The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-12-09

turn nsan ground 4 Jon, o. any other
man that you Get on, tries to tax TO No vhsn
I don't want TO hear, to worry me to death
look out !"
How the long hours wore oni How easy,
sometimes, to resist IN open pressure, and
how hard, With the resistance gone, to fight,
- one that beats the airl How the prospect
Of . whole hostile town doomed upin . mirage
before Eli. And then the picture rose before
him Of long, stately bark, now building,
whose owner had asked him yesterday to be
first mate. And II his wife were only well and
he were only free from this nights trouble,
how soon, upon the long, green waves. he
And then came Mr.. Eldridge, kind and
friendly, to have another little chat.
Morning came, cold and drizzly. An officer
knocked at the door and called out, "Break-
fast" And, in q moment, unwashed and all
uncombed, except the tin-peddler, who always
carried = beard-cOmb in his pocket, they were
marched across the street to the hotel.
There were q number of men on the piazza
waiting to see them-jurymen, witnesses and
the accused himself, for he was on bail. He
had seen the procession the night before, and,
like the others, had read its meaning.
"Eli knows wouldn't do it," he had said
to himself, and he's going to hang out,
sure"
The jury began to turn from the court house
deor. Everybody looked. A file Of two men,
another file, anothe-, another! would there
come three men and then one! No, Eli no
longer walked alone.
Everybody looked 1T Wood; he turned
sharply away.
But this time the order of march In fact showed
nothing, one way or the other. 1t only meant
that the Judge, who had happened to see the
jury the night before Returning from their
supper, had sent for the high sheriff in some
temper-for Judges are haman-and had Wig
orously intimated that n that statesman did
not look after his fool of . deputy, who let .
jury parade secrets to the public view, he
would!
The jury were in their room again. At nine
O'Clock came rap, and summons from the
court.
The prosecuting attorney was speaking with
he took his seat.
John Wood!" called out the clerk, and
the defendant arose. His attorney was not
there.
"Mr. Foreman" said the Judge, rising:
The jury arose. The silence OF the crowded
courtroom was intense.
Before the clerk asks you for verdict.
gentlemen" said the Judge, 81 have some
thing of the first Importance to say to you,
which has but this moment come to my knowl-
edge"
Eli changed color, and the whole courtroom
"There were some most singular rumors,
after the case was given to you, gentlemen, to
the effect that there had been in this cause .
criminal abuse of justice. 1t is painful to sus-
pect, and shocking to know, that courts and
juries are liable ever to suffer by such unprin-
bench, l never witness q conviction of crime
without pain; but that pain is light, compared
with the distress of knowing of willful per-
version of justice. 1t is q relief to me to be
able to say to you that such instances are, in
my Judgment, exceedingly rare, and-so keen
is the awful searching power OF truth-are al
most invariably discovered"
The foreman touched his neighbor with his
elbow. Eli folded his arms.
GAS said," continued the Judge, "there
were most singul n rumOrs. During the even
ing and the night, rumor, as is often the case,
led to evidence and evidence has led to conf g.
sion and to certainty. And the District At
tOrney now desires me to say to you that the
chief officer of the bank-whO held the second
key to the safe-is now under arrest for q
heavy defalcation, which q sham robbery was
to conceal, and that you may find the prisoner
at the bar-not guilty. congratulate you,
gentlemen, that you had not rendered an ad-
"Your Honor!'' said Eli; and he cleared
his throat; 81 desire it to be known that, even
as the case stood last night, this jury had not
q freed to convict, and never would havew
There was hush, while loud scratching
pen Endorsed the record of acquittal. Then
Wood walked down to the jury-box and took
Ellis hand.
''Just what told my wife all through" he
said. 81 knew you'd hang outr'
Eli's jury was excused for the rest Of the
day, and by noon he was in his own village,
relieved, too, of his most pressing burden: for
George Cahoon had met him on the road, and
told him that he was not going to the West,
after all, for the present., and should not need
his money. But, as he turned the bend of the
road and neared his house, he felt rising
fear that some disturbing rumor might have
reached his wife about his action on the jury.
And, to his distress and amazement, there she
was, sitting in chair at the door.
'Lizziep' he said, what does this meant
Are you crazya'
''I'll tell you what it MEANS" she said, as
she stood up with little smile and clasped
her hands behind her. 'This morning, it got
around and came to me that you was standing
out all alone for John Wood, and that the
talk was that they'd be down on you, and drive
you out of town, and that everybody pitied
ne-pitied mel And when heard that.
thought I'd see! And my strength seemed to
come all back, and got right up, and dressed
myself. And what's more, Pm going to get
wellnow!"
And she did.-Century Magazine