The Hickman courier., 1868-07-18

| Il ne LAule OF tIl&i was last dppEOdcu'
ing. When it came it would be brief.
The facts we're few and simple, the
evidence was direct and conclusive, the
deduction from it followed surely on
to conviction of guilt, and the prison
door was opening to receive its inmate
and shut ont the world from one more
soul lost to'> in the perdiction q
crime.
In vain had the sister attempted t.
impress any others with even the glim-
mer of that belief of her brothers inuo.
cence, whose perfect fullness had aHak.
ened her to such untiring efforts in bis
behalf. Amid the overshadowing cloud
of proofaPhey gave to her appeals only
the valueless recognition OF sympathy
for her misguided zeal. But just upor
the eve of the impending trial and ex
torted from the reluctant magistratestc1
ssaall ,sszsagfss,ssf s,s -s.s aid 4.
uess, she directed his vision to a CLEAN
of light that ftfuily glimlnered ike an
fgnns .fatuas in the night To her X
seemed glowing phantasy that needsd
but to be watched with the eye of faith
and shopeetill it should shine forth in
the fulness of perfect light. Charity
rather than faith responded to her ap-
peal. The favor of the aid she sought
was granted. The issue of the FIRST eff
fort made startled the magistrate fom
the listlessness into which he had fallen.
To him it seeNed like an hallucinltion
into which 4@ fancy beguiled his pdg
ment But the more intently he Looked
-, p IL.
case, the more wildly did his reason in
vest il with attributes of probability
Efforts were made to seek farther light
upon this discovery, and to those efforts
the tireless champion of the accu!ed con-
tributed all her ingenuity aud zeal. Step
by step was the progress made In their
pursuit. Atom was added to atom of
the proof that was thus uIfolded.-
:. Trifes light as air" were seized upon to
furnish, if possible, any clue mat should
be of measurable weight. Reason, skill,
aid the purpose. Finally the end came.
The efforts eliminated in success. That
small, faint glimmer of lighs, mo larger
than a mans hand, upon the broad
horizon of specula ton, first seen by The
watchful sister OF the accused, and to
which she directed the vision of the
others, had now risen to the zenith Of
the armament, aud thence Aone forth
with the brightness of a noohday sun to
shed food of light upon the case, and
to illumine the pathway of the prisoner
from the dungeon OF shame TO world
of freedom and re esta blished innocence.
All attempts had hitherto failed to sup
port by any circumstance OF proof the
asseyerstion OF the accused that he was
wholly ignorant of the presence of the
stolen articles within his bed, or to show
how by any other agency than his own
they could have been placed there 1t
seems that If he was innocent, the per-
son IOost likely to be possessed OF any
Information uDon the snhiect was be
domestic female servant of the house
hold. But though she had never been
examined as a witness in the case, she
had at all times when spoken to upon the
subject declared that she knew nothing
OF it. Her assumed ignorance, coupled
with the declarations of all others of the
household, had seemed to shut the door
against all hope of acquiring any knowl-
C0EC ABOn TINS A4col pOiut Lut
the vigil eye and the keen sented scru-
tiny of the prisoners sister had cease
lessly been directed to the subject, till at
length her watehtulness was rewarded
with the recompense of success. She
became assured In her conviction that
the servant knew much more OF the mat
ter than she had thus far disclosed, and
that her knowledge possessed the very
highest value to the prisoner.
1t would perhaps be tiresome in the
narrative to reeite by what processes and
from what sources was first obtained the
relief of the domestics knowledge in
the matter. That relief, based at first
upon that shadow evidence that would
have addressed itself to such a busy i'm
agination as possessed the sister of the
accused, was speedily to be supported by
such irrefragable proof that nons could
deny its force.
The effort made to obtain that proof
was successful. A note was addressed
to the servant, but without signature. in
viting her to meet the writer of il at a
designated place in the public street. A
covert allusion was made in the note TO
the subject of promised reward for her
secresy in Ne matter Of the hidden sto
len propertyS The stratagem succeeded
in its purpose. She visited the place a,
the appointed time, though there was
none to meet her there, aud though nc
eyes saw her but that of wary police
officer.
TIE success of this exploit left but
one m0se, though the most important
thing, to be done that was to extorl
from her the confession as to who it was
that had placed the stolen property with
in the prisoners room, and OF which
knowledge she had by some means be-
come possessed. The effort to consum.
mate this result was equally successful
Upon the next morning the servan'
was startled from her busy household la
bors byShe summons of a police officer
He desired her speedy presence in hei
sleeping chamber. Thither they went
her anxious inquiry to learn the motivs
of this sudden irruption, failing to re
ceive an answer till her presence there
should have developed the fitting oeca-
sion. Then the purpose OF the ofhcia
visit was mtde known. She denied al
knowledge of the matter of the gstoleI
property. The officer demanded the ke,
of her trunk. That depository was quick
ly opened. And within it was founc
hidden SOME articles of jewelry that til,
officer triumphantly declared to be par
OF those stolen upon the night of the
burglary from the store! Had the sa
gacity of the servant not been bluntec
by the amazemept and alright OF th,
scene, she might have conjectured tina
the speed and precision with which th'
officer directed his discovery of the ar
ticles could only have been accounted
for upon the hypothesis that he had thu
placed them there where be could quick
ly find them But no such thought fit
tered across the Imagination of the ser
want.
Quickly upon the production of th
alleged stolen articles, and before eveI
an exclamation Of wonder or igneranc
could be uttered. the officer followed u,
bis advantage by making known bis con