The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1866-07-05

chosen silence when she was examined
before the squire; now let her wait uu.
til her trial. There was law and justice
for all, and protection for him, too, and
he would have it. John Gordon &C.
companied this last declaration BY
blow upon the table with his clenched,
uninjured hand, that brought back to
to the listeners some memory of the
week pefore, when it would have been
dangerous to have provoked his wrath.
David Bigelow drew himself up to his
full height, aud speaking as calmly to
the MANNED man before him as though
his address were the conmonest topicj
he told from that time forth no appeal
should be made to him again for mercy
that be would go forth, and if Lefty
Gordon was alive, he would find her and
bring her there to do Martha Field JUS
tice, and to confonnd his villainy. From
that time forward John Gordon could
look upou him as his deadly enemy, and
remember that, as be had denied mercy,
so would it be denied to him. David
Bigelow strobe out Of the room, while
the old man glared fercely at the group,
who murmured their admiration Of tho
carpenter, and one by one followed him
out.
David Bigelow had left the village,
none knew exactly where, but the sur.
mise was that he had gone to London.
Days and weeks slipped by, and moth
ing was heard of him. Martha Field
was still prisoner awaiting trial. John
Gordon was gaining strength in his
arm, the bone was knitting finely, the
doctor said, but he was not gaining
strength in "The Village Tavern"
The neighbors came less and gossiped
less. The story crept about. Even
those who drove up from the city knew
something about it. There was one
thing they could all see, which was that
John Gordon's face was pale and the
strength of his welcome gone. The day
for Martha Fields trial came. There
was great sympathy for her through all
the country. Her story was believed,
but there was no evidence. The prose.
cution made its case very clearly and
distinctly. The loss of the money was
proved, the marking, the tracing Of the
marked money to the village shops,
where it had been passed by Martha.
There was no defence; the very able
counsel, who had volunteered for her
said that he could only make the state
ment on behalf of the prisoner and
then he gave Martha's story of how she
had become possessed of the marked
money. There was dead silence in
the courtroom as he closed beautiful
appeal for mercy for the prisoner. In
its midst came loud groan, and, in
moment after. a shutting Of feet, aud
several persons were straining to lift a
man who had slipped from one of the
benches, and lay ptostrate upou the
the floor. 1t was John Gordon, the
strong man. Weak enough now he was,
as ;hey strove to raise him to his feet.
His eyes were wide open, and looking
eagerly toward the Judge
"Acquit her!" he said, I am sorry.
know she tells the truth"
Put that man back upon the stand"
the judge says sternly.
The man was put back upon the
stand, only that his heart had softened,
aud he could see tie truth in the story
the prisoner had told now, when he
would not see it before. And so they
carried him away to his cart, aud drove
home.
| As they bore the old broken-down
man out by one door, there were eyes
met MartSa's from the other that made
her heart leap. Each Of that jury said,
when speaking of the case afterwsrd,
that they would have acquitted the pris-
oner through sympathy, without any
evidence tor the defence. When TIE
eyes of David Bigelow and Lefty Cor
don met Martha's she knew that she
wanted no sympathy now to send her
out upon the world with a stain upon
her name forever. The truth had
come, and when Lefty Gordon, now Mrs.
Philip Conger, threw her arms about
the prisoners neck aud kissed her,
while she cried aud laughed by turns,
everybody knew the story as well as
though it had been told. As form the
evidence must be given, and before the
tears had dried upon Letty's CHEEKS, the
verdict was rendered:
"NOt guilty."
How the people shouted, until the
judge was obliged to adjourn the court
for an hour to allow the enthusiasm
IL