St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1882-11-25
THE MISSING WITNESS.

THE MISSING WITNESS.
..I'm afraid it S bad case,' said to
myself, as [ laid down my brief after
reading it over for the third or fourth
time, and leaned back in my chair to re-
consider it Tor about the twentieth. A
bad case, and am sorry for it.
was a barrister, young both in years
and in professional standing, and this
was the first brief OF any Importance
had ever held. My client was an ltal-.
ian sailor named Luigi Bernini, and the
crime Of which he was accused was rob
berry; the plumber being life long saw
ings OF a woman upward4of eighty years
OF age, which the poor creature kept
hidden in the thatch Of her little cabin.
The witnesses were the old woman
herself, who had been stunned by a
severe blow from the perpetrator OF the
theft, and a neighbor who deposed to
having met the prisoner in the immedl-
ate vicinity OF the cabin. When Berni-
nj was arrested some days later, a Curl
Gus foreign coin, identified as a part OF
the stolen hoard, was found in his peck
ct. This, however, he accounted Tor,
by saying that he had picked it up on
the road. The weak point in the chain
of evidence was a scarcely perceptible
hesitation on the part of one of the wit
nesses. She had at first declared posi-
lively that the prisoner was the man
whom she had seen going towards old
Joan cabin, and had afterwards adj
hered to this statement, with what aft
erwards appeared to be logged obsti-
macy, rather than real conviction.
The prisoner himself positively de-,
MED having been in the neighborhood az
all on the day OF the robbery, but UNI
fortunately he could not speak with
certainty as to his Whereabouts. he
had been lately dismissed from the hos
pital, scarcely convalescent, after a bad
fever; his own ship had left TIM port.
and he had been rejected by tHf Capt
aims to whom he had offered his ser
vices, as not being sufficiently robust Tor
q sailors work. He had a little money
left. and therefore took to wandering
aimlessIy about the country, intending.
as soon as the Columbia returned, TO
ship. aboard of her again. His mind
had been weakened and confused by
his illness. and although he knew that
for several days preceding and follow
ing that OF the robbery, he had been IN
a part Of the country fully twenty miles
distant. he could not possibly say
where he had been, or to whom he had
spoken on the day in question. Many
INQUIRIES had been made. and many
persons interviewed who remembered
..the poor foreign chap but no accn-
rate information as to dates was forth
coming. AS the testimony OF aperson
who had extended her hospitality to
him, either Of a Tuesday or Thurs
day. she couldn't rightly say which,
would not, unfortunately, carry much
weight in a Courtiof Justice, 1 had te
trust for a defense to the cross-exaInl
nation of the witnesses, whose char
acter for veracity I hoped. BY judicious
management of the usual forensic
weapons, to compel them to annihilate
with their own lips. much regretted
this want OF evidence. as was stroag
" prepossessed in favor of the prisoner
something frank and honest in his face
making it difficult for me to believe hin
guilty Of the cowardly crime of which
he was accused. Besides, it was. as
have said, my first important case. ant
self-interest and professional instlnc
alike prompted me to desire its success
full issue. But of this I had little hope
i laid aside my brief at length, ane
went up to the drawing room. where
was greeted by my cousin and hostes
with q somewhat petulant reproof TO
having fingered SO long over thos'
mnsty law papers.
Alice and / had been children to
gether--a big girl and a little bow
had grown from play fellowsi into friends
and s:nce her MARI age hex house u
Carr garvan had been my rest ng-plac
in assize times. was at no loss to under
stand the cause OF her vexat on Of m q,
tardy appearance She was someWha
4 match maker. and having no one Blu
myself on whom to exercise he
talents, she had devoted them eS
clusi, ely to my service. She had q
ready decided upon sultabi
wife for me. and was now exerting her
self to the utmost to bring about tn
marriage. The chosen young lady wa
present. and I knew that Alice wa
mnch ANNOYED with me Tor deFotin.