The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-11-19

see; and, with this gamblers ep
gram, he threw away his useless pi.
tol and rode back with his captor.
. 1t was a warm night. The coo
Z, breeze which usually sprang up wit
the going down of the sun behind til
chapparel. crested mountain was tha
evening withheld from Sandy Ban
The little canon was sitting wit
heated, resinous odors. and the de
caying driftwood on the Bar sen
forth faint, sickening exhalations.-
rhs feverishness of the day, and it
fierce passions, still filed the camp
Lights moved restlessly along tn
bank of the river, striking no an
swering reflection from its tawn,
current. Against the blackness o
the pines the windows Of the old lof
above the express office stood ou
staringly bright; and through theil
curtsinless panes the loI;agess below
could see the forms of those who
were even then deciding the fate o
| 1cuutSSGc. anu eOONC e1ii IuiS
etched on the dark armament, rose
the Sierra, remote and passionless
crowned with remoter, passionless
stars.
The trial of Tennessee was con
Quoted as fairly as was consistent
with judge and jury who felt them
selves to some extent obliged to jus
tify, in their verdict, the previous
irregularities OF arrest and indict
ment. The law of Sandy Bar was
implacable, but not vengeful. The
excitement and personal feeling OF
the chase was over; with Tennessee
sale in their hands, they were ready
to listen patiently to any defence,
which they were already satisfied
was insufficient. There being no
doubt in their own minds, they were
willing 10 give the prisoner the ben
eft of any that might exist. Secure
in the hypothesis that he ought to be
hanged, on general priacinles, they
indulged him with more latitude OF
defence than his reckless hardness
seemed to ask. The judge appeared
to be more anxious than the prisoner,
who, otherwise unconcerned, evil
IDENTIFY took a grim pleasure in the
responsibility he had created. 81
don't take any hand in this yer game" :"
had been his invariable but good
humored reply to ell questions. The
judge--who was also his captor-for
moment vaguely regretted that he
had not shot him "On sight" that
morning, but presently dismissed
this human weakness as unworthy OF
the judicial mind. Nevertheless,
when there was tap at the door, and
it was said that Tennessee's Partner
was there on behalf of the prisoner,
he was admitted at once without
question. Perhaps the eyounger mem
bers Of the jury, to whom the pro
ceedings were becoming irksomely
thoughtful, hailed him as relief.
For be was not, certainly, an i'm
posing figure. Short and stout, with
square face, sunburneu lIro . pre-
ternatural redness, clad in loose
duck Jumper" and trowsers streak
ed and splashed with red soil, his
aspect under any circumstances
would have been quaint, and was
now even ridiculous. AS he stopped
to deposit at his feet heavy carpet
bag he was carrying, it became obvi
Gus, from partially developed legends
and inscriptions, that the material
with which his trowsers had been
patched had been originally intended
for less ambitious covering. Yet
he advanced with great gravity, and,
after having shaken the hand of each
person in the room with labOred cor
diality, he wiped his serious, per-
picked face on a red bandana hand
kerchief, shade lighter than his
complexion, laid his powerful hand
upon the table to steady himself, and
thus addressed the judge:
81 was passin' by he began, by
way of apology, Sand l thought I'd
just step in and see how things was
gittin' along with Tennessee, thar
my pardner. It's hot night. | dis
remember any sich weather before on
the Bar"
He paused moment, but nobody
volunteering any other meteorolog-
ical recollection, he again had re
course to his pocket handkerchief,
and for some moments mopped his
face diligently.
"Have you anything to say in be
half ofthe prisoner ?" said the judge,
finally.
"Thet's it, said Tenessee's Part
ner, in tone OF relief. II come var
as Tennessee's Pardner-knowing
him nigh on four year, off and on,
wet and dry, in luck and out O. luck.
His ways amt alters my ways, but
thar amt any p'ints in that young
man, there amt any lIveliness as he's
been up to, as / don't know. And
you sez to me, sez-confidential-hke,
and between man and man-sez you,
'Do you know anything in his behalf?
and sez to you, sez / confidential
like, as between man and Inaa-What
should man know of his pardner ~
''Is that all you have to say ?"
asked the Judge, impatiently, feeling,
perhaps, that dangerous sympathy
of humor was beginning to humorize
the Court.
"Thet's so,' continued Tennessee's
Partner. "It amt for me to say any
thing ag'in him. And now, what's
the case? Here's Tennessee wants
money, wants it bad, and doesn't
like to ask it of his old pardner.--
Well, what does Tennessee do? He
laws for stranger, and he fetches
that stranger. And you lay for hia,
and you fetches him and the honors
is easy. And 1 put it to you-bein'
a far-minded man--and to you, gen.
tlemen, all. as iarminded mer, eff this
isn't so p
"Prisoner," said the judge, inter
rupting, ''have you any questions to
ask this man?'
"No! noh' continued Tennessee's
Partner, hastily, 81 play this yer
hand alone. To come down to the
bedrock, it's just this: Tennessee,
thar, has plsyed it pretty rough and
expensive-like on stranger, and on
this yer camp. And now, what's the
fair thing? Some would say more !;
some would say less. Here's seven
teen hundred dollars in coarse gold
and a watch--it's about all my pile
and call it square!' And before
a hand could be raised to prevent