The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-06-28

Then she moved, and tried to force
down the thing that seemed choking
her. 80
Eyes am ready" she said, slowly
''only-tell me first, what was the
charge? / don't know it,
well, it was a bad enough one
murder and robbery, It's an old COM
rade that's peached upon him; but
there was other evidence besides his. u
She followed him without another
word. He only spoke to her once
more, as after few minutes he deliv-
cred her to the charge of the turn
key;
The old mans in aidevil of tenn
per" he said to her then; YOU bet
ter take care what you say to him" +
They opened the door, and she
found him sitting down, quite, still.
She went forward to him, saying some
thing-his name, probably, or it
might have been only giving a cry or
sob-but it was something at least by
which he knew. even before he look
ed up, that it was she, and before she
reached him he had started up and
sprung at her, catching her by the
throat, and shaking her with the fury
of savage beast. The turnkey, rush
ing to her help, had to strike him
twice with all the weight of a. strong
arm before he loosed his hold on her.
She had only moaned out once or
twice, ''Fatherl FatherI2' AS the
turnkey held her back from him, the
miserable old man shouted 81
Take her away! I'll murder her
if she comes near mel Dye hear, I'll
murder her if she comes within sight
o me again .ss, II ma !. I.
She went away, she could do moth
ing more there. Almost without a
word she left the prison and went
back home, and closed the door upon
herself in her own house.
Throughout a month, until sher ia
theirs trial came on, she never crossed
the threshold of that house again, ex-
cept at intervals Of FIVE or six days to
walk the long four miles to the prison
gates, and ask there for tidings of the
old man. She had faint hope that
he might relent and express wish to
see her again, but he never did. The
rest of her. time she passed in entire
solitude, speaking to no human being,
occupying ucTScil dS ouc COulu Will
going mechanically about her house
hold work. One or two neighbors at
the beginning of her trouble came to
her with offers of assistance and sym
pathy, but she only thanked them, she
accepted nothing from them. She
passed a month in this manner. and
in that month her dark hair became
streaked with gray.
Her father had been confined for
nearly five weeks when his trial came
on. The assizes were held in the same
town in which he had been confined,
and on the day appointed for his trial,
at early morning when the sup had
barely risen, Priscilla left the house.
1t was still early when she reached the
court, but she stood at the doors till
they were open, and entered with the
crowd that had gathered round.
Screened from recognition by a thick
veil, she made her way as near to the
bar as she could press,
The trial began at ten o'clock.
Quite still, with the marble face even
behind its veil showing scarcely a
change upon it she sat from its COM
mencement to its close-sat quite still,
while slowly every hope was taken
from her.
She had chung to the thought that,
true though she did not doubt the
charge was, they might not be able to
prove it; they proved it in almost ev-
cry detail. TAs secret had been
they dug it up out of its grave as if it
had been set there yesterday. I'M
finchlngIy, fact by fact, they proved
it, gathering back out of the very earth
the blood that had been shed upon it.
She sat there and listened to it all !;
there was no respite given her, there
was no moment when hope stole back
upon her; steady as the coming on of
night so did the darkness close about
her, and the, shadow of the advance
ing misery grew deeper and deeper to
the end.
The old man stood in the dock
throughout the whole trial, leaning
his arms upon the rail before him,
with his face half raised, and. a look
upon it in which fear was stronger
than ferocity. There was something
vacant in its aspect, too as if the soli-
tary days and nights that he had pass
ed had touched his brain. He never
attempted to speak, scarcely to move /;
the crafty bleared eyes, with the light
almost out of them now, stared for
the most part straight before him, and
only now and then, as new witness
entered the box, moved for moment
aside to look at him.
1t was ended at last. and the judge
had risen. to sam up. But for a mo-
ment before he began to speak there
was slight movement on the front
benches where the audience sat- and a
woman rose up and pressed forward.
Cha hnd hor aras fxnd ON the indna' q