Omaha daily bee., 1884-08-16

mate the manner of man he was. Wood
lock swore he never expressed adoubt al
to the identity ofthe man he sawspeakins
to Thiebault; and now the coroner come,
up, and states on his oath-and he is 8
Crown witness as we'll as WoodlOck-that
when he asked him who was the man with
Thiebault, he said at first he thought il
was Michael ConnorS. Where was the
use now in talking more over this mat.
teri AS men of honor, Jealous that jus.
tice should be done, he asked for no mer.
cy, but he would like to know if there
was a man on that jury who would hang
a dog on the evidence of Woodlock. This
was the last word for the prisoner.
And, now we settled down to hear the
Judge. He was then MIR. Justice, he is
now Lord, Fitzgerald. l looked very in.
tently at him. He was a slight man; his
features werei small and delicately
formed. There was an air of quiet, OBJ
servant repose about him. Calmness
and keenness seemed to be his mental
characteristics, and 1t was with great
desire l waited for his words. What
solution would he suggest of the con-
tested question: Very quietly he took
the Jury into his confidence. Many
minutes had not elapsed when it APP.
peared as If they were all old friends,
talking in a business-like and gentleman
ly way over this deplorable occurrence
by expressing the minds of the others
completely to their satisfaction. The
expression of his face was very gentle, and
there was constantly playing
about his mouth a smile, which
left tho impression that il he were forced
to find fault his sternest rebuke would
take the form of Gliding. Throughout
this charge he appeared to me to hold a
beam and scales in one hand, while with
tho other he picked up the particles of
evidence pro and con, and placed them
in the balance. As stage after stage of
the case was dealt with, it was plain that
the balance was more against the pris-
oner. Amid breathless silence his words
ceased and the jury retired.
AS minute after minute sped, each in
dividual privileged with a place in court
held his ground. l was still leaning
against the bars of the dock. After a
short absence the judges were on the
benchf the jury stood in the box, tho
prisoner in his cage. | looked at him.
His face or manner showed no trace of
excitement, but, glancing at Lis hands, l
saw they were tightening with vice.like
grip around the rails, driving the blood
away from the knuckles and fingers.
Here was the only indication of the awful
fear that must have consumed him. The
jurors names were being called over.
"Southcote Manuscript" said the Off.
cial; this was the gentleman who had
previously expressed an interest in the
prisoner.
"Herel" came from the box in q tone
of gruff triumph.
There was q sudden start in the court,
and then it seemed as if the roof would
have been lifted off, such a wild cheer
went up. The police, the Sheriff, the
judges were all paralyzed. There was
only one man in the court at that mo
ment who was not sure what the verdict
was, and that man was the prisoner.
Unmoved he stood, with his desperate
grip tightening round the bars, and his
figure getting more rigid waiting for the
actual word. His sympathizers grasped
each other by the hand, and paid no re-
gard to the threat of the policemen or
the menace of the judge. Clear the
court, indeed! what more was to be
learned2 But until the last word was
said the prisoner was rigid.
"Not guilty." said the foreman, and
it seemed to me that Halloran's knees
lost their power, for he suddenly sank
some inches, and, as suddenly grasping
the bars he stood smiling before the
bench, the blood coming with a rush over
his temples.
"Is there any other charge against the
prisoner" asked the judge.
"No, my Lord" replied the Crown.
"Then discharge him." said his Lord
ship.
A little door In front of the dock was
opened, and out of the terrible trap,
into freedom and sunshine, darted the
man who had endured this terrible
ordeal.
1t was all over now save the shouting,
and of that there was a great deal. Hal
loran was placed IN a Car, and borne
through the town with green branches
waving around him, and thousands cheer
ing for Joy that he had escaped. 1t was
a wild scene.
Many words of genuine sympathy |
heard uttered for the poor French gen
tleman, whose Irish experience was 80
lamentable.
1t was all very extraordinary, and to a
stranger inexplicable, unless on the
ground that there was something rotten
in the state of Denmark j. O'DOn-
0ghue in LOngman's Magazine.