The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1861-12-28

e could have foe
5 ] conld see the Judge taking n long loo
$ at her from beneath his bent down brow
and then he rested his head on his hand
t and appeared in deep thought: The A
5 torney General tossed scrap of pape
over the table to me. 1t contained thes
. words
The witness Brown has absconded
| make what use Of the fact YOU can
Then there was a strange half sigh
: halt-hush, all through the auditory, and
, lady III deep mourning came into court
; IL was the bereavrd mother She wen
7 direct to the front of the dock, where he
sister was arriirned on so dreadful
) charge, and leaned over the front of i,
with both arms extended. as she erie:
Deer, dear Anna, God bless you, anc
prove your Innocence, as l feel il =
Anna was overcome by this, and sht
burst into a passion of sobs a, d tears
The sisters could only interlace their arm
together, and there they remained fol
some moments, until the Judge said, in q
deep, sad voice:
This mus: not be- Proceed proceed y
The Clerk of Arfagns, in high, erackd
indifferent voice, proceeded to read the
indictment and Rachel sat down on q
chair that some one had placed for her
just beneath the dock.
Poor Anna's fortitTsle seemed to have
wholly given away. Her fair face was
hidden in her hands ard rested on the
/ front of the bar. 1t was fashion TO place
4 row OF aromatic herbs on the bar before
the prisoner in those days, and among
them she leanedl& ard some of them.
/ watered by her tears, fell upou her SISTERS 5
/ lap A. she sat beneath
( Then came the question. prisoner at
the bar, do you plead guilty or not guilty
to the indici,nentH
Anna did net stir. The poor girl had
uot heard the question; but her sister
rose and in a mild, clear voice, said
She IS not guilty. sis. He was my
little one lie IS in Heaven now, an If
you take her Ete she will 20 to him sooner
than !, and be happy. She is 40. guilty,
sifs
The governor Of the jail had by this
time logged Anna By the arm. and wins
pered T. her, when she looked up hastily
aud said, ., no, no! a ,..ou.ani times,
10
The plea is Not Guilty, said tie
judge, 80 enter il.
The Attorney General arose. The court
was hu>Aei never took my eyes oti il :s
10: osD moment while he s,uile
NJ lord and gentlemen Of the Jury.
the prisoner at the bar, Anna Defrper
Heritage, i oa her tris.l Tor the murder ur
EFHcs. Seaton. Il She be guilty. il. Is "a
.Iii, which casts the shadow ai a. terrible
a,rocity over evofy hearth IN England #
iuaoceut, ne l. 4 piece Of suffering virtue
which ;n:rlore Heaven to prote-l .am
mere to prrf rn a duty, not TO advocate 4
calisr God snibid that bv one word. Que
look. one tone, or gesture. | should seek 10
color or inIlare YOUR passions. wish To
lie ethe mouth piece os q n1rrative merely
YOU are tii'. Judges The present ras pvct..,i
ligh SbeI.tF of the eou II Is SIR Ralph
Heritage, 81. Heritage Hall. He had
brother who married and went 70 reside IN
Ceyloi, with liis wif,.and two infant dat.giI-
tets 0Le those d-li44Liir-.n-
- years was married to n Sf=itou. I. vtljIr
merchant. H.. died lcayin. her a widow
with 20 ac:4!lA-tiIe murdered Z ,rae.t at N
mentioned IN the .ud.ctneu; against the
prisoner now on ,:;al Tie brother OF ~ir
Ralph Heritage Glesi at Ccy lon. O N after
the death OF l,s wife. aad the two daugh
tess were alone, one a widow with her in
iaHt son-th otEe: ;He prisoner al the bar. /.
They communicated with their uucc, Sr +,
Ralph ilerItI-c. who sent them q kind
invitation L. come 10 AIil. inti8saiiur, at /
the same time, that he would MAKE. his /
grand nephew, Ernest siraton. his heir (
They Came--thP child the mother. and /,
The Young auut They reached Liverpool /,
in the ship Aicestc, and tonl a post chaise .
to NorthamPton-LIIe The clai~e broke /
down at a place NAMED Darlington Flats. !
and the party were compelled 10 take I.
refuge from the raging storm, aud to pass
the night at an ian named the Wheat
sheaf he child, the mother. and the
aunt, retired early TO n double b-dded
room The child slept with its mother, /
the prisoner at the bar in the other bed /
~ five minutes past one o clock on that /!
night the landlord and his wife were
awakened by loud screams, and they /
hurried in the direction of the sound /,
which led them to the room in question !
Mrs Season was lying in the door way
the prisoner at the bar was sitting UP in |
bed, and much disisurad; on her hands !
was blood The body OF the child Ernest /
was found between the bed and the wall, ,
with a knife in its heart. Now, gentlemen /
Of the jury, these are the prominent facts, .
but there are some collateral ones, which /
ii is my duty To mention. The landlalv /
of the Wheatshcat will depOse that, as
she was passing the room occupied by the |
sisters. she heard them couvereing. and /
with an incidental curiosity, She paused /
to listen. when she heard the prisoner say,
" shall 90 to the wail, and not get q
husband, all on account of your little
Eines;. when intended to make our
uncle Ralph take to me, or make me his
iavorite, and leave me all his money
These, the iandlady viii tell you, may not
be the exact words used, but she will /
swear to you. as she has already sworn 10
the justice, that they are very near, and
the Sentiment that WAS uttered
Collateral fact the second. then, my lord,
and gentlemen of the jury, is, that the
k uife which done the deed belonged To
the prisoner, and was bought by her at
coluimho, in Ceylon. Gentlemen God aid
and help Us all to get at the truth of this
matter | have nothing more TO say.
The Attorney General sat dowm. not al
ling one word to his bare sia,cme ent of
these. Ia, t., on which The case e,ted
\ cold pea Spiratiou sat on my brow
How fcariully strong was the case. and
ylat had | 10 rehut il with? Nothing
rothine, What i: Brown had abSconded?
What i: Brown had been swallowed up 10y
md earthquake? Ills absence orpre>ence
would make but little account III such case
he had only seen what others saw-hA
'Ould aid nothing to the evidence OF the
andlnr,l and landlady of the ian
felt as if my very heart paled as saw
he blank. bali terror stricken countenan-
'es Of the jury, and inncied that in every
Whisper they iudulsed IN 20 each other
he word guilty might he found
The Junior counsel for the prosecution
,ow rose ard called Jacob Wits
There was a slight hustle and the land
ord got Into the witness box He merely
!epoSed 20 the coming of the sisters and
he Child to the = Wheatsheaf' and the
la,m in the night, and the finding OF the
lead body of tie child. "a stated
The Sttorncy General then glanced at
ne and rose [, cross examine.
Had you any other gnests at the Z