Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-10-13

and some valuable papers had oeen taken
Ho had gone there on the night of the fire tt
try and persuade them to give him back hi:
money and papers-or at least to get back
what he could. When be got there he saw 6
man 20 in whom he did not wish to see, so he
had hung around, waiting for him to de
part. He was around by the back of the
building once-and that was an hour before
the fire broke out. He knew nothing-noth
ing. He clasped his hands, and with hi!
fearless eyes raised toward heaven, he called
to God to witness that he was innocent
I have told you that I knew him we'll.
knew him so we'll, that from that moment
knew him to be innocent! I knew his very
SOUL knew how free and open it was-ah
how sinfully 80 ! knew there was no false
hood in the story he had told US.
"My boy is innocent! My boy is limo
cent !'
l heard the cry-and I saw an old woman
sink back into the arms of male compan'
ion 1t was his poor mother! Her heart
was we'll nigh broken Yet I saw that all
this had but little effect upon the mass OF
spectators. The prisoners course of dissi'
pation-his many threats against the house
and the very fact of his having been rob-
bed and abused there were heavy against
him.
The counsel for the prisoner made his
speech, which was labored and hard. lie
was foolish enough to intimate that if bis
client was around at the back part of the
house more than once, he must have been
intoxicated. In short, his plea had better
been left out. The evidence he could not
shake, and he did all he could to suppose
evidence, some of it most absurd and ridic-
ulous. l afterwards learned that Mouton
Warren engaged that lawyer for the youth
full prisoner The governments attorney
made his plea. 1t was plain, straig ghtforward
and very conclusive.
The Judge finally gave his charge. He
was fair and candid He reviewed the
evidence carefully and pointed out such as
bore heavily upon the case. He told US IT
there was lingering doubt in our minds we
must give the prisoner the benefit of it. But
1 could plainly see that there was no doubt
in his mind.
We, the jury, were conducted to our room
by all officer, and there locked up. A silence
of some minutes ensued. Moulton Warren
was the first to speak:
"Well," he said, II s'pose there's no need
of our bein here a great while. Ot course
we sll know that the prisoner must have set
fire to the house!'
There was something in the manner of
that man as he said this that excited my
curiosty-I won't say it was suspicion then
only curiosity. He spoke with forced effort
at calmness which at once perceived. The
more looked at him the more l became
strangely nervous and uneasy wondered why
he should be so anxious to be rid of the case,
and have Ambod convicted. / knew that
he had frequented that evil house, and that
he had done so much towards helping Char.
ley to dissipation. I knew he was in that
house on the night on which the prisoner was
robbed-for Charley had told me so when
visited him in his cell. I had then asked
the unfortunate youth if be was sure Warren
was his friend 0, he was sure of it. He
should have hunted him up on the night of
his robbery, only they told him Warren had
gone.
By the by, the foreman proposed that we
should each take up a piece of paper and
write down our opinion, and then compare
notes. 1 went to my hat, which | had
placed upon table with number of others,
and took out sheet of paper. l had got
half way back to the table when l found l
had made a mistake. I had got part of q
letter from another mans hat. / was about
to turn back when the name of the writer
of the letter ar. .sted my attention. l look
ed more closely, and read-"Stephen Grant" !"
Next | caught this sentence:
"And now dear Charles, if not for your
own, yet for your mothers sake, let me hope
you will do BETTER
started as though shot had struck me-
held in my hand the other half of the sheet
which had been used to fire the burned house !
I went to the table and found that l had
taken it from Moulton Warren's hat ! |
looked to see if I had been observed-and |
had not. put the paper back, and then
took piece from my own hat, which was OF
the same pattern as the other, and by its side.
I returned to the table and sat down.
Warren was by my side. He had written
his opinion and took a knife from his pocket
to cut it from the large sheet. "Let me take
your knife moment, if you please" | said
to him.
Without hesitation he did so. I took it
it ,uas Charles AmboLd's knife 1.-THE large
blade ,pas gone! With all the power 1 pos.
sessed, I restrained my deep emotions, and
having cut my paper, handed back the
knife.
Why should he have that knife so boldly
about him ? I afterwards learned. He had
not worn those pantaloons before since the
night of the fire and now he used the knife,
probably, without the least remembrance Of
the loss it had sustained during very pecu-
liar piece of work, to the execution of which
it was made subservient.
We talked for some ten minutes, and l
found that eleven of the jury were bent on
rendering verdict of guilty; though most
of them were in favor of recommending the
prisoner to mercy. Moulton Warren was de-
cided. He had no mercy at all.
Presently started up and pretended to be
faint. l said l must 90 out few moments.
l kicked at the door and the deputy sheriff
came. He heard my plea and let me out.
As soon as we had gained a safe distance, l
told him all. He was astonished. He went
away, and when he came back he brought
the district attorney and the district judge
and the sheriff. 1 told again what had
seen-I assured them that knew what had
seen-that it was no mere suspicion. And |
explained, too, Warren's manner in the jury
room, his former connection with the prison
or. and his known character
The officers went away and at the end Of
ten minutes they returned with constable
added to their number, and this constable had