Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-01-11

cACllenSuI anu peTsOUaI Keeling OIL the
chase were over; with Tennessee safe in
their hands they were ready to listen
patiently to any defense, which they were
already satisfied was insufficient. There
being no doubt in their own minds, they
were willing to give the prisoner the benefit
Of any that might exist Secure in the
hypothesis that he ought to be hanged on
general principles, they indulged him with
more latitude Of defense than his reckless
hardihoOd seemed to ask The Judge ap-
peared to be more anxious than the pris-
oner, who, otherwise uncOncerned, evident
ly took grim pleasure in the responsibility
he had created. [ don't take any hand
in this yer game, had been his invariable
but good humored reply to all questions.
! The Judge-who was also his captor-for
d 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. Never
Y theless, when there was d tap at the door
and it was said that Tennessee's Partner
was there on behalf OF the prisoner, he
was admitted ut once without question
/ Perhaps the younger members of the jury
to whom the proceedings were becoming
/ irksomely thoughtful, hailed him as
relief
/ For he was not, certainly, an imposing
| figure. Short and stout, with q square
/ face, sunburned into a preteFnatural red
ness, clad in a loose duck " jumper" and
| trousers streaked and splashed with red
soil, his aspect under any circumstances
would have been quaint, and was now even
L. ho rl .
his feet a heavy carpet-bag he was carry
ing, it became obvious, from partially de-
veloped legends and inscriptions, that the
material with which his trousers had been
I patched had been originally intended for
I a less ambitious covering. Yet he ad-
vanced with great gravity, and after hav-
/ ing shaken the hand of each person in the
room with labored cordiality, he wiped his
/ serious, perplexed face on i red bandanna
handkerchief a shade lighter than his
complexion, laid his powerful hand upon
I the table to steady himself. and thus ad-
dressed the Judge:
1 was passin' by, he began, by way of
apology, and | thought Ia Just step in
and see how things was gittin' on with
1 Tennessee thar,-my pardner It's hot
night | disrcmember any sich weather
before on the Bar
lie paused a moment, but nobody vol
untecring any other meteorological recol-
4 lection, he again had recourse to his pocket
handkcrchicfand for some moments mopped
his face diligently.
Have you anything to say in behalf Of
the prisoner p said the Judge, finally
Thet'~ it, said Tenuessee's Partner in
tone Of relief. come var as Tennes-
sees 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 pints in that
young man, thar amt any liveliness as he's
1 been up TO, rs | don't know And YOU
sen to me, scz confidential like, and
between man and man.-sez you, DO YOU
know anything in his behalf?' and sez
/ to you, sez l,-contidential-like, as between
man and man. What should a man
know Of his pardner p
Is this all you have to say +, as ked
the Judge impatiently, feeling, perhaps
that a dangerous sympathy Of humor was
beginning to humanize the Court.
'Thets So continued Tennessee Part
ner. 1t amt for me to say anything
agin' him And now, what the case
Here's Tennessee wants money, wants it
bad, and doesn't like to ask it Of his old
pardncr Well, what does Tennessee do
He lays for a stranger, and he fetches that
stranger. And you lays for him, and you
fetches linn; and the honors Is easy. And
put it TO you, bein' 4 far-minded man,
and to you, gentlemen, all, as far-minded
men, if this isn't 50.
Prisoner, said the Judge, intcrruptiDg.
have you any questions to ask this man 2
No no i continued Tenncssee's Part
ner, hastily. play this yer haad alone.
To come down to the bedrock. its Just
this Tennessee thar, has played it pretty
rough and expepsiye-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 seventeen
hundred dollars in coarse gold and a watch
its about all my pile,-and call II
square Aud before hand could be
raised to prevent him, he had emptied the
contents Of the carpet-bag upon the table.
For a moment his life was in jeopardy.
One or two men sprang to their feet, sew
eral hands groped for hidden weapons, and
a suggestion to throw him from the wiz
dow was only overridden by gesture
from the Judge. Tennessee laughed. And
apparently obivious Of the excitement,
Tennessec's Partner improved the opPor-
tunity to mop his face again with his hand
kerchief
Wsen order was restored, and the man
was made to understand, by the use OF
torcible figures and rhetoric, that Tennes-
sees offense could not be condoned by mon
ey, his face took more serious and san
culinary hue, and those who were nearest
to him noticed that his rough hand trembled
slightly on the table. He hesitated mo-
ment as he slowly returned the gold to the
carpet-bag, as if he had not yet entirely
caught the elevated sense of justice which
swayed the tribunal, and was perpleXed
with the belief that he had not offered
enough Then he turned to the Judge, ana
saying, This yer is lone hand, played
alone, and without my pardner, ne bowed
to the Jury and was about to withdraw
when the Judge called him back. II you
have anything to say to Tennessee, you had
better saw it now. For the first time that
evening the eyes of the prisoner and MS
strange advocate met. Tennessee smiled
showed his white teeth, and, saying, Eu-
chred, old man = held out his hand len,
nessee'e Partner took it in his own' ana
saying, [ just dropped in as was PasslLh
to see how things was gettln on ie' .nt
hand passively fall, and adding that 1t
was d warm night again mopped MS i1oe
with his handkerchief, and without announcer
word ithdrew.