The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1873-02-13

And now II the court please. 40
about to call witness whose testimo
ny is very important indeed. Mrs
Sarah Jane Means will please steI
forward aud be sworn"
| This Mrs. Meaus did with alacrity
She had met the prosecutor, and i'm
pressed him with her dark hints. Shl
was sworn.
Now, Mrs. Means, have the good
ness to tell us what you know Of the
robbery at the house Of Peter Schroeder,
and the part defendant had in It."
"Well, you see, I allers suspected
that air young man"
Here Squire Underwood stopped
her, and told her that she must not
tell her suspicious, but facts.
well, it's facts I am a-going to
tell" she shifted indignantly. It's
facts that mean to tell" Here her
voice rose to keen pitch, and she be-
gan to abuse the defendant. Again
and again the court insisted that she
must tell what there was suspicious
about the school master. At last she
got 1t out.
well, fer one thing, what kind Of
gals did he 60 with? Hey: Why.
with my bound gal. Hammer, losfln'
along through the bluegrass paster n
ten o'clock, aud keepiu' tiaat gal thsue
got no protector but me out that away.
snd destroyin' her character BY his
company, that that ant 1T for mo-
body"
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 &c with your daugh-
ter Miranda ?"
NO, you didn't" answered the
witness. with tone and . toss Of the
head that let the cat out, and set the
courtroom in agiggIe. Bronson saw
that he was gaining nothing, and now
resolved to follow the line which
Small had indicated.
Pete Jones was called, and swofe
v~,.i,,e kl~r b tlaH l,~ k>~eA D~lnh No.,
out Of the house soon after he went to
bed, and that he heard him return at
two In the morning. This testimony
was given without hesitation, and
made great impression against Ralph
In the minds Of the Justices. Mrs
Jones, = p.or brow-beaten woman,
came on the stand In frightened
wsy, and swors to the Same lies as her
husband. Ralph cross-questioned her
but her part had been well learned.
There seemed now little hope for
Ralph. But just at this moment who
should stride into the school-house but
Pearson, the one-legged, old.soldisr
basket maker: He had crept home
the night before, ito see ef the ole
woman didn't want somethin'," and
hearing OF Ralph's arrest. he ceuclu-
ded that the time for iiim to make'
"a forrard movemsnt" had come, and
70 he determined to face the foe.
"Looky hero Squire" he said wip-
ing the perspiration from his brow,
''looky here. jest want to say that l
kin tell as much about this case -
any body"
"Let as bear it, then" said Bron.
BON, who thought he would nail Ralph
now for certain.
So with many allusions to the time
be fit At Lundy's Lane, aud some in
iignant remarks about the pack Of
thieves that driv him of, and pass
ng tribute to Miss Martha Hawkins,
ma sundry other digressions, in
" which he had to DO checked, the old
nan told how he'd drunk whisky At
store that. night, aud how
Welch's whisky was all-fired mean,
md how 1t alters went straight to his
read, and how he had got leetle too
much, and how he had felt kyinder
.in aout by the time he got to the
,lscksmith's shop, and how he had
ain down 10 rest, and how as he
''posed the boys had Grated him. and
low he thought 1t was all-firsd mean
o crate old soldier what fit the
aud lost Ills leg by one Of
he blamed critters punchin' his
1agonst through II; and how when he
xoke up it was all-nred cold. and how
,e rolled of the crate and went on to-
cards home, and how when he got up
o the top of Mcahs's bill he met Pete
Jones and Bill Jones, and slim sort
II young man. . ridiD' and how he
snow'd the Jones' by their hosses, and
'ome more things Of that kyind about
EN-; but he didn't know the slim
,oung man, tho he tho't he might
ell him ef he seed him agin. kase he
was dressed up so slick and town-like.
But blamed ef hs didn't think 1t hard
hat passed. of thieves sech as the
Ioneses should try to put their mean
hings on to man like the master,
hat WAS no kyind to him and to
shocky. tho, fer that matter. blamed
4 he didn't think We was MI selfish,
TO his tell. Had seed sorne-
,ody that night crossin' over the
bluegrass paster. Didn't know who
n thunder twas, but il vas somebody
! maxim straight for Pete Jones's.
Hadn't seed nonody else, 'ceptin' DR..
small, . short ways behind the JON
,ses.
Hannah was now brought on the
'tand. She was greatly agitated, and
with much reluctance.
Lived at Mr.. Means's. Was eighteen
years Of age in O,tobsr. Had been
pound to Mrs. Msans three years ago.
Hs had walked home with Mr.. Hart
'ook that evening, and, happening to
ook out the window toward morning,
,he saw some one cross the pasture.
Did not know who il was. Thought
{ was Mr.. Hartsook. Here Mr.. Bron-
,on evidently prompted by . sugges-
.lon that came from what Small had
In