Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-10-06


and anon toward group of female
witnesses that sat near, but among the
commonplace features exhibited there
he found nothing to remind him of his
midnight visitor. The business of the
trial went on and as his interest had
always been in the fate of the prison
er, he now listened with keener in-
terest to the proceedings. Tow
ards the close when the evidence
grew more and more decided against
the prisoner, the judge became pain
fully restless, the color came and went
on his cheek and there was an ex-
preston in his fine eyes which no man
remembered to have observed there
before.
Tho prisoner, too, seemed looo col
lected and Indifferent than he had
hitherto been during the trial. In
stead of keeping his dark eyes fixed
with sort of mournful earnestness
on the jury, as he had done the day
before, he cast wistful glances toward
the group of females His eyes grew
troubled and brilliant, while now and
then as his hand was raised to wipe
the drops from his forehead, those
who looked closely saw that it trem-
bled. This was altogether different
from his former cold and unimpass.
Toned demeanor, and the people whis-
pered TO each other that now, as his
case grew more and more hopeless,
his courage was giving way.
Once or twice he turned and cast
a searching look over the multitude
OF human faces with which the room
was crowded, The last time some
one in the crowd seemed to rivet his
attention Fire flashed to his ewes,
and his cheeks were blood red. He
half started to his feet, dropped again
as if bullet had cleft his heart, and
after one brief shudder, sat motionless
as before, gazing not upon either
judge or jury, but pale and marble
like, Oh his own clasped hands.
Among that sea of human faces no
one could tell which it was that had
so moved the prisoner, and boy in a
cloak pressed so eagerly onward just
alter, that ii served to draw the at
tenIion from the unhappy man
Though the crowd was 50 dense that
it seemed impossible for any one to
advance a single step, the lad forced
his way till he reached those who
stood nearest the prisoner, and gath
ering hi ttnak aboHt him, stood with
III few PAGES of the heart-stricken
man, pale and motionIesS also.
At length the judge began to de-
yfr III HI sd5h sdh5ahfgsa gSaseH H WIFE Mf an na eHores es
ION of storm sorrow lay upon his fea
lures, and gave depth and solemn pa.
thos to his voice. Still, though he
seemed more agitated than any one
had ever seen him before. his intellect
was clear. The evidence was against
the prisoner; there was no clue, not
a single thread upon which an honest
mind might fix a doubt.
The prisoner never lifted his face
but the boy. behind him stood immova
bic, with his large eyes riveted on the
judge, and hardly seeming to breathe
As the summing up grew more and
more against the prisoner, the boy
began to waver. He reached fortl
one hand and grasping the arm of q
stranger that stood next, thus proven
ted himself from falling to the floor.
In the midst of an opinion beari2g
decidedly against the prisoner, the
Judge caught the glance fixed on hin
by this singular boy. The blood rush
ed to his cheeks-he stammered-pur
his hand to his forehead, and went or
but his voice was more subdued, anC
more than once tears were seen tC
flood his ives.
! Night came on, the jury had beer
out three hours, and all that time tht
crowd remained immovable, and il
the front, with his eyes bent on the
STOPPING head of the boy prisoner
was that pale and trembling boy
They came in at last, with the un
spoken destiny of human being i'm
printed on their faces. The boy look
ed upon them as they ranged them
selves in the jury box; from one tt
; the other his shrinking eyes were
turned. and then, with one wild strug
, gle he forced a passage into the crowd
, Guilty! That fearful word ha,
sealed the death.sentence of two hu
man beings. Three weeks after the
trial the prisoner was found dead il
his cell. A paper of powdered opium
, which was found in his bosom was al
the explanation of his death that eve
reached the public. A week after
the judge received a funeral card
which surprised him not little, fo
the bereaved family, though wealth.
and in high standing, were total stran
gers to him. But private note which
, followed the card informed him tina
after she was taken with the brain fe
| yer that terminated her life, the young
creature who had so suddenly left he
home desolate, had earnestly request
, ed that he might be present at he
funeral.
He went, and there, whittier thar
satin which lined her coffin, lay hi
) midnight visitor, the seeming boy
whose mournful face had troubled hin
in the court room, and whose cold
, pale beauty haunted him many al
hour in his after life.
At Shelburne. Ind. last SATURDAY.