Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-05-28
THE GARNET RING.

During the first year of my practice as
an attorney, clients and cases were SO few
with me, that | found it an agreeable
change from the dizziness of an unturnish-
ed and unfrequented back Office, to visit
the court rooms where | not only became
familiar with the usages, arts and means
of success employed by skillful lawyers,
but where | could see human nature in its
perplexities and struggles, its teebleness
and power, exciting i'll me an interest and
sympathy that the drama has never
equaled.
One freezing morning during the FIRST
week of December, my office having been
wholly innocent, for the season, OF all ar
tifcial warmth, was too cold and cherries
to be endured any longer. 1t was enough
to quench the light of hope and fire of
courage in the most lot headed and en-
thusiastic young man, so | determined to
leave it for a while. | took down from
its book my old overcoat, the ever ready
and upfinching friend of two or three
winters, which regardless of dignity as an
outsider, had never shrunk from the du-
ties of frock-coat, dressing gown, sick
RO"u anu UCu iIut, 1ldS vi blllS
freless, cold morning, when it would have
been so grateful to my poor heart and
poorer purse to have found it transformed
into one of the thickest beavers, fur, lined
and iur-tlimmed, invincible to the fercest
Northwestern, it looked to me, spite my
old attachment to it, and my gratitude for
its services, it looked quite used up, brown
and rusty, thin and thread bare; its col
lar sadly soiled, its button holes sadly rent,
buttons lonesome, no two standing to
gether And worse-the once friendly
garment was to my gloomy and suspicious
eyes-a tailor. Would it not tel to every
one who should see it the secrets |
much wished to hide ?-those which
might bring my final ruin2 Would it not
tell that | was poor and unsuccessful, that
| had no business and no immediate pros
pect of any 2 that | bad no requirements
and abilities which the world needed, not
enough even to enable me to take care OF
myse!ff The once good friend seemed
anything but friend now, and it must not
go with me this morning. But then. if it
stayed at home, its absence would tell my
tale the same as its presence. | was III
dispair. What could | do? What was
there tor me but poverty, neglect and
mortiticatiOn2 [ hurried away to the po-
lice court room, where turbulent and IN
comfortable distress makes US forget the
suffering that can be hidden; where the
hopeless and frantic agony of crime makes
us feel fortunate in our innocence, how
ever else unfortunate.
AS entered, girl was put on trial for
larceny, a common case, as that stated
yet saw something in my first glance at
her, that made me forget lack OF clients,
cherries office and tell-tale overcoat. She
was about eighteen; fair and fresh look.
ir,; with soft light hair brushed neatly
over her ears; large blue eyes, the lids
very much swollen by crying; and small
remarkable features. She was clad ia 9
dark blue merino dress, and plain white
collar. | cannot clearly explain what ii
was in her that interested me. The inner
life has expression outward that is more
easily recognized than describe! !, and il
was probably this. | felt that there was
undoubted'7 something wrong In the case
that decent looking woman, SO neat aDC
proper in dress, without any tawriness Oh
ornament did not belong in a prisoner
dock, ought not to be there.
| watched her and the trial. The CLERK
read the indictments The girl stood uE
and heard herself, Selma White, charge,
with stealing shawl and dress, the pro
perty of one Mary Wilson. The tear:
rolling in streams down her checks, anC
here voice scarcely audible from emotion
she pleaded mot guilty"
The first witness was the policeman
who arrested her. His testimony wa.
nothing more than that he haa found the
clothes alleged TO have been stolen in 6
carpet bag marked with the prisoner:
name, and claimed by her. The prisoner
ceased weeping when the witness wa:
called, and kept her eyes fixed steadily
upon him. She was told by the Judge
whose sympathy she had evidently en-
listed, that it was proper for her to ash
apy questions b. airing on the case, ant
now / perceived that she had 10 one t,
defend her, or give her special advice ant
aid. She availed herself of the privileg,
with which the Judge had made her &C
ouainted. and endeavored to draw from
the officer the admission that she hat
shown more surprise when the stolen arti
CloS were III LSh Sot tSS-ooS Vial
any one else present. but in this she failed
He was altogether uncommunicative an'
evasive in his answers to her.
One Mary Wilson testified to the loss o
some clothes which she described; SOM
garments were shown her which she iden
tilted. In answer to questions, she STATED
that they had been lying in trunk ; tina
she had not laid eyes on them for three
months, or more, till she found them il
the prisoners carpet bag, and that on
Mary Murray bad suggested her looking
there for them. .
Mary Murray was now called. She was
q very bold girl, snowy in dress and airy
in manners. Her fingers were loaded witt
cheap rings, the most conspicuous OF which
was large garnet. While the stolen gar
ments were being shown, | bad observed
a young man crowd as far forward as he
could get to look at them. My eyes hap
pened to be on him when he first got sight
Of the witness rings, and the expression
which then covered his face excited my