Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-05-18
Aa Original Storg.
Written for the Yorkvile Enquirer.
DEATH IN THE CUP.
BYJ. WITHRRsPOON ERWIN.

was very young lawyer at the time, hav-
ing been admitted to practice but year pre-
viously, and 1 was greatly surprised when [
opened the note brought me by the jailer's son,
and found it was from Mrs. Ada Laroche, and
dated from the prison to which she had been
committed, day or two before, on most
terrible charge-that of poisoning her hus-
band, to whom she had been married but little
more than a year.
was the youngest practitioner of law in the
county, and was more than surprised at her
intimation in her note that she desired to en-
ploy me to defend her for her case was re-
garded as a desperate one, and there were old
and able lawyers at hand who had more skill
and learning than l and, to tell the PLAIN
truth, thought this was case, the manage
ment of which, required the most consummate
skill and shrewdness to make even decent
and respectable defence.
I felt overwhelmed and sick at heart in view
of the responsibility that was called upon to
assume. never before felt so unequal to the
task of doing justice to the cause of client. L
thought it would be weak and unmanly, as un-
professional, to decline the case and although
I expected it to bring me in handsome fee,
I would much have preferred that it had fallen
into the hands of some older member OF the
profession, who was competent to make more
lawyer-like and decent appearance in the case
than felt able to do 8; for all the facts OF the
case, so far as they had been ascertained, came
in rapid review through my mind, and l saw
nothing at which could catch to reflect even
a doubt upon the guilt of the accused.
Did T then believe Mrs. Laroche ? That was
quite another question which had not answer
ed even to myself.
Sending verbal reply by the messenger to
let her know would soon see her in person, L
began to prepare myself for the interview by
recalling to mind all the facts in the history of
Mrs. Laroche, so far as 1 was acquainted with
them, to see if 1 could extract from them any
thing that might weigh on either side of the
caSe
She was the only daughter Of poor, wan
dering old teacher who earned a meagre and
precarious support by giving lessons from
house to house wherever his services might
be required; and yet Cecil Laroche, young
and wealthy planter, and the representative
Of family tracing their descent from long
line of French mobiles, had Oyerstepped all the
traditional customs of his aristocratic family
and ventured to marry her. 1t produced at
the time quite a sensation in the community
in which Laroche lived not, indeed, noisy
and vulgar excitement, for the creme de Ia creme
of which he was part, was too refined and
punctilious for such a display of feeling. 1t
was. however quite shock to the aristOcrat-
ic circle to which he belonged, that any OF
their number should have contracted such
4nessaliance, and his conduct was to be re-
buked by their altogether ignoring the young
bride who had been brought in among them
like sweet, modest violet gathered from some
sequestered nook, altogether outside of their
arstocratic pale. They were as far removed
from all social connection and sympathy with
her. as though she were the daughter of d
Fiji Islander whose highest attainment was
the making of uncouth music upon the tom
tom.
There WAS no consultation among them, or
comparing of notes about her case. The mar
riage was in violation of the law written upon
the daily life and habits of the aristocratic
community, and the penalty was foregone
conclusion The young bride was tacitly con-
demned to the most rigid social ostracism-a
Judgment all the more infeXible, in that its
tendency was to prevent the recurrence OF a
similar offence on the part of any Of their
circle who might be tempted to an alliance
outside of their narrow social pale by the Sc
ductions of rare beauty and worth, which are
more often, perhaps, found blooming and -four
ishng outside of exclusive circles than within
them. And so the grand house of Magnolia
Grove remained unvisited, even when the pres
ence of the young bride there-a stranger
among trangers-might have eloquently plead
ed for the social crumbs that fell from the
over loaded tables Of the rich
Ada Bonneville, was a flower we'll worth
the gathering. She was rare beauty, such as
one does not often meet with, either among
fashionable exclusives, or the common herd OF
mortals upon whom they look with proud
disdan. Her Bohemian experience of life had
shown her much of the world, and she had
profited by it, as the bee by his wild, gypsy life
among the flowers. From the contact her
nature had gathered all that was worthy, and
instinctively rejected all besides.
In truth she was kept from the evil of the
world, so far as the love and care of Jacob
Bonneville could protect her. True, he was a
HELPLESS and unthrifty man, with only his vio-
lin and his musical talents to depend on fol
his bread, instead of balance at his bankers
hut Door and helpless as he was, old Jacob was
q kind and considerate, and even wise father
and few of us could have done better if de-
prived of our money bags and turned adrift IL
the world. without a God-speed, to work or t'