The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-03-20
with its crowded rows Of shops and its

ne panteu across THIS luOEOug glIttIe Z
exhausted and terrified, and possessed
of but one desire-to escape from the
believing mob. He saw an open door
1t led into passage, from which the
stairs ascended 10 the interior of dwell
ling.
How foolish to hope to escape by enter
ing such place in broad daylight, and
in the face of the army Of pursuers! How
like child, to obey the impulse to hide
himself, if but for brief moment, from
the eyes of those who hunted himl
Breathless, and hardly able to stand
he crept behind the door.
In an instant the officers were upon
him, and huge throng Of curious peo-
pie gathered about the spot.
The culprit was led out. \ search
was made for the pocket book that he
had stolen. 1t was not found upon him.
In few moments some one on the out
skirts of the crowd held it up to view.
The thief had dropped it in his flight.
The lady from whom it had been taken
was sought out, and she was requested to
go to the station-house TO substantiate
the report of the policemen.
Her heart was touched by the youth
full appearance of the prisoner, and by
his tears and appeals for mercy.
She demanded that he be discharged,
and she refused to promise TO appear
against him at his trial on the morrow.
The captain could do nothing but
what was his manifest duty.
The boy was locked up for the night.
The following morning he was taken
before the Jefferson Market Police
Court. The officer in charge on hearing
the main points in the evidence, and,
having obtained from the boy an admis-
sion of his guilt, directed that he be
transported to the tombs to await trial
On the succeeding day at the Court of
General Sessions.
The order was obeyed. The lad, with
several other persons, was placed in a
van used for the purpose of conveying
prisoners to and fro in the city, and was
driven TO the lower end of town and i'm
prisoned together with a man in one
of the small cells of that wretched place.
Here he spent the night.
On the following morning (that of the
9TH inst, he was led ont, and was told
that he was about 10 be tried. He was
filled with CONSERVATION and dismay.-
He began to realize how helpless he
was He had been ordered to stand up,
and to sit down, to speak and to stop
speaking, to come this way, and to go
that way, until he was reduced to va
cant abjectness.
He had already been in two jails-had
been pushed, and crowded, and interro-
gated, and denounced, and pitied, and
wept over, and reproached, and bullied,
until his wits had wellnigh left him.
He anxiously followed every beck and
command of the sheriffs who had him
in charge, as if thinking ready COM
pliance with all their demands might
in some way help to avert the fearful
catastrophe he felt was impending.
All at once he found himself in a
large and lofty room that was filled with
people.
The windows were long and high, and
were open to let in the fresh air. a
number of men, with papers in their
hands, were walking about chatting
with each other, and at the farther end
of the apartment was a large space filled
with spectators Within a railing were
two or three gentlemen, to whom every
one paid great respect. Unon raised
platform were two or three clerks wri-
ting upon slips of paper, which they
took out of green boxes, and then placed
in others. All, apparently, was in con-
fusion. There was great deal of noise,
and now u d then some one came up and
looked at the prisoners as if gazing in
to sheep pen. But all at once there
was silence. 4 gentleman assembled a
platform, higher than that upon which
the clerks were seated, and sat down in
chair behind a sort of counter. A cri-
er raped with his staff, and called the
people in the room to order.
The court was opened for business.
The boy began to tremble. He felt
that he was in the presence of tremen
dous power, against which all the tear,
he might shed, or all the prayers he
might utter, or all the appeals for mer
cy that he might make, could avail
nothing.
One of the clerks arose from his chair
and called his name in loud voice, anc
then took up a long papey. The boy
was hidden to walk to a certain spot. He
obeyed. He foundH himself mark fol
every eye in the room. All gazed al
him. His name and the story of hi
crime had been published in the daily
papers, and, unknown to himself, he wa
famous, or, rather, infamous.
The judge turned his head. The clerl
read the indictment. In it was claus
asseverating that the prisoner struck tn
lady in his contest with her.
This was, wrong. The prisoner pro
foundly ignorant of the inviolability 0
a clerks periods, cried out that he die
not strike the lady.
Everybody emptied wrath upon him
He was subdued, silenced, and over
awed.
The clerk proceeded to the end
There was NO doubt about the NATTER
1t was perfectly clear that purse ha
been stolen fl ON lady in the street, an
it was also perfectly clear that the rot
ber was present in the person of tn
prisoner.
Having reached the Indictment, tn
clerk put to the boy the momentou
question:
: care you guilty, or not guilty?"
At this instant there should have il
terposed lawyer on behalf of the Gu
prit. The lawyer, had there been on
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