The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1859-05-14

Tuesday morning dswned. and before min
: o'clock the Mai Prlus court was more denss
, " packed than on the preceding days al
! HiyeTt0n--at least a. many aa could push Il
were anxious 10 hear kls lordshipt sum
ming an, ~ twshty-eight minutes ahsr nine
\ the jayelDttAP the shsTih's men appeared "
'theeaisr Ia ushsring In the procession Of
J the judges,
The senior judge proceeded 10 the orlmina
D court the other, a. on the Monday, took biz
place IN the Nisl PTiuh. iia loTdship had
he notes 10 hia hand, and was turning 10 tht
jury, preparatory 70 enlsring on hla taAk
when Sergeant WRngle rose,
"hy loTd--l must crave your loTdshlp's
permissi0n 20 state fact bearing on the case
Carr o. Carr An unexpected witness has
arisen q most important Witness one who
will tFtliiy 10 the hbslraeilng from the regis
teri one Who wa. present when that abstrae-
ton was made Your lordshIp will allow him
20 be heard ?"
Sergeant slhem, and Mynn and Mynn. and
Squire Carr and his aon Valentine, and all
Who espoused that eide, looked eontemptuous
daggers Of ineTeduliiy At Sergeant Wrangle,
liut the Judge allowed the witness 10 be heard
Tor all that
lie came forward remarkably handsome
boy, OF the age between youth and manhood.
( The Judge pat his silver glasses across his
nose and gazod al him he thought he reeng-
nized those beautiful features,
1swear the witness" cried some Official
The witness WaA sworn,
"Whai l' your name ?" demanded Sergeant
Wranglc.
"HenTy Ch6yely Arkell."
"Where do you reside ?"
In Colege-teuAee, Riyerton.'
You are member Of the college school
and = ehoTiater, are you notP' inquired the
judge, whoae remembrance had come 10 him.
"A kings scholar, my lord. and senior eh9-
ristsr'
Were you In 81. JameAh Church on a Ger:
tain night Of last No'eHberP resumed the
counsel.
Yea
for how long' And how came you to be
therr|
i went IN 10 practice on the organ, when
the afternoon school was over, and some one
locked me IN. Was there Until nearly two
10 the morning.
who locked you In p
Il did not know then. have heard since
that Il was one Of the senior boyt.'
Tell the jury what you aaw.
Henry Arkell, amidst the confused scene
40 unfamiliar TO him. wondered which was
the jury. Not knowing he stood M he had
done before. looking alternately at the exam.
lng counatl ana the Judge,
Il went to sleep on the singers seat In the
organ-gnlltTy, and slept ill noise Rwoke
me. l saw two people stealing up the church |
with lishtl they turned into the vesiry. and
] vent softly down stairs aud followed them, |
and stood at The vehtrl door looking In
who were those partieaP
The one was Mr.. George Prattletoni the l
other n stranger Of the namC Of Rolls, who /
was staying somew here la kiverton. MIR |
George Prauleton unlocked the safe, and !
gave Rolls the register, and be sat down and |
Wnhea 'h'o"sh - he was Looking n long
What next did you sees
when Mr.. George Prattleton had his
back turned TO the table, / saw Rolls blow
out the light lie pretended il had gone out
Of ITSELF and asked George Prattleton 20
fetch the matches from the bench Mt the en-.
trance door IA soon hs George Prattleton |
had gone for them, n light appeared in |
the Vestry, and | saw Rolls place what look |
ed 10 bc piece Of thick pasteboard behind |
one Of the leaves, and then draw n knife |
down il and cut ii out. lie put the leaf and |
ihe hoard and the knife into hia pocket, and !
blew out the candle again.
Did Mr.. George Prattleton SEQ nothing OF
this?'
no. lie was gone for the matches. and
when he came back the vestry was in dark !
meas, As he leh, Il. Nothing risk, nothing
vin.' heard Rolls say TO himself 4 thought
] could do him"
'Ahcr thatP
Amer that when Mr.. George Prattleton
came back with the Matches Rolls lighted
the candle and continued TO look over the
register, and George Prattleton grumbled at
him for being 40 long. Presently Rolls shut
the book and hurrahed, saying it was not
in, and Mr. Prattleton might put il up
again
Did you understand what he meant by 'ii'P
Can YOU repeat the words he used p
Il believe can, or nearly 40, for l have
Thought Of them often since. Its not in the
register, Prat,leton,' he said. Hurrah 1t
will be thousands OF pounds in our pockets.
When the other side brought forth the tame
tale that there was such an entry, we thought
il bag of moonshine. Put up your regis.
ter think that was It,
What next happenedP
4 saw Rols hand the book to George
Prnttctpn, and then went down the church
as quietly as Icould, and found the key in
the door, and got out. hid behind tomb.
stone, aud saw them both emerge from the
church, and Mr.. George PrNttleton locked it
and put the key in his pocket. heard them
disputing at the door, when they found il
open: Rolls accused George Prattleton Of
unlocking the door when he went TO fetch
the matches and George Prattleton accused
Rolls OF having neglected to lock it when
they entered the church.
Meanwhile IL was you who had unlocked
itato let yourself out p
Yea And was in too great n hurry,
for fear they should see me, to shut it after
me-
"A very nicely coneocted tAler sneered
Sergeant Sihem, amer several more questions
had been asked of Henry, and he rose TO
"You would like the court
and jury to believe you, sir P"
II hope all will believe who hear me, for
Il is the truth" he answered, with simplicity. |
And he had his wish for nlI did believe him /
and Sergeant Sifiem's searching questions,
and insinuatonS that he fancied George Prat. |
tleton and Rolls we're nothing but ghosts, |
failed 10 shake his testimony, or their belief. |