Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-01-13
A THRILLING SCENE IN COURT.

by his mistress in Chicago last july.
after his abuse and cruelty had be-
come unbearable to her. The woman
was recently placed on trial for the
crime, and this dramatic scene IS re-
ported in connection Herewith: The
prisoner, whose face was uncovered
in court for the first time, was dressed
as usual in black, Grape veil envel-
oping her head. Beneath the folds
OF this protruded fringe of curls
Her face was pale, almost of an ashen
hue, and the dark, lustrous ewes look
ed deeper black by contrast Her
forehead was slightly wrinkled with
frown OF thoughtfulness and pain.
In her hand she held plain white
handkerchief, which she now and
then applied to her eyes and nervous
ly twisted in her fingers. With every
eye IN the court room upon her, and
every ear intent on each syllable, she
began the story of her sutferings and
crime. The recital consumed four
hours, and during this time she was
prompted but once or twice by her
counsel. One by one the incidents in
her career-the brutality of Stiles,
their arrangements and reconcilia-
tions-came from her lips. Love.
misery, heartaches. Joy, and happi
ness filled the recital, making II n
narrative interesting in every detail
Beginning calmly, she dwelt on their
first meeting, his Establishments. his
seductive talk and promises, display
ing wonderful memory for detail.
Every little incident of her life inter
woven with his came up as vividly as
though impressed indelibly upon her
brain. His jibes, insults, blows
kicks, assertions, with his repentant
words, the contents of passionate let
ters, promising better things and
swearing eternal love, were given to
the jury by the woman who killed
him. Gradually, as the thoughts of
the past came rushing back, the young
prisoner became tremulous, excited
and fearful. Her breast heayed. her
lips trembled, sobs burst out from
between choking utterances. until. at
the close of the narrative, pent up
grief, remorse, wrecked hopes. and de
spair asserted their power, and the
witness rose and fell from her seat a
screaming maniac. At intervals dur
ing her recital the spectators were in
tears.
Having dwelt at length on Stiles
treatment of her up to the night be-
fore the shooting, she gave graphic
description of her desertion by him
at Sunnyside, and her lonely walk
back to the city through the storm.
AS she neared the end of her story it
was evident that she was controlling
herself only with the greatest effort
The tension to which the nerves of
Court, jury and spectators had been
subjected was painful. She seemed
loath to leave the subject of her walk
back to the city at midnight, fearing
to trust herself with the recital of the
tragedy which followed it. "The
rain," said she, ''was falling in sheets,
and the lightning was so vivid that it
seemed to burn itself into my brain.
| was cold. wet, and in an agony of
despair and sorrow at the wrongs
that had been done me. 1 could not
think OF anything but my own suffer
ings and humiliation, and then-and
then" Her voice. usually musical,
was pitched in a higher key, and she
seemed about to faint, A bailiff STEP
ped to her side, and she made an ef
fort to go on. She repeated some of
the incidents of her walk to town,
and was evidently despairing of her
ability to give the details of the trag-
cdy. She buried her face in her
hands and sobbed aloud. Her walls
soon turned to a groan, and she rock
ed to and fro, never lifting her hands
until, with great effort she rose
from her chair and fairly shrieked:
"And then 1 killed himr'
The words were still ringing in the
ears of the auditors when she fell
prone upon the floor. Four bailiffs
picked her up and carried her into
an adjoining room, where medical aid
was summoned. Her pulse had ceas-
ed entirely, and for a few moments it
was supposed that shc was dying.
Restoratives soon revived her, and
she was taken to the Jail, where she
lies in condition bordering on in
sanity.