Louisiana capitolian., 1879-11-29
Accidentally innocent.
A Lawyers sToRY.t

whom you believe to be guiltyh' were it
less frequently asked by people who
spend six days Of the week trying to get
the upper hand Of their neigHbors, and
the seventh to circumvent their Maker.
To the honest inquirer l commend the
answer DR.. johnson once gav4 to Bos-
we'll: "sir, the lawyer is not tie Judge"
Was it my place, when George Gil
bert's little sorrow-won wife, with tears
glistening in her eyes, besought me to
do what l could for her imprisoned hus-
band, virtuously to turn my pack and
leave her tired, struggling heart to
to break or not, as it might I was nei-
ther priest nor Levite to find ready
excuse for passing by on tho other side!
Yet what could l dot
George Gilbert had been sent on COL
lecting tour, and had gambled away
money received for his employers. 1t
was plain case of embezzlenent, aud
the penalty was term Of years in the
State prison.
r.. 'Tm sure he never meant to be dis
honest" pleaded the loyal little woman;
che was tempted by . crafty and de-
signing man, but, instead bf running
:
away, as others wonld have done, he
came back and confessed his fault, offer
ing to let his whole salary 60 toward
making up the lost money! till every
cent was paid. Mr.. Meek: the junior
partner, was inclined to be u,erciful; but
Mr.. ,Mangle, the head Of the house, who
returned just then after years absence,
INSISTED that the law should take its
course" .ss.-.
gave what poor consolation I could,
for lawyers, like doctors: must keep
their patients courage up at times.
'In the first place, I'll see Mangle &
Meek" l said, ''Mr. Mangle may be
brought to hear reason, afser all-if he
can only be made to see his interest in
it,"
The pale and despondent face cheered
up little. My word seemed to have
inspired a sort of underlined hope, which
was far from feeling myself.
Mr.. Mangle received me with stony
politeness. 4
"Young man," his manner said, 'don't
waste time in appeals to sentiment; You
won't if you'll just look at me-"
took tho hint and came at once to
business; repeated Gilbert's offer, and
put it as strongly as possible that more
was to be gained by leniency than
harshness, to all of which Mr.. Mangle
listened with conscientious scowl.
III can not be party:.to compromising
felony" he answered with a solemn
intonation.
"Nor have asked YOU" 1 replied, q
little nettlcd. III have raerely mention
ed . plan Of paying i isck your own,
leaving to your own generosity and
good Judgment to press ar not press the
prosecution" II
"Oh, it's all the same" was the con-
temptuous rejoinder; "any body but a
lawyer with his head full of quibs and
quibbles could sec that, Besides, there's
something rather cool i} the proposal to
retain your friend in on, employ, under
pretence of working out the money he
has stolen, with the Opportunity of filch-
ing twice as much money in the mean
time" "
felt my temper rising, and not car
ing to imperil my clients interest by an
outright quarrel, 1 took hasty leave.
Had l been in the prisoners place on
the morning fixed for the trial l could
not have assembled the courthouse steps
with more reluctance than did. And
when l entered the courthouse, and
found Gilbert and his wife already there,
and noted the hopeful Look with which
the latter greeted my coming, my heart
sickeued at the thought of the bitter
disappointment awaiting them.
"The People versus Gilbert |" called
out the Judge, after disposing Of some
formal matters.
A jury was Immediately impanneled,
and the case opened by the District At
torney.
Mr.. Meek was the first witness The
nervous, hesitating manner in which he
gave his evidence would have greatly
damaged its effect had it not evidently
arisen from disposition to do the pris-
oner as little hurt as possible. But no
sOftening could break the terrible force
Of the facts he was compelled to relate.
In his partners absence he had en-
ployed George Gilbert as clerk ; had
found him competent and trust worthy;
had sent him on trip to make collec-
tions; on his return he had acknowledged
that after receiving a considerable sum,
he was induced by respectable looking
gentleman, with whom he had casually
fallen in, to join in social game of cards.
At first they played for amusement, then
for money and, after losing all his own,
in the hope of retrieving his loss, with
the fatal infatuation which attends the
first infection of that dreadful vice
whose end is swift destruction, he had
hazarded and lost the last dollar of the
money he held in trust for his employers.
Mr.. Meek's voice faltered as he closed
his narrative. He was going to volun-
teer something about the prisoners pre-
vious good character, when adisapprov-