The Osceola times., 1882-01-21


the slIylark "My enemies have bribed
all the lawyers, even my own, to be sick;
but God will defend the innocent /"
At this response, so touching in its
simple pathos, portion of the audience
buzzed applause, and the rest wept. On
the instant, however, the heather robed
stranger, whose aspect previously Gre
ated so much merriment, approached
the prisoner aud whispered something
in her ear. She bounded several inches
from the floor, uttered a wild shrek and
then stood pale and trembling, as if in
the presence Of ghost from the grave.
/ All could now perceive that there must
be some mysterious connection between
the two. and the scene assumed the pro-
found interest of genuine romance.
The stranger addressed the court in ac-
cents as sOnorous as the tones of an or.
gan:
"May itpleasc your honor, | will under
take TO defend the legal rights of the
lady"
"Whatm exclaimed the astonished and
bewildered judge, "are you licensed
attorney"
"The question is immaterial and irrel
evant," said the stranger with a sneer
"as your statute entities any person tc
act as counsel at the request Of one of the
parties"
But does the prisoner request it?'
asked the judge.
'Let her speak for herself" said the
stranger.
II do" was her answer, as long
drawn sigh escaped, that seemed TO rend
her very heart strings.
"What is your name, as it must BE
placed on the rocord?" interrogated the
the Judge.
civilian Denton said the stranger
The case Immediately progressed. We
will briefly epitomize the substance oi
tho evidence. About twelve month;
previously the defendant had arrived in
the town and opened an establishment
of millinery. She resided in a small
back room OF the shop and alone she
prepared the various articles Of her trade
with unwearied toll and consummate
taste. Her habits were secluded, modest
and retiring; and hence, she might have
hoped TO escape notoriety but for The
peculiargift of that extraordinary beauty
which too often, and to the poor aEC
irlendless always, proves curse. Sht
was soon rought after by those ay fire
flies Of fashion the business of whose
life everywhere is seduction and ruin
But the beautiful stranger rejected then
all alike with unutterable scorn anC
loathinr.
Among those disappointed admirers
was one of a character from which the
fair millner had everything TO fear
Hiram Shore belonged to a family al
c,,a o,.,I.,t ,puuavfio1 apI dtsgi gi,ataJ
lie was himself licentiOus, brave and re
vengelul, and a duelist Of established
and terrible fame. IL was generally
known tina. he had made advances to
win the favor of the beautiful Emma
and had shared the fate Of al other
wooers "A disdainful repuse.
At Q o'clock on Christmas evening,
1878, the people of Little Rock were
startled by loud scream, as if from some
one in mortal terror; while following
that, with hardly an interval, came sue
cessive reports Of fire arms, one, two,
threc--a dozen deafening explosions.
They flew to the shop of the milliner,
whence the sounds ema ated, aud
pushed back the unfastened door, A
dreadful scene was presented. There she
stood in the centre OF the room, with q
| revolver in each hand, every barrel dis
charged, her features pale, her eyes flash
ing wildly and her lips parted with an
awful smile. And there, at her feet,
weltering in his warm blood, his bosom
literally riddled with shot, lay the all
dreaded duelist, Hiram Shore gasping in
the last agony. He articulated butsa
single sentence, Tell my mother that |
aIn dead and gone TO hell, and instant
- ~ xIrrx<
a dti IT. saiti s.ss.ssg,,,xs,u,,,..;,, b.,
in her sweet. silver accents. rtr6rs
save my honor"
Such IA the brief extract of the essen
tial circumstances as developed on the
examination of witnesses. The testi-
mony closed, and the pleading began.
First of all, Fowler, Pike and Ashley
all famous lawyers at the time al the
SouthWest, spoke in succession tor The
prosecution They about equally rarti
= toned their c,oquence between tn
. prisoner and her advocate, covering tn
latter with such sarcastic wit. railler
4 and rdicule, "a to make 1t matte
= Of doubt whether he or is client was Tn
q party then on trial. As to Denton, hoy
4 ever, he seemed no. TO pay the sllfhte
J attention to his opponents, but REMAND
'a motionless, with his forehead bowed G
4 his hands, like one buried IN de-
n thought.
n When his time came, however,
suddenly sprang to his feet, crossed I
'e bar and took a position almost touchll
Is the foreman Of the jury. He tIen CO.
S menced in whisper so wild, pecull
Il. and indesrribahly distinct as tn fill I
r. hall from floor to galleries.
il At the outset he dealt in pure log
Al apalyzing and combining the prov
ri facts. uu the whole mass OF ooniuseI
,e. ideuce looked as transparent as glol
through which the innocence o:
bo client shone luminous as sunbea
ia. while tbe Jurors nodded TO each oti
lv si-ns or thorough conviction. II
thrilling whisper had concentrated
en- gument in q language simple as en-
lir had satisfied the demands OF the IN,
hy lect and this, too, in only twenty mlnu'
oh II was like mathematical demonstrate
'or He then changed his posture so as
Ter sweep the bar with a glance, and, hk'
be raging lion. rushed upon his adversar
,a- tearing and rendiug their sophistt
M into atoms. His sallow face elowed /
IN red.hot iron, the iorked blue We
an swrlled and writhed ON his brow.
an ewes resembled live Goals and bis vt
,er was the claugor Of trumpet. ! ne
mi before since listened 20 such appall
nor denunciation. 1t was like Jove him
on hurlinr thnnderbolts in the shudder
ets eyes of inferior gods And yet IN
n HIGHEST temper of his fury, he seen
os wonderfully calm. lie employed
90 Gesture save one. the flash of long b.
- fore.6pger directed at the pallld face