The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1880-07-28

against him.
The line of defense chosen by all the
prisoners was to prove for themselves
an alibi. Observe that no one had seen
the murder committed. The fact that
the three men accused of the crime had
been traced from point to point through
the neighborhood, and on the night of
the murder, furnished the original
grounds of arrest. Isaiah, it was shown
by the prosecution, had always been
hand in glove with the two other
prisoners, Smith and Quinby. It struck
me, on reading the evidence, that It i'm
plicated the others far more conclu-
sively than Isaiah. But it was shown
that he had been standing about the
street corners on the morning of the muir
der with the two others accused; and
it was also shown that for the last six
months they had been an inseparable
trio. Isaiah had, beyond dispute, been
a companion of thieves-if not worse.
In spite of all which / believed he
could clear himself. Poor old Aunt
Lucy did not see him through the trial.
She could only mourn for him and pray
for him. Poor old Lucyl
The day when / had ascertained that
Isaiah would be questioned, myself,
against all my previous habits, went
down to the courthouse. It was quite
pitiful sight when Isaiah, confronted
by badgering lawyer, infinitely more
anxious to win his case than that the
right should prevail, was placed on the
stand. He was attired in his best
clothes, and. he stood nervously twirl-
ing his hat in his hand, as / had seen
him do on the occasion of our last meet
ing, when had bethought me to advise
him as to his moral and spiritual states.
He had evidently been coached by his
lawyer, and he was prepared to go
through the examination as to his
whereabouts on the day of the murder
with circumstantial precision. He ac-
complished his lesson thoroughly. His
honest air and heavy, well-meaning ex-
preston were all in his favor. NV
spirits revived. He appeared to me to
have told a plain, unvarnished tale
enough. did not recognize any of the
names or places he mentioned; he did
not bring in those relatives of his with
whom l was acquainted-Milly, Lucy
but there was an air of heavy, dull
verisimilitude over his whole narration.
Then the cross-examination BEGAN.
Isaiah had accounted for himself on
every hour of the day of the tragedy up
TO ten o'clock at night, the murder hav-
quite well at first, when he was called
on to repeat his statement, but on the
redirect examination he suddenly broke
down. can remember having been in
such a state of mind myself, when
everything around me has all at once
become blank. Isaiah looked around
him helplessly. 1t suddenly came over
him that he had been betrayed by his
own carelessness in giving an account
to his lawyer of the day before the
murder! He had been coached on that
His dull, dependent intellect refused to
think and plan for itself on the spur of
the moment. He was too bewildered
and confused to remember. The prose-
cutting lawyer tauuted him. The prison
er's lawyer tried to encourage him. But
his only answer was: 81 don't see
whar am, sir; rs lost myself"
There was ripple of unfeeling merri-
ment through the courtroom. Isaiah's
previous statement passes for an un-
mitigated lie. sit cold and stern. /
catch Isaiah's eye and its look of stolid
discontinue. believe in him.
At the same time-and this makes
my fears for him all the stronger-I be-
lieve it possible that the testimony of
the other prisoners may have been a
tissue of falsehood. However, there is
nothing more to be done. Isaiah has
played the part assigned him in this
days programme. ascertain this, and
leave.
went straight to his old mothers.
found her occupied in patching pair
of trousers for one of her grandsons.
She was very quiet and down-hearted.
led the conversation gradually TO the
subject OF Isaiah. She put down her
work, and wiped away tear or two.
wud nebber lib troo it 'cept fur
one ting" she said. 81 feels so cole
an hungry an miserable in my heart I;
dere is a God an warns up, an has
enuff an ter spare. 1t don't last, ter be
sure, an | has ter preach ter myself
ober an ober agen, but while it las l
feels so full oh de great AM"
We talked over the trial. In fact,it
had occurred to me that her memory
might be called to the assistance of
Isaiah's. She checked off the days of
the week of the murder. recalling the
incidents of each one. Tuesday Isaiah
had had a job of hauling to do; Wednes-
day-step by step she recalled the day,
Just as Isaiah had done for Thursday, up
to 10 p. NJ, as he had described it..
Thursday was the day of the murder.
He had made rather more than usual
on Wednesday, and had gone quite early
on Thursday on the loaf, which he al
ways constitutionally believed he had
earned after two days work. Aunt Lucy
took up her patching again at this stage.
She shook her head and her voice fell.
The melancholy fact was that Isaiah
had returned home early in the after
noon, so much under the influence OF
liquor that he had spent the rest of that
day, that night and half the next day
on a pallet in the corner of his old
mothers room. saw how it was di-
rectly. His brain had remained hope
lessly bemuddled as to the incidents oil
that Thursday, and he had confused
them with those of Wednesday. Had
any one else seen himP inquired, hope.
fully. remembering the slender stream
OF custom that, nevertheless, never qnite
fell off. In fact, Aunt Lucy named
three or four persons who had been in
and out for needles and thread while
Isaiah lay there. AS we spoke, one o.