The Penn's Grove record., 1885-09-05
apo you really believe me innooentP'

She grew calmer after a time, and !
questioned her about the events of that
fatal night. She adhered to her writ
ten statement in every particular. ]
told her about Mr.. Vaughan's visit.
"Do you think,nI asked, that he
knows of anything importantly"
81 shouldn't think 50, " she returned
''you know he did not come to our
house that evening. Besides, he is my
enemy"
| gathered from he that he had at an
early period of their acquaintance IA
vored her with his insolent admiration
and that she had repulsed him-since
which time she believed he had taken a
pleasure in encouraging the quarrels
bet tween her husband and herself.
The trial began. The court was
crowded, My client was dressed very
simply in black. Her face was pale
but composed. 1t is quite unnecessary
for me to describe the trial. Unless
something unforeseen turned up in our
favor, l knew it would go against us.
The prospect of seeing a young and
good looking woman condemned to be
hanged proves as attractive to our hui
man race as a bull fight does to a Spah-
lard. 1t is curious how merciful We
are to the brute creation, yet how mer-
CHESS we are to our W speciesl AS ]
looked round on the well dressed men
and woman, | felt ashamed of my coun'
trymen.
There were few witnesses, and these
were principally servants of the house.
Each of them, with the best desire in
the world to shield their mistress, simp-
IL ruined her. 1t was so palpable that
they were unwilling witnesses, that
there sympathies were with the prisoner
that the damning evidence they were
obliged to give told all the more strong
ly against her.
The last witness was Vaughan. 1t
was with a painful interest l waited for
his evidence. He might have preferred
to give his important information at
the trial-have perhaps thought it would
then be received with more credence-
| still chung to a hope that he had not
lied to me that he could saw my client,
and that he would do SO now.
As he came forward he turned and
looked steadily at Marian. Her eyes
rested for a moment on his face, then
she lowered them with an unmistakable
expression of dislike and contempt. He
frowned.
Then his examination began.
He gave corroboratiye evidence OF
the matrimonial relations between Ell
hot and his wife. He knew nothing he
said, about their last quarrel. He had
seen neither Elliot nor his wife on the
day of the murder.
At my request Wilkins cross examln-
ed him.
do y remember calling to see Mr..
Smith at his office?"
Certainly"
"You called twice?"
"I did,"
"On both occasions you declared your
conviction that the accused was mno-
cent2n
"Yes."
"Did you say you could prove her in
nocence?"
sob, dear, mol 1 never made any
such statement"
what, then, did you say?"
l. Cdl1uOL Icu1cl1UCA uioOlISeAy , ouo 4
did probably express a hope that her IN
nocence would be proved"
do you 10 to assert you never
declared you could prove her inno-
cence?"
''Most assuredlyl Agitat ed asI might
have been by this painful event, | could
W. have made such an unwarrantable
statement"
s'You never made an appointment
with Mr.. Smith to meet him at six
O'Clock on the evening of the twentieth
and bring proof of the innocence of
the accused2o
Certainly not"
"Of this, I could have sworn was a
deliberate falsehood l knew not what
to think. Was it possible that L could
have mistaken the mans meaning, at
tached undue Importance to his words
and twisted them into a significance
never intended by him? / could not
have done so. The man had lied from
first to last. My one hope, the strength
of which | had not known till then,
fell to the ground. He was the last
witness.
l6 6DC6C1 1Ol tuO dClClOO wac q
very elaborate one. Wilkins tried the
effect of eloquence against evidence,
and tried in vain. The judge summed
up as fairly as could be expected; and
then the jury retired. 1t was nearly
two hours before they returned. What
an awful silence there was in that dense
crowdl
ssGuilty or not guilty,
"Guilty'-with a recommendation
to mercy.
l looked at my client. Woulp she
faint or screAm2 No; she was perfect
ly still. Did she understand the YER
dict?
have heard the last sentence of
the law pronounced several times, and
never without a shudder. This time,
strong man as | am, l did not become
~senseless. But, though to outward APP
~pearances / may have remained unmov-
ed, to a certain extent, / know | must
have lost consciousness. Everything
became as a mist before my eyes, and
l have no recollectiors of what hap
pened during the next few minutes. At
last | foud myself outside the court IN
Iut open ali.
But my hope, slight as it was, was
doomed to disappointment. The Home
Secretary refused to entertain the APP
peal for mercy. He saw no reason, he
said, why the law should not take It's
When | read this decision, l
am not ashamed to own, | sat down
and cried like a child.
In four more days the execution was
to take place.
| did not hear the office door open,
but suddenly / became conscious that /
was not alone. l looked up, and saw
Mr.. Vaughan standing before me. OF
ali men living l think / most abhorred
him. At that moment the sightof him
nearly maddened me.
"How dare you come here?" l said.
81 know how you have prosecuted a
miserable woman, and l feel as though
your presence polluted my room. Co;
and never let me see you againl"
l pointed to the door; but he did not
move.
81 have come to save that woman"
he said.
"You fooled me with some such
story once BEFORE" / returned; ''you
cannot do SO again"
81 never fooled you" he replied qui