The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-03-05


with small bundle and large dog. put
up at the little village hotel hard by thu
county jail.
Another day past and then the prelim
mary examination came on before justice
| to determine whether there was sufficient
evidence to hold John in custody until Z
grand jury of the county should be as.
! sembled for the next Court Of Oyer and
1 Terminer.
Three days were spent in this eXamina.
! ton before the justice; the captain of the
sloop who had overheard the quarrel in the
night told his story, and the bOatmen who
| had found the body told theirs. Two men
who had been the crew of Johns little YES
| sci were also called. But they could tell
little more than that they were absent on
shore upon the 4th of July. and when they
returned to the vessel William had gone,
they knew not where nor why.
The evidence against John seemed to the
magistrate clear and conclusive. But the
counsel for the accused employed by
Johns mOther) took the ground that as
the Offense was committed i'm Canada, a
justice in the United States had no iurisdic-
ton in the matter.
This view prevailed, and after five DAYS
the accused was set at liberty. But that
voice of the people, which the ancient
proverb says is like the voice of God. had
decided that John was guilty. 1t was un-
der this crushing condemnation that John
and his mother left the county town on a
cold December day, turning their steps
hOmeward; and at evening they climbed
the activity so familiar to them, and
reached the lonely lOg-hOuse upon the
mountain. Their neighbOrs were glad to
see them back again, but were plain to say
that sit appeared like as if John was
guilty. These dwellers in the solitudes
were accustomed to speak truly what they
thought. John and his mother too spoke
openly of this matter. 1t was only OF
showing affection and love that these peO-
pie were ashamed and shy. They both adj
mitted to their neighbOrS that the evidence
was very strong, but John added quietly
that he was not guilty, as if that settled
the whole matter.
But the voice OF the people and a
sense of justice would not let this crime
rest. 1t came to be very generally
known that a man guilty of murder was
living near the shore of Lake Cham
plain unmolested. Arrangements were
effected by which it came to pass that the
Canadian authorities made a formal appli-
cation to tie United States for the deliv-
cry of one John Wilson, believed to be
guilty of the murder of his cousin William
Wilson.
And so again two officers, this time
United States officials, climbed up to the
little Lighthouse upon the edge of the great
valley. Through a drifting, binding
storm of snow they were pilOted by a
neighbor to the lonely house. They made
known their errand, and in the course OF
half an hour the officers and their prisoner
were out in the storm en- route for the dis
tant city of Montreal.
1t was many DAYS before the woman saw
her son again. For fourmOnths John was
imprisoned, awaiting his trial before the
Canadian courts. Doubtless those four
months seemed long to the solitary woman.
She had not much opportunity to indulge
in melancholy fancies; she spent much of
her time in pulling brush and wood out of
the snow and breaking II up with an Ix,
so aS to adapt it to the size of her stove.
The neighbors tried TO be kind, and often
took commissions from her to the store
and the grist-mill in the valley. But
after ALL said Pete SeaIles, one of Johns
friends, in speaking of the matter after
ward, ''what could neighbors amount TO,
when the nearest of them lived a mile away.
and all of them were plain to say that they
believed she was the mother of a mur-
derer."
But the neighbors said the woman did
not seem to mind the solitude and the
rough work. Morning, noon and night
she was out in the snow or the storm at
the little hovel of barn back of the house.
taking care of two cows and a few sheep
which were hers and Johns. AT other
times travellers upon the Wilderness road
would see her gaunt, angular figure clam
bering down a rocky ridge, dragging poles
to the house to be cut up for fuel.
She received two letters from John in
the course of the winter. The first told
her that he was imprisoned. AMI await
ing his trial in Montreal, and the next one
said that his trial had been set down for an
early day in March.
This correspondence was all the infOr-
nation the mother had of her son for the
lake was frozen during the winter, so that
the boats did not run, and no news could
come from Canada by the boatmen.
When March came and passed away
without intelligence from John. it was
taken by the dwellers upon the lake-shOre
and along the Wilderness road as a sure
indication that he had been convicted of
the crime. a letter or newspaper annOunc-
ing the fact was confidently looked for by
distant pOst-office for their weekly mail.
As March went out, and spring DAYS and
sunshine came. it was roticed that the face
of Johns mother looked sharp and white.
but she went about the same daily duties
as before, without seeming to feel i'll or
weak.
On plashy April day full of sunshine.
she stood on the rocky ridge back of the
house, looking down upon the lake. A
few early birds had come back and were
twittering about the clearing. Although
the snow still fingered in patches upon the
highlands, the valley looked warm below.
and the first boats of the season were dot
ting the wide, distant mirror of .'Old Cham
plain" A man came slowly up the mud
1y line of road, through the gate, and
around the house then first the woman
saw him. A slight spasm passed over her
face. There was little pitiful quiver OF
the muscles about the mouth, and then she
walked slowly down the ridge to where
the man stood. She struggled little
with herself before she said, "Well, John,
am glad to see you back"
John tried to be cool also. but nature
was too much for him. He could not
raise his eyes to hers. and his simple re-
spOnSe, "Ies, MOTHER was chokingly ut
-ered.
The two walked into the house to-
yether in the old familiar way: the
woman without a word began to spread
5he table. and her son went out and
fuel, and bringing it in replen-
shed the fire. Then he sat down in his
place by the stove, with
pleasant remark about how well the fire
burned, and how good it seemed to be home
lgain. And the woman spoke few kind,
words.
1t was the way they had always done
when John came back, but now there was
great sadness in it, for he had come
: from prison" Jupiter seemed fully TO |
'ealize the situation. He exhibited none
IF that friskiness which characterized the !
welcome he had usually given: but when |
John was seated the old dog came slowly |
up to him. laid his fore paws and his head |
n ! MS masters lap, and looked sadly in his
AS they sat down to supper. John began |
70 5en OF his fAre in the fail at Montreal,
and 70 speak freely OF his life there. 1
VIII you have to go back?r said his 4
mother, with tnat CULVER about the mouth /
again. No, mother" said John. "it Is /
finished. and am DISCHARGED >,