The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-11-06

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Annie paused for an instant and then
said suddenly, "Your Honor, may adj
dress the jury ?"
His Honor was evidently In mood TO
please, for he nodded assent and the fair
speaker continued: Gentlemen of the
jury, it is claimed that every American
citizen has right to be tried by a jury
Of his peers. 1t strucS me very forcibly,
when 1 came in and stood before you to-
day, that was not one of your peers"
"Will you please tell us why 9n
queried the foreman, rising to his feet
and speaking deferentially
because am nothing but a woman,
and have no legal or civil rights which
men are bound to respect. The privi-
lege to act as my own counsel was denied
me, and if the case had gone on should
have been compelled to retain lawyer
In my employ, when could have done
the work to suit myself full better than
he, because l knew more about it than
he could possibly know. Gentlemen of
the jury, women are living under a
mans government; they are subjected
to just such taxation and just such mis-
representation as men see fit to impose
upon them. believe that every one of
you would have been disposed to deal
justly with me, if the trial had gone on,
yet, had my prosecutor been present to
produce his chain of cIrcumstantial evil
dence against me, you, as men, would
have been blind to the intuitional, in
ner conviction of my innocence, which
you now feel under the absence of evil
dence, and you would have condemned
me to long years Of penal servitude, un-
der the laws of State where / am per-
mitted no voice in the framing of stat
utes. point proudly to one or two no
bic friends who have stood by me in my
darkest hour; but what would have be-
fallen me, had not had them?
ain one of the chambers over my fash
ion emporium there sits woman to-day,
the victim of the same man who has
brought the disgrace of arrest and i'm
prisonment upon me. This woman,
through no fault of hers, is social outlaw
yet she would lay down her life for the
man who has wronged her, aud he goes
scot free, with an undisputed admission
alike to fashionable society and the
mysteries Of the brothel"
"Is not this the fault of woman ?'i
queried the foreman, while the whole
dozen looked uncomfortably tired of q
jury box.
at is the fault of woman's social
civil and financial position" was the
quick reply. "F'rom this day hence
forth, my friends-I beg your pardon fol
the appellation, if any of you feel thai
you do not deserve it'll shall devote my
leisure hours and all the energy 1 cal
spare from the domestic duties which ]
shall soon assume, to the elevation o.
woman to a condition of equal freedom
even as she now has equal responsibility
with her brother man.
"Gentlemen of the jury, do you, in
your inmost souls and of your own FREE
choice aud full conviction, honorably
acquit me from all suspicion of guilt a
charged in Robert Green's Indictment p
The twelve jurors arose to their feet il
simultaneous response.
"These proceedings are very irregu
lar" said the dapper lawyer, on behal
Of the State.
"Very true" was his Honor's reply
''but we have no other urgent buines
for to-day, and we have all been edited.
Then, stepping down from his chair, th'
gray haired man of the law shook tn
discharged prisoner by the hand, con
graduated and eomplimented her, tn
twelve jurymen following his example
while almost every eye, bnt Amie's, wa
wet with tears of sympathy and rejoic
ing. The Court then took a recess, an,
a prolonged shout went up from tn
throats of the multitude as Melvin Hast
ings took the little maiden in his arm
and bore her to the carriage in triumph
"She's en- GngelH said a roughly ella,
son of Erin, as he wiped his eyes upol
the sleeve of his coat.
'My stars ~ exclaimed a distin
guished member of the bar from
neighboring State, who had witnesse
the whole proceeding. "What grace
and pluck, and genius, and energy an
dignity the little witch possesses ! d
envy that lucky dog, Hastings Who
she, anyhow" turning to Henry Lee
who was elbowing his way through tn
crowd, In a vain attempt to keep nea
her.
"She is my sister," was the dignifie
and courteous reply, and the prou
brother entered the vehicle and close
the door upon its inmates as they drov
in triumph to the home Of Melvin
mother, into which they were escorte
in triumph by the senior Hastings, VIII
had but recently become reconciled
his son and daughter.
"This is not Mays wedding day, q
we expected, but it's better than brac
Of weddings" said the father, as
grasped each by the hand in their tur
and led them to the chamber of the in
valid mother, who received them, /
company with her own fair daughter
and the whole family of Lees, wit
tears and blessings.
''The brace weddings is soon to com
; in addition to the joy of this reunion,
said Clara Morton Hastings, as sh
stepped from an allowed window an
united her welcome with that of Ii
others.
Concluded next week.