Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-01-19
A Court Struck Dumb.

A Court Struck Dumb.
cit won't be more than a minute said
Capt. Peck, looking anxiously out Of the
window of the Police Court Saturday morn
Ing, when the case of Briscoe and William
Davis, boys about fifteen years old, for
threatening theirfather, Nh. Samuel Davis,
a quiet. inoffensive looking old gentleman,
was called, ''She'll be along directly" He
| had hardly got the words out of his mouth
and filled the vacancy with a chew of to-
bacco, before d discharge of knocks close
ly resembling grape shot was heard at the
door. Mayor Balthis who is an old artll-
leryoman, started. two young lawyers took
refuge behind the stove, d colored prisoner
awaiting trial turned pale and exclaimed,
~''Fo-gaud, what's dat !" and Officer
Kurtz with great presence of mind leaped
on the table and putting his hand oA his
| back, cried out 'Silence." TIL door open
ed like a shot, and Che expected witness,
quite d pretty and Hastily Dire sed young
lady of twenty with u pair of those eyes
| you read about, came ill.,.
"Won't you take Il seat 7" politely ask Il
| Tie Mayor.
"No, 1 WON'T" said Miss Fanny Davis.
4 don't intend to stay in yout old shantl
/ minute, not d minute. What are yru
;aildren doing here !: addressing tile boys
| 20 right straight home"
This language covered the courtroom
l .r;+l r, 81 I ~ +o,,, M. ,,,,.ir ,r.,,, ,-o,,. :,
| lawyers, locke i Ike they were at a funeral
| the newspaper reporter furtiyely showed
| mis- pencil and paper into AID old white hat
| and took The air Of d spectator, Captain
| Peck reached for the Bible gu which the
witnesses are sworn, and turned to the 18th
| Psalm, while Officer Kurtz feebly remarked
Silence"
"Who-o-o ?" said the young lady glaring
| at Mr.. Kurtz, what did you call me ?"
"Call you! Oh, no indeed" SAID Mr..
| Kurtz, his fingers trembling over some
blank warrants he was trying to read, II
didn't speak to you, 1 was speaking to
| Silence (cried the officer in IL stern,
| voice, looking straight at tile reporter
| whose face was growing winter every mi
| nute) l Was speaking to that newspaper
man."
"What's these boys doing here, [ should
like to KNOW" questioned the witness of
| the officer, ''What are they brought from
| their home down here through the slosh
| for ?"
"The Mayor will tell you, ma'am," said
I thn ftoN+aIr, lnnJin~ 11IN from tho OF
Psalm Il didn't bring 'em here
The Mayor explained the character of
the case to the witness, who was then
sworn.
"They never did trouble him Casting a
whitening glance at the complainant) the
most they ever did was just, may be, MIN
licking things that they might have seen on
| the street. He chokes and baats them and
| is always after 'em. DON'T think those
| sores on 'em are scrofula, they amt; they
| are Just his teudish finger-nails. This
morning Pa just got mad with them and
come off down here; we begged him to
come back, but ne wouldn't. He treats us
all that way. The other evening | had
some company and Pa wanted the room,
and he called me bad names because l
! wouldn't give it up to him. You all think
because he is q Mason he IS good, but L tell
you he is a born devil with it. I wish all
the Masuns were with him. I wouldn't
| give a cent for all OF them put together.
They amt tit for q do-r-g to associate
| with !"
The people in the court room at this
blasphemy stopped breathing.
The Mayor.-'That has nothing to do
with the case"
The witness.-''That'is the truth, and [
came here to tell the truth. Ma told me to
cell it and | have told it,"
THE Mayor.-"You can go. I'll decide
the case th lis evening. You can go!"
Witness. Yes: L will go! Here a
lawyer having recovered sufficiently from
his fright snickered a little and officer
kurtz begged him for Gods sake not to do
it, And I'll take the children with me.
Here she took both boys back of the neck
and huddled them out of the room in front
Of her.) And as for you, (talking to her
~father,) you can Stay there the rest OF the
day, we've got no further use for you."
When she had vanished everybody COM
menced coming to themselves and breatl>.
ing freely, and Capt. Peck closed his Bible
ofernes-oh, no, Mandy Barlow for as
sault."