get back what
he could. When he got there, he saw
man 60 in whom he did not wish to
see, so he had hung around waiting for
him to depart. He was around by the
back of the building once-and that
was an hour before the fire broke out.
He knew nothing-nothing. He clas-
ped his hands, and with his fearless
eyes raised toward Heaven, he called
on God to witness that he was innocent.
l have told you that knew him we'll.
1 knew him so well that from that mo-
ment I knew him to be innocent, l
knew his very SOUL knew how free
and open it was-ah, how sinfully so.
| knew there was no falsehood in the
story he had tcld us.
"My boy is innocent! My boy is
innocent!''
I heard the cry-and I saw an old
woman sink back into. the arms Of a
male companion. 1t was his poor old
mother Her heart was well nigh bro
ken! Yet I saw that all this had but
little effect upon the mass Of spectators.
The prisoners course Of dissipation,
his many threats against the house, and
the very fact Of his'having been robbed
and abused there, was heavy against him.
The counsel for the prisoner made
his speech, which was labored and hard.
He was foolish enough to intimate that
if his client was around at the back
part Of the house more than once, he
must have been intoxicated. In short,
the plea had better have been left out.
The evidence he could not shake, and
he did all he could to suppose evidence,
some Of it most absurd and ridiculous.
l afterwards learned that Moulton War
rem engaged that lawyer for the youth
full prisoner! The government attor-
ney made his plea. 1t was plain,
straightforward and conclusive.
The Judge finally gave his charge.
He was fair and candid. He reviewed
the evidence carefully, and pointed out
such as bore heavily upon the case
He told us if there was lingering
doubt in our minds, we must give the
prisoner the benefit of it. But l could
plainly see there was no doubt in his
mind.
We-the jury-were conducted to
our room by an officer, and there locked
up. A silence. Of some minutes ensued.
Moulton Warren was the first to speak.
"Well," said he, I" I s'pose there's
no need Of our bein' here great while.
Of course we all know that the prison.
er must have set ircto the house,
There was something in the manner
Of that man as he said this, that excl
ted my curiosity-I won't say it was
suspicion, then-only curiosity. He
spoke with forced effort at calmncss,
which l at once perceived. The more
| looked at him, the more l became
strangely nervous and uneasy, wonder
cd why he should be SO anxious to be
rid of the case, and have Ambold con-
victed. [ knew that he had frequented
that evil house, and that he had done
much towards tempting Charley to dis
sipation.-I knew that he was in that
house the night the prisoner was rob-
bed--for Charley told me SO when l
visited him in his cell. I had then
asked the unfortunate youth if he was
sure Warren was his friend. 0, he
was sure of it. He should have hunted
him up on the night of his robbery, on
ly they had told him Warren was gone.
By and by the foreman proposed that
we should each take up piece of pa
per, and write down our opinion, and
then compare notes. Invent to my hat,
which | had placed upon the table with
number of others, and took out a
sheet Of paper. I had got half way
back to the table, when l found l had
made mistake. had got part Of
letter from another mans hat. Twas
about to turn back when the name of