Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1877-09-08
[ Uritten for the Sentinel. !
THE DUMB WITNESS.
VILLETTE.

!
"a lawyer in the practice of his pro
tession often accumulates IL varied en-
perience frequently as strange and start
ling as that Of his coadjntor, the detective
IT so may be allowed to term him." said
Judge Clark in conversation with some
friends, who one stormy November even
ing had collected in that able lawyers
cosy Office to while away the hour before
dinner with chat, the fragrant weed and
| little prime old Port that glowed rich
| and rutldy in the tall dccanter on the ta-
bic drawn in close and comfortable prox-
| unity to the blazing fire. "And your eX-
perience, my dear Sir, is no exception to
the rule insinuatingl7 questioned one
Of the group; :.well, no, answered tho
Judge, smiling shrewdly at the evident
attempt to ''draw him out" II cannot say
that mine is, l lave passed through some
rather trying ordeals, and have seen a good
deal of the bright and shady side Of life,
but Think" he continued letlectingly.
zone of the most singular eases that 1
ever had on my hands was one in which
Il member Of my own household played
q most prominent part, in fact may say
was the chief actor or rather actress, in
it; if you care to hear the circumstance
will relate it, as I see," with glance at
his watch, "that we've yet q good half
hour before we go homeward."
"By all means, let's hear it," cried the
group simultaneously. ''To premise then,"
commenced the Judge settling himself
moro comfortably in his capacious arm
chair, "you must know that commenced
lif, in a small town in one of the South
ern States, or rather I may say in the
nucleus of a town, for though now it has
grown to be a place of some size and i'm.
portance, Wilton was then but the CEN
tfe of a thriving neigiborhood. it was
however, the COunty-seat, and that added
to it's dignity. Besides the Court House
that was built upon the larger of the
two streets, there was q church, OF meet
ing-house as it was called in the native
vernacular, the usual complement of
shops, smithys and groggeries, and two
or three roughly painted signs that bore
evidence as the oatward and visible
signs of the learned professions that
held forth within, namely the law and
physic last but not least this ambitious
little hamlet boasted Of a bank, Il bank
too that never yet had failed to meet it's
liabilities, or pay dollar for dollar upon
its paper, this was the institution Of the |
town, an institution that was the pride
and glory Of every man, woman and
child within radius Of fifty miles. For
miles and miles around the neighborhood |
was composed of thriving and well-to-do |
planters, with a sprinlIling in summer of
the city gentry, who allured by the pure
air and cheap living I suppose, had erec- |
ted villas and country house in all styles |
of architecture and in which these migra- |
tory birds of summer usually spent the I
sultry months Of the hot season. Ono |
day while idly sitting in my little Office
q large and roomy vehicle that might |
have served as the state-coach of good !
Queen Bess so antiquated was it, drove |
up and out stepped a dame as ancient
looking as that royal virgin of Merrie
England herself. This lady was one of |
whom had often heard but had never |