The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1861-02-28
NO. 80.

her hands, face and the clothing about her
were ell drabbled in blood.
The landlord shrieked 'murder!'
The landlord called aloud for help!
A traveller, who had arrived on foot at the
Inn some hours after the sisters, and who had
given his name rs MIR. Brown, hurried along
long ancient corridor, at the further end Of
which he slept, 10 the place of confusion
Good heavens!" he said ''what is the mat
ter?'
1t was terrible, then, to see Anna, as uncon-
sciously she passed her blood stained hands
over her face, and looked about her like onestil
in dream.
Its murder" said the landlady.
The child!" cried the landord-"there was
a child"
What child?" said Mr.. Brown. don't see
any child here"
Upon this the landlady uttered terrible cry;
and then from between the bed, on which An
ma was, and the the wall, she lifted the lifeless
and murdered body of the little Ernest.
The little one was stabbed to the heart with
steel ornamental paper knife. The sisters
had been robbed at Liverpool or on board the
vessel from Ceylon, of trunk in which that
paper knife might have been. But one fact
was admitted, The knife belonged to Anna,
and she bought it at Columbia. This was the
case, On her recovery from swoon which
lasted many hours, Rachel made the following
statement:
Soon after the little conversation we have re-
corded, with her sister, she had gons to sleep
with her child on her arm, but finding him
restless and starting occasionally, she had gent
ly withdrawn her arm from him, and had been
persuaded that he slept soundly. How long
she had remained in sleep she knew not, but
what awakened her was faint kind of sob
which she felt certain was the last sound utter
ed by the little Ernest in life. 1t aroused her
on the moment, and she sprang out of bed on
finding that the child WAS not with her, and
mechanically ran to the door of the room,
which she flung open.
And here comes a remarkable statement
from Rachel l give it in her own words:
"On opening The door, saw that from some
light below CHAT was the oil lamp III the pas
sage) there came up a strange reflection on The
wall Of the corridor, which was to the right
hand; and through that reflection, passing along
1t as ifstooping to avoid it, if possible, saw
the shadow OF q man, large, aud not very well
defined, owing to its exaggerated dimensions;
but still there it was, and it passed away into
the gloom at the further end OF the corridor,
AMI disappeared"
Overcome, then, BY terror OF che knew not
what, Rachel fell into that swoon in which she
was found by the people of the inn.
Such WAS the statement of The half distract
ed mother, on the examination before the
Northampton magistrates, of her sister Anna,
whose innocence of the murder of the child she
declared herself as thoroughly satisfied Of as the
existence OF heaven.
Sir Ralph Heritage was sent for, and the
shock 80 completely unnamed him that, al
though filing the Office that year Of high
sheriff 10 the county, he was compelled to 60
heEe, where ne took his bed, from which it
did not seem probable lie would ever rise sgsin
Several Of the seniors at the bar, had shrunk
from taking the defence Of Anna Heritage, and
the cause was,brought to me. took ii, and
from the moment l dad so, fell u conviction
that here was some fearful mystery III it, which
unless elucidated. would leave tie youthful ac-
cused to be judicially murdered.
And so l thought and pondered over the at
fair until was afraid that my own mind would
get into some abnormal condiiio and should
be unable to do what human means could do
for Anna Heritage.
saw her but once before the trial. shall
never forget the manner in which she looked
at ne as she gently shook her head, saying:
They will kill me, sir; but heaven knows
SIN innocent! Ifmy death would bring back
to poor Rachel her boy-(heie she burst into
tears)-I should be willing 10 die; but as 1t Is,
am very, very young to be murderefiP
could say but little. l pressed both her
hands in mine, and only gasped out some com
monplace expression of hopeful cons olatlo land
then l left her.
The case WAS fearfully strong against her.
There was bus one supposition in her favor.
The shadow-the phantom like form seen
by the molher-who was hey hunted him up
i employed people to dog and watch him.
1t all came to nothing. He was a commercial
traveller for house at Marseilles, and was en-
gagcd in trying to do business at Northalnp-
ton
Several old counsel, to whom l spoke of the
case, were OF opinion that the sh dow seen by
Rachel WAS either no shadow at all, or was the
work OF her Imagination, or the yentable shad
ow Of some of the people Of the Inn, who alarm
ed by her cries, were Fastening to her room.
And 40 al length the morning Of the trial
came, and, full of anxiety as l was, 1t came as
a positive relief to me. The then lo,d chief
baron of the exchequor presided. He was a
calm, enlightened judge, who never permitted
his Own prejudces--as some Of his successors
have done--to warp either law or justice; and
come what might of the matter, knew that
the young prisoner would have feir trial.
The court was crowded 20 excess. a posi-
tive disturbance at the door hindered the com
Increment Of he days proceedings for a fall
half hour and it was only quelled by force.
The Encouragement had come down from
London to prosecute on behalf Of the crown;
and the counses seats were so closely packed
that nc one could stir except those engaged III
the case.
The jury looked grave and half-flightened.-
The Judge was pale and more serious looking
than usual; and as for me, felt sick at heart,
and when the uneasy kind of hush that per-
vaded the court let me know that Anna Herr
tage was placed at the bar, it was some few
/ g., FOL
look at her. How pale, how wan, and yet how
beautiful she looked,
Her fair hair was dressed in the most simple
style possible, and she wore dtess Of gray
silk, which fitted closely round the neck, ter
mnating in narrow, plated frill. Her lips
trembled, and her gentle eyes seemed to shrink
behind their abundant lashes as she met the
gaze OF friend and foe IN that crowded court
that is, if one SO young,so fair, and so innocent
could have foe.
could see the judge taking look at her
beneath his bent-down brows, and then he rest
ed his head on his hands, and appeared in deep
thought The attorney general tossed scrap
Of paper over the taole to me. 1t contained
these words
1.-THE witness. Brown, has absconded; make
what use Of the fact you can"
l nodded gratefully, and felt that be would
only just do his duty against the prisoner
Then there was strange half sigh, halt hush
all through the auditory, and lady, in deep
mourning came into the court. 1t Was the be-
reaved mother. She went direct to the front
Of the dock, where was her sister, arraigned OIL
so dreadful a charge, and she leant over the
front of it, with both arms extended, as she
cried, Dear, dear Anna, God bless you and
prove your innocence as / feel it !" Anna was
overcome by this, and she burst into a Shrek
ing passion of sobs and tears. The sisters could
only just interlace their arms together, and
there they remained for some moments, until
the judge said in deep, sad voice, "Ihis must
not be. Proceed, proceed.
The clerk of the arraigns, in high, crackt d,
indifferent voice, proceeded TO read the indict-
ment, and Rachael sat down ia a chair that
some one had placed for her just beneath the
dock
Poor Annals fortitude seemed wholly to give
way Her fair face was hidden in her hands
and resting on the front of the bar. 1t was q
fashion to place row Of aromatic herbs on the
bar before the prisoner in those days, and among
them she leant; and some of them, watered by
the tears fell upon her sisters lap as she sat be