Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-01-03

Mara's account Of herself, given to Halsey
before their marriage, was all true so far as
it went. She had inverted nothing though
she had held back some Of the truth. Thus
the name Of Child, under which shehad been
married, was the only one she had right to
bear that of Hort, the name under which
she had been convicted being her fathers
which her mother had adopted. II was quite
true that her mother had been heartlessly de-
ceived by her father and that, after that,
Mrs. Hort, being destitute, had resumed her
first trade of seamstress. 1t was again true,
that, after her mothers death, Mara had met
with benevolent friends, under whose roof
she had remained, until the master of the
house had fallen in love with her, when, to
save him against himself, she had fed. Only,
instead of meeting with these friends imme-
diately upon her mothers death, she had only
been taken in hand by them after her release
from the penitentiary on the ticket-ofeave.
They had been put in the way Of helping her
by discharged prisoners aid society and,
being attracted by her sweet temper, her
beauty, and the good reports the prisOn.mat.
rons all gave of her, they had soon offered
her home under their roof suspecting that
she had not been 50 entirely guilty as appear.
ances showed, and that she was perhaps more
sinned against than SHINING. We learned
these particulars from the peoples own lips
but Mara's fight had, of course in a great
measure revoked the good opinion which had
been formed Of her-at least, so her bene-
factress said. This lady's husband we saw
in private aud he confessed with shame
Mara's grace, goodness, aud gentleness had
indeed turned his head and he had easily
guessed why she had deserted his house. lie
considered that there was some mystery
about the girl himself he could believe no
wrong of her.
With respect to the crime for which Mara
had been convicted, the circumstances were
gone to live with fellow seamstress, named
Jesse Mill. This girl had been well behaved
at first but having become the mistress of
card.sharper, welsher, and cracksman,
named Jem Raft, she had taken to receiving
aud concealing property stolen by him. A
great jewel robbery having been traced to
Jem, the detectives had at length succeed.
ed in discovering his connection with jesse
Mill and, having been informed of his us
ual hours for visiting her, they had lain in
wait for him one evening and whilst he,
Jesse, aud Mara Hort (whO had a room next
Jesse's) were at tea in the latter's room, a
policeman had burst the door open. Jem
had escaped out of the window, which was
top one on the roof The policeman tried to
dart in pursuit but Mara Hort had struck
him from behind on the head with a poker,
as he was half through the window and
this had caused him to lose his balance and
fall over the roofs parapet into the street,
where he had been killed by the fall No
body had seen Mara strike the blow ; but
when the second policeman (who should have
been by the side of the first when the latter
broke the door open, but who had Jagged be-
hind) entered the room, the crime had been
committed. Mara, however, charged her
self with the murder, and completely excner-
ated her friend. On her box being searched,
jewelry stolen by Jem Raft was found in it /;
and she was arraigued on the double charge
of williul murder and complicated in rob-
berry, jesse Mill being only indicted on the
lesser count of receiving stolen goods. The
grand jury found a true bill against Mara
Hort ; but the petty jury convicted her only
Of manslaughter, because Of her youth and
beauty, it was said People also rumOred
that the same causes had probably moved the
| Judge when he sentenced her to so little as
seven years penal servitudc and there was
even some scandal on the subject. A few
journalists who had not seen Mara, and could
consequently remain dispassionate, had writ
ten virtuous leading articles
These items constituted all we could learn.
for Mara would add nothing to them. Her
husband and both exhorted her, in pity on
us, her child, and herself, to give her own
version Of the atrocous history but, though
our supplications must have put her to moral
torture, worse than slow fire, she constantly
answered that the secret was not hers (; and
that besides, if she did speak, all that she
alone could say would not serve her. Hal.
Mill and Jem Raft but the former had been
convicted at the same time as Mara of re-
oeiving stolen goods, and had been condemn
ed to few months Imprisonment only. Jem
Raft had got clear away. The police could
give us no clue to their whereabouts We
searched the Whitechapel sums, eross-ques-
toned thieves, made the acquaintance of all
those bad characters who might be coloniz-
ing African wastes for us, if the government
did not prefer to keep them as curiosities to
show the stranger but search or question
as we would, we heard nothing of Jem or his
honest mistress, who seemed to have melted
into space. 1t was then that Halsey, who
had been worn away to the shadow of his for
mer self, broke down and, shortly after,
the trial took place.
CONCLUDED neat WsekJ
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