Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-12-06
III


self and then continued his sad tale:
The trial drew crowds to the court.
The chief witnesses against me were Pere
Martin and Luc Leroy.
1.-The girl loved me- said this last vii
lain. insolently; naturally she preferred
man of my station 20 mere charcoal
burner. She fatered herself | shou|d
marry her. had no intention oi the SOFT.
so am amused myself in talking 10 her
"'When did you last see her? asked
the Judge.
AT a quarter to ten O'Clock, IN her
fathers hut
WAS her father there p
"'No, and | only saw her fnr m omcnf
OF two she seemed frightened aud Ragged
me to 90 away. She said the man Pierre
was Jealous. and she should not Ike
him to see Us together
" Did YOU leave the hut at her request p
mo, refused to do so, and then she
left it herself, saying she was going to
gather herbs to sell to the chemists
Ibid you follow her?'
".Only step or two, and after little
talk beneath the trees, | returned to the
hut. where her father found me.
"If you loved the girl. and were pleased
to be in her society, why did you not ac-
company her in her quest of herbs? P
"'Well, the truth is, didn I much like
beng seen with charcoal burners daugh-
ter; should have been jeered at by my
friends. Then. again. was unwilling to
arouse the prisoners jealousy he had
threatened me on various occasions. and
wanted TO avoid his violence, for the girls
sake.'
"Other falsehoods he uttered cannot
repeat to you. They madden me with in
dignation even now, as l think of them.
Enough that he sandered the girl he had
murdered, while he strove to swear away
my life.
II never doubted he had killed her, and
as looked in his shrinking. cowardly
face, knew it. as knew there was sun
in the heavens.
when Pere Martin was called gazed
at him eagerly to see if there were any
signs of sense in him. But no; his face
was hopelessly dull, his brain hopelessy
drowned in intoxication
"'When did you see your daughter
aliveP" was the first question put to him
81 don't know the hour, but | think it
was about half-past nine
'''Why did you leave her, and what
was she then doing?'
"'She was sewing. left her to fetch
jar of pekie, which Monsieur Leroy had
put for me behind the cross on the road
In the forest that leads to Bastoiene.'
Sat what hour did you return to the
hut?"
LAT ten, and then found Monsieur
Leroy there waiting for me-
But If you do not know the exact
ot LOT t.lu l. L
tell it was ten when you returned %
- know because Monsieur Leroy
showed me his watch it wanted two min
utes oil ten. He was angry because had
kept him waiting; he had been there, he
said. nearly half an hour. This is how
became aware that it was half-past nine
when ! left home
You seem to know the time only from
Monsieur Leroy how is that ?''
81 did not know from him. | looked at
his watch myself
land what did you do when You
reached the hut? p
1--WE drank pekie
TIL what hourp
~ don't know. We drank together
till just before the moment when | met
the accused, and he told me he had muir
uereu my daughter.
"'How did he look when you met him p
"'He was wild and haggard, and his
hands were covered with blood.
edo you remember his having told
you he had lost his knife p
al remember nothing of it,
II repeat these interrogations and re-
plies, Monsieur. to show you that the
chief point at the trial rested on ques-
ton of time.
up to a certain hour | was tolinp
with iellowworkmen, and was supposed
to have committed the crime in the period
which elapsed between the time left
them and the moment | was seen bv
Pere Martin. On the other hand. was
Luc Leroy really found in the hut two
minutes to ten. or had he put his watch
back. and by this and other means deceiy-
ed his half-drunken companion?
According to their own testimony, they
had sat together drinking for nearly two
hours; but | did dot believe this. i'm.
agined they had been together only an
hour. and the impression of a longer pc
Rod had been cbnningly made by Luc lie.
roy on the drunkard's mind in order to
screen his own guilt.
''But 1t was in vain my counsel and I
questioneu anu cross questioned. We ellie.
tied nothing beyond the fact that Pere
Martin had tasted the pekie on his way
to the hut.
Ibid you sit down to taste it?' n
asked.
"Well, yes, | think So
"Did you taste it more than once"
" Il don't know, but might have
land you sat down each time ?n
"'Well. yes
Then how could you get from your
hut TO the cross, and back again. in less
than half an hour !?
81 walked fast
After these questions and answers the
distance was measured, and it was found
q man could walk ii in half an hour.
'''But not an old man, said nv counsel.
mot man who sits down four or five
times by the way to drink
"'He must have left the hut earlier than
half-past nine, observed the Procureur du
roi. His ideas Of time are vague till he
sees Luc Leroy's watch