Litchfield enquirer., 1877-11-29
WHOLE NO. ..2ee7
RI asl

eyes detected an object which nnads him start forward and seize it. ItiWas the StIIp tuE eln. ,bfoidety which Hope had malessl He bad found the man he Sought, Ia .s,.s..l Father Murphy, who had signed and cettia fled the paper, handed it at this instant te Qua Its purport was that, having been ruined in play by Colonel Antoines he. had waited for which he had taken from the murdered man, he now left to the church, and he prayed for the forgiveness of those whom he had injured. Gus turned to grant it, but the hand that had committed the crime had stiffened upon cru~ cifix, and, with the word PeccGvi on his lips, the soul had gone. ... =
 Then Gus turned to Father Murphy. Come quick to the courthouse, he said I've may be too late now" And with the confession In one hand and the lace-work in the other, he dashed out of the house. 4 ,f,rl t..,-..i .
 Meanwhile, at the courtroom, the lawyer for the prosecution had summed up his case, and now the counsel for the defendant, after making few remarks, in which he drew ate tention to Gus Antoine's statement as perhaps rot so foreign to the case after all, added that he thought it sufficiently strong without it They would soon see that Squire May could not have committed the murder, for he was about to prove an alibi, and would base 1t en- tfrely upon the evidence of one witness and, so saying he led Hope to the stand She had known that she woulfbe called upon to testify, but now her courage left her, and she felt as she must fly through an open side door and eS- cape from them all But glance from her father, and the the thought that she might save him., restrained her. The little figure looked very piteous with it's white face, black dress, and flowing faxen hair Already there was heard murmur of sympathy in the room, be- ginning with the women But the prosecuting attorney was equal to the occasion.
 '1 protest, your honor," he said, against the testimony of such mere child being ad- mitted in court. 1 am willing to assert that she does not know the nature of an o&ths and it is well known fact that she has Elaited her father in prison, and been instructed by him as to what to say"
 ''Ehe court grants you permission to ask her any questions you choose" said the judge
 Hope held the back of 8 chair tightly as. the lawyer turned upon her. ,,.-s.s....
 Do you know the nature of an oath!" he asked fiercely.
 "Oh, yes sir!" replied Hope ''Its swear ing, and Eve heard Colonel Antoine swear lots of times" .- .
 A subdued litter, which Hope did not hear, greeted the words, while the prosecuting attor- ney turned with gesture of assumed despair. ''Your honor sees" he began, then suddenly turning to Hope, ''One question more; what
 
 There was a murmur of indignation in the house of, ''Why do they let him sass her sog" and the. like. But Hope replied firmly, "He told me, whatever they asked me, to tell the truth."'
 ''Yes, understand he told you to say that he had told you that. What else ?"
 'Nothing-oh yes 1! he told me not to be afraid if the lawyers were very impudent and tried to put me out, but just to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and God would help me-"
 II think, your honor," said the lawyer for the defence, triumphantly, that there is no longer any question as to the eligibility of the witness, and that she may be now permitted to give her testimony"
 The judge bowed gravely and the prosecu- ting attorney took his seat. ...,ss .s.-
 "And now, my little girl" said the other lawyer, kindly, twill you state briefly, but as clearly as you can, the events ot the day, from the time the 12 o'clock whistle sounded until Gus Antoine left you? P " ,... -.
 ssWe were all eating when the 12 o'clock whistle sounded, i" said Hope. timidly. "kaiher beckoned to me, and we left the others there and went around to the old cottonwood tree on the other side of the house. He had neant to fix swing for the children, but had been 30 busy about lection that he could not do it be- fore, and he wanted me to help him. We finished it while they were eating, and then called them out and surprised them all. heard the noise the pistol made. Father was up in a tree. He said There, some of the boys are firing at mark. must put a stop to that. It's dangerous. ,"
 This was all of Hopes testimony, but the most rigid cross examination did not mpeach it. No other witness was called. The judges address to the jury was brief. AS they re- tired for consultation Gus Antoine elbowed his way through the surging crowd, brandisl- ing the confession in his hand. He made his way to the judge and handed it to him. He glanced it over, then rose and read it aloud. A cheer rang through the room, but the judge, with lifted hand, commanded silence. This paper" said he ''comes too late to be used The jury have retired, and we must await their verdict If not in accordance with the present disclosure, the prisoner can petition for new trial"
 Their absence was brief, and upon their re- turn breathless silence reigned in the room; and the words, 'Not guiny," were heard in the remOtest part of the house. The cheering was now something overwhelming and not to be repressed. Nobody heard the judges ad- journment, though all acted upon it. Squire May had been acquitted simply upon the evidence of his little daughter; but Gus Antoine's confirmation of the verdict hsd tre- mendous effect. And while one enthusiastic youth was passing around his hat, ito buy that little gal present-an Injun pony or somethin'," all the women and girls in the room formed in file, and, marching around Gus, kissed him heartily, much to his disgust. Mrs. Antoine remained only to kiss Hope un- l der the folds of her crape veil
 A few weeks later the Widow Antoine and her family left for the south Before they went, Gus found opportunity to see Hope alone.
 q shall come back again for you when 1 am a man." he said. ''I have brought you that piece of embroidery, but 1 want you to give me little piece of it; l will keep 1t al- ways"
 "And did you never hear of him again ?" asked of Mrs. Rutherford.
 'Yes The family went to Virginia. The state had been Mrs. Antoine's home. Gus joined the confederate army under Stonewall Jackson; and shortly after the close of the war received letter from his mother saying that lie had been killed at the battle of Antie- tam I had been married for several years then but believe cried heartily when | read it. wore the embroidery with the Alencon stitch at my wedding. As we turned to come down the aisle, after the ceremony, the sen of heads reminded me of the scene in the court room long ago; and seemed to see my first love hHrrying forward triumphant, the comics sion that completed the vindication of my father in his hand. "-Lizze " CA0mpney, iR
 G0lary for October.
 JEsUITIcAL OBEDIENCE. obedience en- l joined by Loyola is an absolute obedience.