Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-08-04

that precautlon. The first impression
that came to my mind as L looked at
the prisoner, was. how could one SO
young and so beautiful commit such
terrible crime? She turned her
pale, tear stained face and looked at
me. In that pitiful look I read her
prayer 1t was that l should protec
her.
"'Are you guilty, or not guilty p
said the district attorney.
"'Not guiityp Her answer was in
firm, sad voice.
"For moment 1 allowed myself to
believe that she had pleaded truth
fully. But when l heard the subdued
hiss that came from the people 1 said
to myself she lies
"We went on with the trial. The
lawyer who had previously been ap-
pointed to conduct the defense was a
young man, and a disgrace to his pro
fession. 1t seemed as if he did oall
he could to assist the prosecution.
The evidence was conclusive. Her
husband had come home the worse
for liquor. They had some hard
words; she had told him that if he
did not stop driL ing, she would stop
him. You will be sorry for it. Ii
you don't stop, you will be dead
man. / will be better off as your
widow than as the shaving wife of a
drunkard.' Then right after the
quarrel she had bought poison. She
told the druggist that she wished to
poison some cats that disturbed her
sleep. The next morning the dead
body was found, and the doctor found
poison in the body. There was only
one thing that looked queer. She
had not been allowed to see the re-
mains. AS 1 said before, the evidence
was conclusive, and the verdict of the
jury was guilty and / must do my
duty.
"'Mary Brainard, stand up
"She staggered to her feet and
stood facing me.
"'The jury have found you guilty
of murder in the first degree. Have
you anything to say why the sentence
of the court should not be passed
upon your
81 am not guilty! She bowed her
head and stood waiting for what was
to come.
MARY Brainard, this is is pain
full duty which 1 have to perform.
Usually in passing a sentence upon
one found guilty of crime, a court
passing sentence utters words of ad-
vice to the guilty. In this case l can
not do SO; the crime is too great. l
will proceed at once to pass the SEN
tence of the court. Mary Brainard,
the sentence of this court is that on
the twenty first day of February
next, between the hours of twelve
o'clock at noon and two o'clock in the
afternoon, in the court- t-horee yard, at
Plainville, you be hanged by the neck
until you are dead, and may God have
mercy upon your soul!
"As soon as 1 had finished, she
sank back in her chair. like one ex-
hausted. The people in the court
room cheered in token of their ap-
proval. Just as the sheriff was about
to take her back to the Jail, a man
elbowed his way through the crowd
to where the prisoner was. Clasping
her in his arms, he cried out
"'Maryl Maryr
"She gave one wild scream. shall
always remember it. 1 heard her
say
":John, is this you?' She then fell
forward upon his shoulder.
"'The dead was alive; it was her
husband!
"'Yes,' he said; i am this WON
ans husband, l am John Brainard.
1 went away vcwing that 1 would
not return again until 1 had freed
myself from my appetite for drink.
am now a sober man, and thank
God that am able to save my wife
from being murdered simply because
The law says So
That's my story" continued Judge
Holmes. "Ever since then I have
had no faith in circumstantial evi-
dence."
"Who was the man that they found
dead?" asked one of the lawyers.
"That 1 never knew; a case of sui
eide, perhaps" replied the Judge.
"That was queer experience, but
it is only fair illustration of what
may have occurred many times in the
past" said one
"And may occur many times in the
future said another.
"That is true," said Judge Holmes.
"But here is the Judge of this court.
The train must have been behind. or
he would not have been so late. Busi-
ness, gentlemen, we must now attend
to business"