The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1882-10-28
WoaED in TIE DOCKS.

There were twenty-seven persons
charged with various offences before his
honor that morning. It was only about
eighteen months ago.
One of the accused was young girl
about seventeen, who was weeping very
bitterly. The usual crowd of hangers
on the police court was leering eagerly
at the misfortunate tramp, the ire
claimable drunkard, the foreheadless
| petty larcenist, and the burly burglar.
But there was something in this
young girls sobs, in this sorrow of the
| fair haired maiden who had passed the
night in the same cell with drunken
| prostitutes, female dive thieves and wo-
men of the worst GLASS that was heart
| breaking.
Even the bailiff of the court-accus-
toned to criminal misery and Injured to
| the scenes of suffering from the suicide
of wanton to the execution of MUIR
derer and his parting with his mother
| and sister-eyen the bailiff felt touched,
| and walking up to the railing, whispered
some kind word in her ear.
| And next to her sat young man pale
as death The humiliation of his posi-
tion stood out in bold bas-relief in his
attitude and in every feature of his face,
! in the nervous clutch Of his hands, in the
shifting Of his feet, the disarranged hair,
and the silently expressed suffering.
The Judge was late tnat morning and
kept the prisoners waiting.
| His face was winter than ever, but his
mouth was firm and resolute, and
after he had said the word that made
| him a convict, he faced the magistrate
and said:
"Your honor, I have said guilty be
cause / should be liar if | said any
thing else; but, your honor, have this
to add to my plea: never drank wine in
my life until last Friday night, and ]
was utterly under its influence when
took that gold.
At this juncture an elderly man
stepped forward and said, in voice
choked with emotion
"Your honor, am this young man s
employer, and I am sorry that [ have
taken these steps now. With your
perm ission I will withdraw the charge.
But his honor only looked a. little
dlmly through his spectacles and said
''Too late; complaint sworn to, arrest
made, prisoner leads guilty
And it came to pass that Hugh
Murray expiated the one criminal act OF
his life by six months in the house OF
correction.
But before he left the dock he man
aged to whisper to his neighbor-"Tell
me your name, won't you. / have been
so bad and I am sure you are so good
and perhaps when my punishment is
over, you who are so gentle, will lei
me come and see you and call you my
friend
And she, with her great eyes all
bleared with tears, said family
"My name is Isabel-Isabel Daily.
hope you won't be bad again, and thai
they won't be unkind to you"
And he passed out of the dock with
these words ringing in his ears
"I hope you won't be bad again, and
that they won't be unkind to you"
And when he reached the cell from
which they were to take him away to the
house of correction, the frmness thai
kept him up so far all left him, anc
crouched on the stones he burst into
passionate fit of weeping. :
He was not long alone, for his employer
had followed him, and the once severe
master was now as badly broken down a.
the clerk whom he had caused to be pun
ished SO severely. The old ieweler pu
his arms around Hugh's neck and fol
several minutes could not speak. Ant
at last said:
MY poor boy, wish could upd,
this. When I saw you standing in the
dock, you made me think of boy of my
own who was ruined by the wine cup
and left me for don't know where
What can doP How can undo this?'
There was no reply, for both hearts
were too full to speak for moment; bu
the young man at last raised his head
and said
81 am not crying like baby for my
punishment, and l have nothing bu
good will to you. If you have beer
harsh to me, don't know it. Let me
be candid with you. I was thief, ane
I was drunkard-a thief for the frs
time and drunkard for the first time
but still was both. II you think yor
have been harsh, then, when my punish
ment is over, help me to get somewher.
where can get work-a long way off
whore my story is not known, and as
live, will repay your kindness ten
fold. And there is young girl, " ht
continued, charged with stealing some
lace, up stairs. Will you see her? an
sure she is innocent, and in the dock she
forgot all her trouble for a moment, tt
ask me never to be bad again. It wa,
that, Mr.. Belden, which made me give
way go weakly
The parting was very sad one, bu
the inevitable had to come, and Hugh
Murray was for six months to come oaiy
"No 1877" in the western corridor.
A few days after be had been in prisoY
he received trunk full of new clothine
from his late employer, some luxuries il
the way of food, etc., that were special,
permitted by the warden, and the fol
lowing letter:
MY dear Hugh: Please accept th,
accompanying little gifts from me, ane
keep up good heart / send you som.
useful books wherewith to employ you
time. Your friend, who was in sucl
trouble, was perfectly innocent, and wa
! discharged, her arrest having been