Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1871-12-22
neighbors which he was powerless to
prevent.
I" Is that you, Mr.. Hartsook ?''
Yes, and | want you to arrest me
and try me here in Clifty."
CHAPTER xxx,
THE TRIAL.

The prosecuting attorneyn flor sc
the States attorney is called in Indi
ana had been sent for the night be
fore. Ralph refused all legal help. II
was not wise to reject counsel, but al
his blood was up, and he declared that
he would not be cleared by legal quib-
bleS. If his innocence were not made
evident to everybody, he would rather
not he acquitted on preliminary ex.
animation. He would go over to the
circuit court and have the matter sift.
ed to the bottom. But he would have
been pleased had his uncle offered him
counsel, though he would have declin-
dit. He woIld'have felt better to have
had letter from home somewhat diff.
ferent from the one he received from
his Aunt Matilda by the hand of the
| prosecuting attorney. It was not very
| encouraging Or very sympathetic,
though it was very characteristic.
g Dear Ralph:
This is what / have always been
afraid of. l warned you faithfully the
last time l saw you. Ny skirts are
clear of your blood. l can not con-
sent for your uncle to appear as your
counsel or to go your bail. You know
| how much it would injure him in the
county, and he has no right to suffer
for your acts. 0 my dear nephew
for the sake of your poor, dead moth
| Err
We never shall know what the rest
of that letter was. Whenever Aunt
Matilda got to Ralph's poor, dead
| mother i'll her conversation, Ralph
ran out of the house. And now that
| his poor, dead mother was again made
to do service in his aunt's pious rheto-
ric, he landed the letter on the hot
Goals before him. and watched it van
ish into smoke with a grim satisfac-
ton.
Ralph was little afraid of mob.
But Clifty was better than Flat Creek,
and Squire Hawkins, with all his
faults, loved justice, and had q pro-
found respect for the majesty of the
law, and a profound respect for his
own majesty when sitting as a court
representing the law. What maneu-
vers he might resort to in business af-
fairs in order to avoid a conflict with
his lawlPss neighbors, he was courage
Gus and infieXible on the bench. The
Squire was the better part of him.
With the cooperation of the consta-
hle, he had organized posse of men
who could be depended on to enforce
the law against a mob.
By the time the trial opened in the
large schOol-house in Clifty at eleven
o'clock. all the surrounding country
had emptied its population into Clifty,
and all Flat Creek was on hand ready
to testify to something. Those who
knew the least appeared to know the
most, and were prOdigal of their sig
nificant winks and mods. Mrs. Means
had always suspected him. She seed
some mighty suspicious things about
him from the word go. She'd alters
had her doubts whether he was jist
the thing, and eff her ole man had aXed
her, likPr-n not he never'd a been
hired. She'd seed things with her
| own livip' eyes that beat all she ever
seed in all her born days. And Pete
Jones said he'd alters kDowed Their
warn't no good in sech n feller.-
Couldn't stay abed when he got there.
And Granny Sanders said, Laws
sakes! nObody'd ever abound him out
eff il hadn't been fer her. Didn't she
90 all over the reighborhood a-warnin'
people? Fer her part, she seed
straight through that piece of goods.
He was fond of the gals, too! Moth
ing was SO great crime in her eyes
as to be fond of the gals.
The constable paid udwittingly trib-
ute to William the COnquerer by cry
ing Squire Hawkins's court open with
an Oyez or, as he said it, 40 yesW
and the Squire asked Squire Under
wood, who came in that minute, to sit
with him. From the start, it was evil
dent to Ralph that the prosecuting at
| torney had been thoroughly posted by
Small, though, looking at that wor-
thys face, one would have thought him
! the most disinterested and philOsophi-
| cal spectator in the courtroom.
. Bronson, the prosecutor, was a
young man, and this was his first case
since his election. He was very am
bilious to distinguish himself, very
anxious to have Flat Creek influence
on his side in politics; and conse-
quently, he was very determined to
| send Ralph Hartsook to State prison,
Justly or unjustly, by fair means or
foul. To his professional eyes this
was not a question ofright and wrong.
not a question of life or death to such
a man as Ralph. It wgs George H.
Bronson's opportunity to distinguish
| himself. And so, with many kOw-
| ing and confident mods and hints, and
with much Difference TO the two
squires, he opened the case, affecting
| great Indignation at Ralph's wicked
ness, and uttering Delphic hints
about striped pants and shaven head,
and the grating of prison-doors at
Jacksonville.
And, now, if the court please, I
amabout to call a witness whose testi-
mony is very important indeed. Mrs.
| Sarah Jane Means will please step
forward and be sworn"
This Mrs. Means did with alacrity.
| She had met the prosecutor, and I'M
pressed him with her dark hints. She
| was sworn.
"Now, Mrs. Means, have the good
ness to tell us what you know of the
robbery at the house of Peter Srhroe-
der, aud the part defendant had in it. +"
"Well, you see. L alters suspected
| that air young man"
Here Squire Underwood stopped
her, and told her that she must not
tell her suspicious, but facts.
"Well, FITS facts | am a-going to
| tell" she shifted Indignantly.
Its facts that L mean to tell. p
Here her voice rose to keen pitch,
and she began to abuse the defendant:
Again and again the court insisted
that she must tell what there was sus-
picions about the school-master. AT
! last she got it out.
"Well, fer one thing, what kind of
gals did he go with? Hey? Why,
with my bound gal, Hammer, loaflin'
along through the bluegrass paster az
ten o'clock, aud keepin' that gal that's
got no protector but me out that away,
and destroyin' her character by his
company, that a'n'tsit fer nobody"
Here Bronson saw that he had
caught tartar. He said he had no
more questions to ask of Mrs. Means,
and that, unless the defendant wished
to cross-question her, she could stand
aside. Ralph said he would like to
ask her one question. Did ever so
with your daughter Miranda ?"
"No, you didn't" answered the
witness, with a tone and toss of the