Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1882-11-17
THE MISSING WITNESS.

Tho birds sung on, "a hand In hand we passed
Into u strange sweet lfe-lovc crown d at last.
--CidutJers Journal.
THE MISSING WITNESS.
"I'm afraid it, bad case," / said to
myself, us 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 Tor 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 Ital-
ian sailor named Luigi Bernini, and the
crime of which he was accused was rob-
berry; the plunder being q life long saw
ings Of a woman upwards of 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 n
severe blow from the perpetrator of the
theft, and neighbor who deposed to
having met the prisoner in the immedi-
ate vicinity OF the cabin. When Berni-
nj was arrested some days later, a Curl
Gus foreign coin, identified as part of
the stolen hoard, was found in his pock-
ct. This, however, he accounted for,
by saying that he had picked it up on
the road. The weak point in the chain
of evidence was 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
Joanls cabin, and had afterwards adj
hered to this statement, with what aft
erwarls appeared to be dogged obsti-
macy, rather than real conviction.
The prisoner himself positively de-
MED having been in the neighborhooda at
all ON the day OF the robbery, but un
fortunately he could not speak with
certainty as to his whereabouts. He
had been lately dismissed from the hos
pital, scarcely convalescent, after bad
fever; his own ship had left the port,
and he had been rejected by the Capt
aims to whom he had offered his SER
vices, as not being sufficiently robust for
sailors work. He had little money
left. and therefore took to wandering
aimlessly about the country, intending,
rs 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
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
inqui les had been made, and many
persons interviewed who remembered
"the poor foreign chap" but no accu-
rate information as to dates was forth
coming. AS the testimony of a person
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 Court of Justice, l had to
trust or defense to the cross-exami.
nation Of the witnesses, whose char
acter for veracity hoped, by judicious
management of the usual forensic
weapons TO compel them to annihilate
with their own lips. 1 much regretted
this want of evidence. as l was stro lg-
ly prepossessed in favor of the prisoner;
something frank and honest in his face
making it difficult for me to believe him
guilty of the cowardly crime of which
he was accused. Bes. .des, it was, as l
nave suu, ily uI5b CusCp anu
self-interest and professional instinct
alike prompted me to desire its success
full issue. But of this had little hope.
l laid as de my brief at length, and
went up to the drawing room, where l
was greeted by my cousin and hostess
with somewhat petulant reproof for
hav ng, fingered SO long over those
musty law papers.
Alice and / had been children to-
gether-a big girl and a little boy-we
had grown from play-fellowsintofriends
and s nee her MARI age her house in
Carr 'garvan had been my rest ng-place
in assize times. was at no loss to under
stand the cause of her vcxat on al my
tardy appearance. She was somewhat
match maker. and having no one but
myself on whom to exercise her
talents, she had devoted them ex-
c!usi, ely to my service. She had al
ready. decided upon suitable
wife for me. and was now eyerting her.
self to the utmost to br ng about the
MARI age. The chosen young lady was
present, and ] knew that Alice was
much annoyed with me for devot ng
the evening to my brief instead of to
Dora Lyme. The latter was the daugh-
ter OF a solicitor in good practice, and
was herself a very pretty, br ght look
ing girl, who would, / was compelled TO
admit, be most desirable wife for a
young unknown barris er.
was thoroughly fond of Alice, and
she was my chosen confidante whenever
] needed one; but l could not tell her
even that the true reason which pre-
vented Dora Lynes brown eyes and
sweet voice making their due inn
preston on me was the remembrance of
a face seen but during three-hours'
railway journey. face with dark gray
eyes and quiet, thoughtful expression,
and OF voice heard at somewhat rare
intervals in the space OF time, whose
sull, low-pitched tones still vibrated in
my Imagination. Alice would have
been too good natured to laugh at me,
but felt sure that, had she known the
state Of the case, she would have enter
tanned, and probably expressed. fears
that overstudy had affected my brain
an opinion that would probably have
been shared by all persons whose
characteristic was common-sense.
Miss Lyme. perceiving that Alice was
vexed with me. and wishing, think, to
show that she did not share the feeling,
called me over to look at come prints
and photographs which she was examin-
ing.
sAlice." said Miss Lyme, at length,
"did you show Mr. Lestrange the sketch
you found in that bookp'
..No." said Alice; 81 forgot it, You
will find IL in that volume OF the Stones
OF Venice on my table. Richard. 1t is
really a beautiful sketch. wonder how
II came to be forgotten In the book"
brought the book TO Dora Lyme. who
turned over the leaves until she found
The drawing, which she put into my
hands. The moment saw II uttered
an exclamation CT surprise. which
brought my cousin at once TO my side.