Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-03-20

r..eve me wage ami nnd myselr anna
the flowers, orange trees, the fair sights and
surroundings of our Spanish home.
Not L have but to turn my dazad ey ns to
the centre of space in which We sat to know
that I am dreaming no dream; that we must
wait her9 and learn our fates That oblonq
wooden enclosure with high sides, topped by
light iron railing, brings reality back to
me. 1t is the prisoners dock. In an hours
time man will stand there. He will be
I brought up those stone steps which lead to
it from below, the topmost flag Of which /
can just see He will stand there for hours.
As he leaves the dock, declared innocent or
guilty, SO will our lives be declared happy
or miserable.
i, My hand holds my wife's yet closer; for
the last minutes which may be ours to
spend together are slipping by so fast, 50
very fasti
See, the clock under the balcony marks
half-past nine. The all but deserted court
begins to assume the appearance of pre-.
parlng for business. Policemen and othsr
officials pass to and fro, some arranging
papers, some replenishing ink-bottles, and
placing quill pens ready for the barristers
and solicitors who will soon fill those front
seats. Some one, with what seems to me
bitter irony, places a magnificent bouquet
OF flowers on either hand of the judges va
cant chair. What have flowers in common
with such scene as this? Flowers, too,
which are beautiful enough to recall to
my mind the fair Spanish home, which,
maybe, we shall see no more. Flowers in
this den of sorrow! Rather should every
seat, every beam, be draped in black.
Now the doors of each side of the court
of many feet. People, in a continuous
stream, pass through the entrance and
wend their way to the portion of the court
allotted to the general public. So fast, so
thick they come, that in ten minutes this
space is thronged almost to suff0cation.
Philippe and I pressed closer and closer to
each other, as every inch of the bench on
which we are seated is appropriated. The
court is full
Crowded by respectable-loolsing, we'll
dressed people, who have gained admission,
as heard, by favor of the sheriff. Yet,
respectable as they are, each man, each
woman, rushes in eagerly and strives for
the best available seat. And for what rea-
son? To see and hear a poor wretch tried
for his life In my bitter mood 1 look with
hate ON these sensation seekers. 1 hate them
even more when think that their morbid
craving for excitement may be satisfied with
such food as they little expect; and | clinch
my teeth as picture the scene at that mo-
ment when Philippe, in pursuance of her
immovable resolution, rises, and makes her
effort to proclaim her own guilt and the
convicted mans innocence Although I
strive to force the picture from my mind,
by telling myself that justice cannot err,
that the man will be acquitted, yet again
and again the dread of the worst seiZes me,
and hate every face in that crowd, which
may, by and by, be gaping, with looks of
wonder and curiosity, at the woman | lovel
AS in a haze | see some faces which are
familiar to me. A number of gentlemen
enter and seat themselves On the benches
which counsel usually occupy. Some lew of
these 1 knew by sight They are country
gentlemen from the neighborhood of Rod
ing, who are now called to serve on the
grand july. | see also the thin faced, hawk
ish-looking woman who calls herself Mrs.
Wilson. 1 am thankful that she takes
seat in front of us and does not see u.s. She,
like ourselves, must kno W that an innocent
man is this day about to be tried.
So for half an hour l sit, gazing now at
the crowd of people, now at the empty dock
and vacant bench in front OF me; listening
ing to the hum of voices which rises from
the packed court; longing for the moment
to come when this dreadful suspense may
end; yet all the same dreading and willing
to put off that moment. And all the while
Philippa. in her black garb close to me and,
unseen by our neighbors, holding my hand.
Hush! The door at the back of the bench
opens, and at ten o'clock to the minute the
black-rohed judge appears. He bows to the
court, seats himself, and by his action signi-
fies that he is ready to begin the business of
the day. No trembling prisoner in the dock
ever scanned the judges face with more
anxiety than | scan his lordship's at this
present moment.
An old man, too old, it seems to me- for
such a Irresponsible post; an amiable, pleasant
looking man-not, l venture to think, one
who can bear the reputation of being O.
Changing Eiudge.o l breathe prayer that
he may this day be able to direct Alright the
course of Justice.
Hush! Hushl Silence in the court! Oh
my poor sweet wife, let me grasp that hand
yet Closer for the moment which for days
and nights has never been absent from our
minds has comel What will it bring US 2