Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1875-01-01
ArRIAL FOR perjury.

OuIlUk tuC I0Sb S00rsO" - 80 y. '..s''se'
cDurt in -, in the province It -,
trial for perjury excited unusual interest.
The accused was An accompanied young
girl. who fOi some years had seen gov
erness 10 . wealthy fanny, ano whose
conduct hal been above reproa0.
She had been called % witness Id 90
ordinary civil suit and had answered 10
the negative the usual Quesion . 10
wiener ehe had ever DtCn punished tor
any criminal offense. By accident it was
afte ward discovered that she, ssme years
previously, had been sentenced . prison
Tor thirty days for theft. and consequently
the charge Of perjury was brought against
her. LIS. on account of the fale o Osth
lt.an of ,he theft committed by eauti-
!. ful and highly cultured young lady, aud
the court room on the day 1T the trisl was
filed to repletiOn. was unsvoiia5iy
hindered from being present until the
proceedings were nearly ended. -
Tue counsel for the prisoner hadrisen
to speak for his client. He was iEni-
fled old gentleman. and was usually On1e-
what stiff. COLI, and measured II mmner
of speaking; but to-day his voice tenn
bled, and it was evident that he was Deep
ly moved. .,
Gentlemen of the jury" he began II
have stood here many tunes TO defend the
accused, but never before with 20 heavy
heart as t0-dsy. While have never been
more fully convinced Of the innocence of
my client, have. on the other hand. new
er been more fully conscious Of the 'iiffi. !.
Guilty, of the impossiblllty, perhaps, #
obtaining a favorable verdict
The accused is an orphan. Ey the death
of he. parents before she had scarcely
reachel womanhOOd, she was carly coIn-
PEELED to seek her bread am0Eg strangers
A liberal education GRABBED b t. obtain
a situation ns gOverness For two years
she was in the same hOuse-alvays indus
irious, simple in her manners. aud modest
in her re,ensions-wlthOu' there ever
having been shadow of doubt with
regard 10 her honesty, when ali at once
she Was accused of theft, and arrested.
She has assured me that she Was unJustly
Convicted. l have p'acticed my profess
sion for fifty years. Long experience has
made me lnsensiblc TO tears and plausible
stories. Here. gentlemen, there were no
tears. Hr words were SIMPLE but TO mel
convincing. The accused was not guilty
Of the theft, and consequently she could,
with clear conscience, answer the ques>
too with regard To- having been punished
for ant crime, rs she did IN the negative,
tor sae had not been punished. but had
been the victim If great Injustice.
arm, Of course, not unm,ndful OF the
fact that my opinion can hardly be taken
INTO account. lhs defense is compelled
10 admit that if judged solely by tue evi
dcnce, the charge has been substant,ated;
but beg, gen, ieme", that you will for
M .ment imagine yourselves in the place
Ut the accused. again she had found .
ing ever been imprisoned; for some years
she had discharged The duties Of her posi-
tiun to the sati,1 action of her employ crs;
sh. had won the lOye and esteem of
large and cultured circle. Now, ask
you, gentlemen, could she, even had it
been true, make confession that would
have sent her friendicss out into the cold
world. Would it not have required more
than human strength TO have made such
Can YOU not imagine, gentle-
men, that what she suffered when she
was asked, "Hxye you ever been punished
tor any criminal Otfense!" was sufficient
to rob her, for . moment at least, OF her
reason?
The unusualness of the case will excuse
me, trust, for calling your attention to
Inc severe punishment that must follow
your verdict Of Guilty Shall young
girl who, on single occasp9n-and, gea>
Ilemen, in this instance, sven that is not
the case hcrc--has committed fault, for
which she has fully st0ned by long years
Df irr:prOachx!,le conduct, be brought to
gether for time, long Or short, with the
lregs of society," Never-gentlcmen-
never! Till now her soul has been pure
and unsullied. Were she 70 serve term
n the penitenliary, what would she be
then? VIII. will assume the responsibility
3f sending her there?
l eau say no more, gentlemen. 1leave
Lhe case III y>ur hands, and trust and
pray that you will give me verdict Of
Not guilty."
The old jurist's plea was listened to with
GREATNESS silence. 1t was short. but 90
hat acc0un, all the more effective. No
me seened to be unmOved, and many of
Ihe women present wept. l glanced to
ward the accused; che raised her eyes
With q look Ut gratitude. and reached out
acr hand to her aged counsel. Where had
seen this pale but beautiful FACE, this
wealth of dark brown hair. and these
arxe, honest eyes? It seemed " me as
nough these very lips. at some time, had
old me \ story of bitter suffering; 0ut
when and where? tried 10 waken recol-
ections. but my efforts were frultlesA
The Judge began the usual charge to the
uary. While it was evident that ne felt
leeply for the prisoner, he called the AT
lion of the jury TO the facts 0t the case,
which had been clearly proven. and wnich
ll0ne, said he, should govern them IN noo.
ng their verdict. lD speaking Of the life
II the accused he said:
''F0r three years after the oftense OF
which she was convicted, her cOndocs mas
been thoroughly exemplary, tor the theft
vas committed on the 5eh OF April, 1871
At these words . Hood of recoliec'i0ns
anne upon me, and with them Came the
oyous certainty that the eyoung girl would
J. II be frce-free through me- that u was
u my power to save her from moral death
Near me at the reporter ut Ooe Ut the
ocal papers, before him iay . of'ef &C.
,Ount Ut the young girls previous i.te.
md Of the principal facts concerning tne
upf,oe ID theft. I asked 70 be allowed 70
ook u the paper for . moment. ana ran
,ver the abatement with feves,sh haste, tor
be judge had ended hts charge. sn0 INC
urj were abssat 10 retire
I had fund what l sought, ana arose
rom nv sesi. On Of The. ass0ciale judges
~ me and cslloiA the prasldiag judges
Aleuti0n TO me.
.WhaI do you wish, sir2" he asked
~ h,.r to be heard - . witness ia this
80. your honor. have statsment -
make which will perhaps oe deemed Of
np0rianco."
Come forward, If you please-l beg
hat the eenlle0sn Of the jury will resume
heir oeAls."
The seesa,iuu oaueed bY. ny. Worie was
,reatlv increased BY another incident.
hen the eecased cav me and heard ny