The Placer herald., 1871-02-11

cause of this sudden emotion ? Could any
connection exist between him, the apparent
ly rude hunter, and that fairy girl, more
beautiful than the blossom of summer, and
in countenance celestial as a star?
The judge turned to the prisoner En-
ma Greenleaf, the court has been informed
that your counsel, Colonel Linton, is sick,
and cannot attend, Have you employed
any other?'
She answered in a voice sweet as the war
Bile Of nightingale and clear as the song of
a skylark, "My enemies have brbed all the
lawyers, even my own, to be sick; but God
will defend the nnocentp'
AT this response, so touching in its sim
pie pathos, portion of the auditors buzzed
applause and the rest wept On the instant,
however, the leather robed stranger, whose
aspect had previously created SO much mer-
riment, approached the prisoner and whisp-
cred something in her ear. She bounded
several inches from the floor, uttered wild
shrek and then stood pale and trembling as
if in the presence ofa ghost from the grave
All, now. could perceive that there must be
some mysterious connection between the two,
and the scene assumed the profound interest
of genuine romance. Thestranger address
tone of an organ
"May it please your honor, will defend
the legal rights If the lady"
EWhatP' exclaimed the astonished Judge,
''are you a licensed attorney %
"The question is immaterial and irreva-
lent, replied the stranger, with sneer, as
your statute entities any person to act as
counsel at the request of party"
But does the prisoner request it asked
the judge.
''Let her speak for herself" said the
stranger,
81 do, was her answer, as long drawn
sigh escaped that seemed to rend her very
heart-strings
CIV hat is your name, as it must be plac-
ed on the record q interrogated the judge.
"William Denton said the stranger.
The case Immediately progressed. We
will briefly epotimize the substance of the
evidence. About twelve months previously
the defendant had arrived in the town and
opened an establishment of millinery, Re-
siding in small back room of her shop, and
all alone, she prepared the various articles
of her trade with unwearied toll and consum-
mate taste. Her habits mere secluded, mod
est and retiring; and hence she might have
hoped TO escape notoriety, but for the peril
Gus gift Of that extraordinary beauty, which
too often, and TO the poor and triendlcss al
ways proves a curse. She was soon sought
after by those gay fre-hies of fashions the
business of whose life everywhere is seduc-
ton and ruin But the beautiful stranger
rejected them all alike with unutterabe
scorn and loathing.
Among these disappointed admirers was
one of character from which the fair millin-
er had everything to fear Hiram Shore be-
longed to a family at once opulent, inhuen-
tial and dissipated He was himself icen-
tious, brave and revengeful, and duelist of
established and terrible fame. 1t was gen
orally known that he had made advances to
win the favor of the lovely Emma, and had
shared the fate of all her other wooers-a
disdainful repulse.
At nine clock, on Christmas Eve, 1888,
the people of Little Rock were startled by a
loud scream, as if some one in mortal terror;
while following that, with hardly an inter
val came successive reports of firearms
one, two, three-a dozen deafenng explos-
ions. They flew to the shop of the miner,
whence the sounds emenated, and pushed
back the unfastened door, A dreadful
the center of the room, with a revolver in
each hand, every barrel discharged, her
features pale, her eyes flashed wildly and
her lips parted with an awful smile. And
there at her feet, weltering in his warm blood,
his bosom literally riddled with bullets, laid
the al-dreaded duest, Hiram Shore, gasp
ing in the last agony. He articrdated but
single sentence, "Iell my mother that | am
dead and gone to h--ll., and instantly cx-
pired. ...-.
Sin God S name, who did this?" exclaim-
ed the appalled, spectators.
81 did it ," said the beautiful milliner, in
her sweet silvery accents, 81 did it to save
my honor.'
Such is brief abstract of the essential cir
cumstances, as developed on the examina-
ton of witnesses. The testimony closed and
the pleading began
First of all, Fowler, Pike and Ashly (all
famous lawyers at that time in the south
ives J spoke in succession for the prosecution.
They about equally partitioned their elo-
quence betwiXt the prisoner and her advo-
cate, covering the latter with such sarcastic
wit, raillery and ridicule as made it a matter
of doubt whether he or his client was the
party then on trrl. AS to Denton, howev-
er, he seemed to pay not the slightest atten-
ton to his opponents, but remained motion
less, with his forehead bowed on his hands,
like one buried in deep thought or slumber.
When his time came, however, he sudden
ly sprang to his feet, crossed the bar and
took position almost touching the foreman
of the jury. He then commenced in whisp-
er so wild, peculiar and indescribably dis
tinct as to fill the floor from hall to galleries.
AT the outset he dealt i'll pure logic, analy
zng and combining the proven facts, till the
whole mass of confused evidence looked
transparent as a globe of crystal, through
which the innocence of his client shone lumin-
ous az a sunhoom whie tho i,rors nodded