Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-05-27
Select Story.
John Henthorn's Trial.

One by one the charges were read over.
He, John Henthorne, stood charged
with having stolen a handsome gold
watch, four other articles ofjewelry. and
some bank notes, from Ebenezer Grant.
commercial traveller; and he wass charg-
ed on the second count with having the
above mentioned articles is his posses
sion, knowing them to have been stolen.
He was only lad-just eighteen; he
had no friends in the great city, which
seemed to him SO hard-heartsd, at that
moment. to be continuing its business
with the same eager roar as ever, while
he stood on his trial. He had ne friends?
Yes, he had dear little friend-his lit
tie sister, Lucy. She was standing by,
listening to the person who read over
these charges in hard, dry, matter-of-
fact style, and then asked her brother
yes, though she could hardly believe it,
it was her own brother John, who stood
there in the deck, between two police
men-asked her brother whether he was
guilty or not guilty.
She listened eagerly for Johns reply.
She saw his mouth open and make an
Intellectual effort to form the word; at
length with agrsat gasp it came" Not
guilty."
Little Lucy breathed more fresly.-
Her little finger was laid upon her lips !;
her thin face was paler than ever. but
her eyes were brighter and anxious-no
not so much anxious as watchful and
eager. She knew now-for she had
heard her brother spcak-thst John
was innecent; and though she knew
for she was nearly famished-how sorely
John might have been tempted by ne
cessity, yet Johns word was passed. and
John was innocent.
John was innocent; but John must be
proved innocent. She knew that the
gentlemen ranged in rows before the
judge were ali clever lawyers, who could
prove that John had stolen nothing: so
she slipped down from the crowd
amongst which she was standing, and
being so small, she passed unobseryed
to the corner of the lawyers seats. She
watched all their faces for long time.
SOME of them were busily engaged turn
ing over great masses of paper and
parchment; Others were sitting moodily
with their hands pressed upon their
foreheads, bricfiess barristers, who were
meditatiHg g on the ineouaIitie. of the
world, and how it was thai" that dens.Iv
stupid Frumblefrump had his hand. fuiI
of cases." and they, "who could hear
his head off at billiards. or anv other
gentlemanly employment were left
briefess. Amongst these unhanny and
involuntarily idle barristers. was one
who had for fourteen wears freouented
the courts, and never met with thai
Treasures brief. He had dnoconnection
mo one to give him start. His little
fortune was ebbing slowly .wav n.
had managed to pick up \ few no3nds in
a variety of ways. He had sometime.
communicated the first intelligence al
an appalling accident, which he had
been fortunate enough TO wjtness to
some of the daily papers and bad 70.
ceived few sbiiIings for his tronhle =
But bit by bit his little canitaINths
careful, hard earned savings of a Iov;n9
father, the vicar of a little country Iivin :,
-dwindled away. He was tbinkinG
with his head between bis HANDS
thinking bitterly of his unnrof;tabi. I;ss.
he contrasted his own nos tion IF com,
pulsory idleness and unavoidabla ,ran.
t1lity, with the industrious and gratsfnI
toll of the day-Iaborer He rict4Srad q .. - u
rough-handed man returning from his his
work-tired, but not exhausted-ths
merry faces and the hearty greeting-e
the Growing children, and the RADIANT
self, Edmund Carew. returnins to bic
lonely chambers with pale face and do
jected spirits; and Edmund Carew was
about to curse the day of his birrh vhe,i
light finger was laid upen his elbow
4 e