Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1863-04-07
THE GARNET RING.

N Il IL n kSN e KING,
During the first year of my practice as
an attorney, clients and cases were 50 few
with me. that L found it an agreeable
change from the dullness of an almost I'm.
furnished and unfrequented back Office, to
visit the court rooms, where not only be-
came familiar with the usages, arts and
means of success employed by skillful
lawyers, but where | could see human ma.
ture in its perplexties and struggles, its
leebleness and power, exciting in me an
interest and sympathy that the drama has
never equalled.
One freezing morning during the month
OF December, my Office having been wholly
II nocent, fer the season, of all artificial
warmth. Or means of warmth, was too cold
and cherries to be endured any longer
1t was enough to quench the light of hone
and lire OF courage in the most hot head ed
and enthusiastic young man, so | determ
ined to leave it for a while. | took down
from Its hook my old overcoat, the ever
ready and uufinching friend of two or
three winters, which, regardless Of dignity
as On outsider, had never Shrunk from the
duties of frock -cOat, dressing gown. sick
grown, and bedclotheS. But alus On this
hreieSs, ell morning. when it would have
been so grateful TO my poor heart and poor
err purse to have found it transformed into
the thickest beavers, fur lined and fur
trimmed, invncible to the fe:cpst north
wCster, it |, Oked to me, spite my I'D attach
mnnt to it, and my gratitude for its ser
vices, II looked quite used up, brown and
rusty, thin anI threadbare its collar sad
~ sOi!ed, lis button hlles rent, its butt, rs
lonesome, no two standing together. ami
wcrse-the only friendly garment was To
my gloomy and suspicious cyes-a traitor
Would 1t Lot tell to every one who shuuli
SIC 1t the secrets ! most wished TO hide p
those winch might bring my final ruin p
Would 1t not tell that was poor and un
successful, that had no business and M
immediate prospects of any ? that had no
requirements and abilities which the world
needed; NOT enough even to enable me to
take care If m 7se!f? The once guod friend
seemed anything but friend now, and il
must not 90 with me this morning, But
then. 1t 1t stayed at home, its absence
would tell my tale the same as its presence.
was in despair. What could | do? What
was there for me but poverty, neglect and
modification? / hurried away to the po-
lice court room, where turbulent and un-
contr' liable distress makes as forget the
suffering that can be hidden: whore the
Zones aud frantic agony of crime makes us
feel Fortunate in our Innocence, however
else unfortunate.
As entered, a girl was put on trial for
larceny; common case, as that stated :;
yet saw something in my first glance at
her. that made me forget luck Of clients,
cheerless Office and tell tale overcras. She
was about eighteen fair and frest looking;
with soft. light hair brushed neatly over
ears: large lie IL eyes, the lids very much
swollen ~ cgy".5; and small unmarked
features; She was clad in q dark blue
merino dress, and plain white cellar.
cannot clearly explain what it was in her
that interested me. The inner life has an
expression outward that is more easily rec
ngnlz"d than described, and it was rrvSSc-
bly, this. felt that there Gas undoubtedly
something wrong in the case ;.that decent
looking young person, 30 neat and proper
IN dress. without any tawdriness or orna>
ment, did not belong in a prisoners
dock ought not be there
l watched her and watched the trial
The clerk read the indictments. The girl
stood up and heard herself, Selma White
charged with stealing shawl and dress,
the property of one Mary Wilson. Tho
tears rolling IN streams down her cheeks,
and her voice scarcely audible from emoc
ton, she plead mot guilty."
Ihe hrst witness was the policeman who
arrested her. His testimony amounted to
nothing more than that he had found the
clothes alleged to have been stolen in a
carpet bagg marked with the prisoners
name, and claimed by her. The prisoner
ceased weeping when the witness was Gals
led, and kept her eyes fixed steadily unon
him. She was told by the judge, whose
sympathy she had evidently enlisted, that
it was proper for her to ask anv questions
bearing on the case, and now | perceived
that she had no one to defend her, OF give
her special advice or aid. She avaiIed
herself of the privilege with which the
judge had made her acquainted. and en-
deavored to draw from the officer the ad =.
mission that he had shown more surprise
when the stolen articles were found in her
carpet-bag than any one present, but in
this she failed. lie was altogether uncop,.
muDicatiVe and evasiVe in his answers To
her.
One Mary Wilson testified to the loss of
come clothes which she described; some
garments were shown her, which she ideu-
tined In answer to questions, she stated
that they had been lying in trunk; that
she haG not laid eyes on them for three
months, or more, till she found them in the
prisoners carpet-bag, and that one Mary
Murry had suggested her looking there for
them.
Mary Murray was now called. She was
very bold girl, snowy in dress and airy
10 manners. Her fingers were loaded with
cheap rings. the most conspicuous of which
was large garment. While the stolen
garments were being shown. l had obsery-
ed youcg man crowd as far forward as
he could get to look at them. NV ewes
happened to be on him when he FIRST cauSbt
sight of the witness rings, and this expres-
sion which then covered his face excited
my interest scarcely less than that of the
prisoner had done. approached him and
inquired, DO you know anything Of this
oaca q $500