National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-03-11
JOHNS TRIAL.
From the Atlantic Monthly. ]

from the Atlantic Monthly.1
Just where the wilderness road Of the Adj
.rondack Highlands strikes the edge OF the
k1eat Champlain Valley, in . little clearing, !"
lonely log-house. On the 10th day OF 9u,y'
..1S52, muscular, gaunt woman STOOD ~ w.
door of the house, overlooking the vast eA'.a'
of the valley. From her stano-poin., .I
miles of green forest swept down 10 inc isNe
winding sbore. She saw the indendatioh mace
in the shore line BY "the bay" and peyond'
the wide waters cleaning in the fervid bright
ness of summer. Specks were here and there
I5,scs,r.b,e in the light, flashed back from the
blue mirror. like surface, and by long watching
n conld he seen that these specks were moving
to and fro. ,.r - =
The vomen knew that these distant moving
atoms were boats freighting lumber through
Lake Champlain. She knew that there was
but one boat that would be likely to turn aside
and come into the little bay, and that this
boat would be her son Johns sloop. r..
That was why she watched so anxiously
speck that neared the bay and at length en-
tered it. To make doubly sure, she brought
to bear an old spy-glass whose principal lens
was cracked entirely through. 1t gave ner q
smoky view of the famous sloop, the Dolly ann
Johns property, and then she was entireiy
certain that her son, who had been three weeks
absent ON his voyage, was coming home.
Jupiter. the house-dog, who had been watch
ing her, seemed to know it too, perfectly well !;
for as she turned from her survey through the
glass, his canine nature developed degree OF
wriegling freshness of which the grave oiu
dog seemed half ashamed. He whlned ana
walked about the door-yard for few moments,
then gave his mistress a long, steady look, and
seemed satisfied with what he read in her lace,
jumped over tine fence and started down the
road into the valley, at full run.
The women knew that three or four hours
must yet elapse before John and Jupiter would
come along the path together, tired by tnelr
long tramp up the mountain side. she tnought
and waited as lonely mothers think ana walt
for absent sons.
About four O'Clock, q young dark-eyed man
and dog came up the road and to the house.
ssHeigho, mother, all well!' was the mans only
greeting. The woman's greeting was no show
of sentiment, not even hand-shake; Dull
bright look in the mans face, and tremor In
the voice of the woman, conveyed the impres,
sion that these plain people felt great Zeal
more than they expressed.
Two hours passed away, and after supper
the ueighbors who had seen John and the dog
come ND the road, dropped in to have talk
with .sthe captain" as John was called by his
friends.
Soon the inquiry was made, "Where did you
leave your cousin WilliamF'
John had taken his cousin William, who
lived upon the lake shore, with him upon this
trip, and hence the question.
But John did not answer the question d.
rectly. He seemed troubled and unhappy about
it He finally acknowledged that he and Viii
riams had not agreed, and that high words and
blows had passed between them, and added
that his cousin had finally left the boat and
had gone away in 4 huff, he knew not where,
hut somewhere into the pineries OF Canada.
He declared, getting warm in his recoilection
of the quarrel, that he ''didn't care darn"
where viii went, any way.
A month passed away; it was August. Cou-
sin Will did not return. But certain strange
s.ories came up the lake from Canada, and
reached the jewellers along the Adirondack
wilderness road. No cousin William had been
seen in the pineries; but just across the Canada
line, at the mouth of Fish river, where the
sloops were moored to receive their lading OF
lumber, a bruised, swelling, fostering corpse
had risen and foated in the glare of hot Aug
ust day. The boatmen rescued 1t upon the
shore They described it as the body Of hale,
vigorous Young man, agreeing in the height,
size and appearance with cousin William.
And there was another story told by the cap
tain of a sloop which had been moored at the
mouth of Fish River, near by Johns sloop, on
the fatal voyage from which cousin William
had not returned.
The CAPTAIN said on the 4th of July he had
heard auarreling upon Johns sloop all the az
ternoon, and had noticed that only two men
were there At nightfall there was little
lull but soon after dark, the noise broke out
again. He could not see through the gloom, |
but he heard high and angry words, and at
length blows, and then q dull crushing thud, |
followed by a plunge into the water, and then |
there was entire silence. He listened for an
hour in the stiffness of the summer night, but
heard no further sound from the boat. In the
early gray of the next morning, the captain,
looking across the intervening space Of Johns
sloop. which he described as hardly stones
throw from his own, saw hat lying upon the
deck: and using his glass, was confident that
he SAN SKATERS of blood" He thought it
none of his business, and taking advantage Of
a light breeze, sailed away and said nothing.
But when the floating corpse was found, he felt
sure there had been a murder, and, as ne ex-
pressed it, felt bound to tell his story like an
honest man, and so told it.
Putting these things together, it soon grew
to be the current opinion upon the lake, that
Captain John had murdered his cousin VIII
liam. The jewellers upon the Wilderness road
also came by slow degrees, and unwillingly, to
the same conclusion 1t was felt and said that
John ought to % arrested.
Accordingly, y Q dreary day in November,
two officers, from the country town twenty
miles away down the lake shore, came and
climbed the steep road to the lonely log house,
and arrested John. 1t was undoubtedly
dreadful blow to those two lonely people liv-
ing isolated in the wilderness. Perhaps there
ought to have been some crying and scene,
but there was no such thing. The officers tes-
titled that neither John nor his mother made
apy fuss about it. There was a slight twitch-
ing of the strong muscles of her face, as she
talked with the officers, but no other outward
sign.
felt. He was white and quivering, yet he
silently and without objection, made ready to
20 with the officers. He was soon prepared,
apdthey started. As he went out of the door,
he turned and said, "Good-b bye; it will be made
right, mother" She simply answered, ayes.
goodbye; / know it my son."
The trio went on foot down the road to the
next house where the officers had left their
team. Jupiter, standing up with his forepaw
on the top of the fence, gazed wistfully after
them. When they passed around the bend of
the road out of sight, Jupiter went into the
house. The stroGg woman was there about
her work, IS usual; but the hard tears would
now and then fall upon the hard pine floor,
She knew that her own boy would spend the
coming night in the county jail.
At twelve O'Clock of that chill November
night, the woman and the dog went out of the
house she fastened the door, and then they
went together down the dark mountain road,
while the autumn winds swept dismally
through the great wilderness, and the midnight
voice of the pines mourned the dying year.
The next day at noon a yery weary woman on
foot, with small bundle and q large dog, put
up at the little village hotel hard by the county
jail.
Another day passed, and then the prelimi-
nary examination came on before justice, to
determine whether there was sufficient evidence
to hold John in custody until a grand jury of
the county should be assembled for the next
court of Oyer and Terminer.
Three days were spent in this examination
before the justice; the captain of the sloop who
had heard the quarrel in the night told his
story, and the boatmen who had found the
body told theirs. The two men who had been
the crew of Johns little vessel were also called.
But they could tell little more than that they
4. AL T,,l,,