Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-07-29


| liable as chattels
Under these circumstances | abandon
ed all hope that Milly might be able tC
contribute to her mothers necessities
[ even inscribed her name ON my owl
mental tablets as an ''obiect." parted
from her with feelings Of depression, al
the more lively because her own inher
tied cheerfulness had succumbed to the
pressure of adverse circumstances. She
was apparently on good terms with
Fate, and disposed to make the best Of
things
On Issiah, however, [ looked with
natural repulsiOn between himself and
steady work Odds and ends of work
he would occasionally find to do; but he
never secured a months or even 8
weeks employment. He came and
went to my house on errands for his
mother. always exasperatingly self-satis.
fed and good natured. Perhaps little
wholesome discomfort or discomfort
would have spured him to exertiOn.
employed him to cut the grass in Oul
garden, and he really did it we'll, with
SO much self-complacency, too, that one
felt that grass cutting was perhaps his
congenial sphere. However, work must
come to Issiah; he would never go to
look it up. He also did little odds and
ends of gardening for me on this same
occasion, conversing politely mean
while. AS, for instance, in raking the
hay:
'In de country dey calls dis var Win
nowin.' [ worked at harvestin' onst in
Prince Georges. Harvestin' is good for
de nerves. 1t elder increase 'em or de
crease 'em Mine decreased-no, Imean
ter say dey increased"
"Then harvesting did not agree with
your"
ooh yes, it did. 1t suited me flst
rate. De nerves increased. [ was as
hearty as buck"
'4Ou look strong and we'll now, I
state. This occurs to me as a good
opening for my favorite text. Isaiah,
| wish you could contrive to DO more
for your old mother"
II does try, miss" he declares; Il
does my best" tossing the grass pic
turesquely. 81 tries hard"
Lucy had given me to understand
that Isaiah was the rakish and rowing
member of her family, addicted to
singing about the streets at night, never
going to church. [ referred to these
facts in his personal history. Isaiah
did not deny them. But he made
promises of amendment. [, for my
part presented him with an old coat,
on the understanding that he was only
to wear it to church. He had pleaded
his deficient toilet as an excuse for his
neglect of religious Observances.
Not longer than week after that our
town was startled by murder commit
ted on the street at night, the victim,
an overbearlng, QuarrelsOme youth OF
the white race, who yet elected in his
death the sympathies Of the whole
community, SO unprovoked and das-
tardly was the way of his end His
murderers were traced immediately
and identified beyond a reasonable
doubt. Alas, one of those arrested on
suspicion was the same Isaiah-Isaiah
Carroll-of whom I have written
above!
| went to see Aunt Lucy directly, and
found her plunged in grief But she
was confident of her boys innocence.
She bewailed the way of life which had
caused him to be identified with the
class of men by whom the murder had
doubtless been committed. II always
tellhim So" she kept repeating. II tell
him his company wud be de ruin oh
him. 1t war de singin', miss" she re-
iterated. Il allus kn0wed no good wud
come oh it,"
[ followed the evidence carefully.
The feeling of the public was dead
against the suspected murderers from
the start. | who had my misgivings as
to Isaiah, at last was glad that the uni
versal charity of the law gave the
wretched prisoners a chance to defend
themselves. | was glad to know that
Isaiah would have an able counsellor;
but all that | could hear or read was
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 implicated the others far more
cOnclusively than Isaiah. But it was
shown that he had been standing about
the st eet corners on the morning of
the murder with the two others ac-
cused; and it was also shown that for
the last six months they had been an
inseparable trio. Isaiah had, beyond
dispute, been companion of thieves
if not worse.
In spite of all which [ believe he
could clear himself Poor old Amt
Lucy did not see him through the
trial. She could only mourn for him
and pray for him. Poor old Lucy!
The day when [ had ascertained that
Isaiah would be questioned, l myself,
against all my previous habits, went
down to the court house. 1t was quite
apitiful 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 twirling
his hat in his hand, as had seen him
do on the occasion of our last meeting,
when / had bethought me to advise
him as to his moral and spiritual state.
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-
cOmnlished bis lesson thoroughly. His