The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1861-11-07
NO. 22.
4 Scene ia a ,EGEry Room.
A THRILLING STORY.


business to serve upon ''the jury" plead in
all manner of ways for release, but to no effect.
could not swear that was deaf, nor blind,
nor yet non cOmpOS, but I did say that l had al
ready formed an opinion. They asked me if
my opinion would prevent NE from receiving
the testimony in good faith and rendering a
verdict according to it. | replied that OF course
ehould weigh the evidence carefully and be
governed by it. l was then informed that
would do"
The case TO be tried was one of arson-then
a capital offense-and the prisoner at the bar
was a young man named Charles Ambold, whom
[ had known from boyhood. and who was nat
urally one Of the finest youths of the town where
he resided He had widowed mother, who
depended on him for support, and his circle OF
friends was large and choice. l was morally
certain that he did not commit the crime, and
hence, l am sure, those who were friendly to
him got me on the panel and had me retained
The trial commenced, and we twelve men
took our seats in the jury box. l had very
respectable set with me-only there was one
man whom didn't like to see there. This man
was Moulton Warren. He was dark-faced,
sinister-looking feow-at least to me- knew
shat young Ambold had one fault. He had re-
Gently been addicted to drink, and had been
known to visit disreputable houses. twas one
of those houses that had been burned, for set
ting fire to which he had been apprehended.
Now l had often tried to persuade Charles
Ambold from the course he was pursuing. He
had repeatedly promised me that he would re-
form, and as repeatedly had he broken away
had often talked to him of his poor mother I'M
til he had wept like child; but the effect was
not lasting There was power of temptation
more effective than any influence ! could WELD.
He would fall away into this evil companion
ship, and for while his manhood was gone
One or two abandoned women had gained great
power over him, and upon them he wasted much
of his substance
sand knew that this very man who was now
upon the jury-this Moult Warren was the
one who had done more than all others to lead
! the poor youth away 1t was Warren who had
drank with him, and who had led him away TO
those abominable haunts of sin and pollution.
Why was he dpon the jury? could only &C,
count for it upon the ground that Charley still
supposed him to be his friend. The poor scorch'
ed insect was still ignorant of the flame that
scorched him. He really believed that Moulton
Warren was his friend.
The trial commenced. The indictment SET
forth that Charles Ambold had with malice
aforethought,' and with all sorts of wicked and
felenious intents, set fire to a certain dwelling
house, thereby endangering human life ms
dwelling, as 1 have already lntimated, was
! both sexes were wont TO congfegate, ana Wheto
the youthful prisoner had spent much of ms
time.
The evidence for the prosecution came on ahu
was startled. One after another III their tes'
tm0ny, some of them very reluctantly, ana
was frightened when | saw how plainly 1t all
pointed out the prisoner as the guilty party
Several credible witnesses swore that they nae
heard him threaten to burn the house down ;
and others had heard him say repeatedly thai
he wished it was burned down! Then came sew
eral witnessos-three of the prominent citizens
who saw him lurking about the premises OH th'
night OF the fire.
With regard to the provocation on the prs
oner's part, it was proved upon his own admis
sion, that he had been illtreated there ant
had sworn TO have revenge. And furthermore
it was proved that he had been heard TO say tina
his salvation OF soul and body depended upol
the destruction of that house. Next came test
mony stronger still.
The fire had been set in back basemen
room where shavings and other stuff for kind
ling were kept. Entrance had been Paine
through a back window, which had been part.
pried open with stout knife. This basemen
wall was brick, and beneath the sash was tn
blade of a knife which had been broken oil II
irving to raise the sash. The blade was recog
nized as belonging to the prisoners knife. /
maker of cutlery had made q knife TO order TO
Ambold 8ny q month previous, anu he knew
the blade at once, and sWore to 1t
But this was not all. The fire had been evi
IDENTIFY set first to the shavings which lay upo
the stone floor but piled up against Il wooden
partition. The floor was damp, and some Of tn
outer shaviugs, even, were not wholly burne
up But lust at the edge, where the lire com
menced, lay a piece Of paper, rolled up, an
about halt burned and from the manner in who
it lay, was very evident that the fire had bee
set with it. This piece ofrolled paper had bee
LIGHTED by match, number OF winch wa
scattered around, and as soon as 1t was on tr
. it had been laid upon the floor. with the burI
ling end lust in the shayings. OF course, thes
shavings were i'll a blaze instantly; but the pa
Der torch being upon tho damp stones, had nc
; burned wholly up.
And this paper was found to be part Ct lei
, ter belonging to the prisoner; a letter which h
had received from friend of his land friend {
, }mine) only week before. II at friend had t
: come forward and swear that piece Of charre
paper was part of letter he had written
the prisoner This friends name was Stephel
( Grant. He was young merchant ana the lie
, ter had been written for he purpose OF lnducln
Ambod to reform. Stephen tried hard to avol
testifying, for he knew, as did Others that til
] fire must have been set with that indentlcal p
per; but he was summoned, and he could nj
t deny his own chirography.
The case looked dark. Many witnesses wei
willing to testify to the prisoners good quau
ties, but no one could swear that he was n(
dissipated and degraded. That house had bee
to him indeed a region Internal Its destru
ton cried out for bis bodily life; and its exis
ence had long been eating away his SOUL
Poor Charley had before been sure OF MS II
nocence: but pow | could only shake my hea
and pity him.
q Finally he was allowed to speak for himse
He said he was innocent Of the crime impute
to HIM. lie said thathe had threatened to bu1
that house down-that he had SAID about a
= that had been sworn to. And, Furthermore, h
), was round the house on the night OF the fire.
- He was not ten rods of when the flames bur
:. forth, and he was one of the first to give tn
. alarm, He had uttered one cry OF hre when
6 noticed whc,e the flames must have originate
. and the thought came to him if he was four
. there. lie might be suspected OF having set IL
+ fire. SO he run away He also said that thrt
, hours before the fire. he had been robbed in tn
!. house His pockets had been einptied of ever
thing in them, and his pocket-book, containiI
! forty dollars in money, and some valuable p
- Ders. had been taken. He had gone there
!. the night of the fire to try and persuade the
v to rive him back his money and papors-Or
i least TO get what he could. When be got Their
n he saw man go IN whom he dld not WISH
. see, so he had hung around, waiting Tor mn :,
/ depart. He was around by the BACK OF ~ ~
# building once-and that was an hour before tn
y, " fire broke out. He knew nothing nothing.-
t He clasped his hands, and with te@ n3 eye
n raised toward Heaven, he called on oou ~ vi
/ ness that he was innocent Ii, ou
have told you that ea knew ,bd INN rDo wei
s 49, lise" lin, tn be innocent knew his yer
:. a s empm knew how free and open it was-al
u how how sinfuly so l knew there was no fasehoo
# in the story he told US. -,
- !" m boy is innocent! Ny boy is innocent
heard the cry and saw an cid woman SIN
y hack into the arms ola male companion. 1T wa
u "a noor mother. Her heart was well nigh bro
an, Yet saw that all this had but little eftet
upon the mass of spectators. The prisoner
p course of dissipation; his many threats again
p the house and the very fact ofhis having bee
roboed and abused there were heavy again