The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-12-10

The court room was packed John Woods
trial was drawing to its close. Eli was on the
jury. Some one had advised the Prosecuting
Attorney, in a whisper, to challenge him, but
he had shaken his head and said
so, couldn't afford to challenge him for
that; it would only leak out and set the Jury
against me. I'll risk his standing out against
this evidence"
The trial had been short. 1t had been shown
how the little building of the bank had been
entered. Skilled locksmths from the city had
testified that the safe was opened with kew,
and that the lock was broken afterward from
the inside-plainy to raise the theory of
forcible entry by strangers.
1t had been proved that the only key in ex-
istence, not counting that kept by the Presi-
dent, was in the possession of Wood, who was
hlling, for few days, the place of the Cashier
the Presidents brother-in his absence 1t
had been shown that Wood was met, at one
O'Clock OF the night in question, crossing the
fields towards his home from the direction of
the bank, with a large wicker basket slung
over his shoulders, returning, as he had said,
from eel-spearing in Harlow's Creek; and
there was other circumstantial evidence. no
/. Mr.. Clark, the President of the Bank, had
won the sympathy of every one by the modest
way in which, with eyeglasses in hand, he had
testified to the particulars of the loss which
had lett him penniless, and had ruined others
whose little all was in his hands, And then,
in reply to the formal question, he had testi-
fled, amid roars of laughter from the court
room, that it was not he who robbed the safe
At this, even the Judge and Woods lawyer had
not restrained a SMILE 'i{ .f .',
This had left the guilt with Wood. His
lawyer, an inexperienced young attorney-who
had done more or less business for the bank
and would hardly have ventured to defend this
case but that the Presid ent had kindly ex-
pressed his entire Willingness that he should
do so-had, of course, not thought it worth
while to cross-examine Mr.. Clark, and had
directed his whole argument against the the
DRY. that the safe had been opened with KEY
and not by strangers. But he had felt all
through that, as man politely remarked to
him when he finished, he was only butting his
" head ag'in stone wall"
The District Attorney had not thought it
worth while to expend much strength upon
his closing argument, but being jovial stump
speaker OF wide reputation within narrow
limits, he had not been able to refrain from
making merry over Woods statement that the
basket, which he had been seen bearing home,
on the eventful night, was a basket of cells
1t takes but little to make school or a
courtroom laugh, and the speech had ap-
peared to give good deal of amusement to
the listeners. ' t'7i
To all? ANNA aHf mr. .I.1' "a .f4 .U
Did 1t amuse that man who sat, with folded
arms, harsh and rigid, at the dock! Did it d.
vert that white-faced woman, covering in a
corner, listening as in dream!
The Judge now charged the jury briefly It
was unnecessary for him, he said to recapitu-
late evidence of so simple character. The
chief question for the jury was as to the credi-
bility of the Witnesses If the witnesses for
the prosecution were truthful and were not
the inference of guilt seemed inevi-
table; this the defendants counsel had con-
coded. The defendant had proved good repu-
tation; upon that point there was only this to
be said: that, while such evidence was entitled
to weight, yet on the other hand, crimes in
volving breach of trust could, from their
very nature, be committed only by persons
whose good regulations secured them posi-
lions of trust .a.I .u ..I I
The jury-room had evidently not been fur
nished by a ring. There was a long table for
debate, twelve hard chairs for repose, twelve
spittoons for luxury, and clock. q,
The jury sat in silence for few moments,
as old Cuptain Nourse who had them in his
keeping, and eyed them as if he was afraid
that he might lose one of them il a crack
and be held accountable on his bond, ratified
away at the unruly lock. Looking at them
then, you would have seen faces all Of