The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-08-21

lett temple. III one udllu 'o Sh"SPS"
tightly part of a gold chain, and the
| swivel of q miniature. There was the
| fresh spoor of q horse not farfrom the
| door, and the bullet found in the BRAIN
| fitted Dirk's revolver to q nicely.
1t was not long before Dirk was Ill
custody, and the case looked black
| against him. His threat to shoot the
FrcHchman was well remembered; his
! excited demeanOr in H&iils's bar at
| the Pan, when the news of the French
mans reiterated assertion OF a former
intimacy with his wife was brought to
him, was commented upon, and the
circumstantial evidence was strong.
As for Dirk himself, heutterly denied
going near the FrenChmNn's cabin on
the night OF the murder, and he ac-
counted for the fact that he did not
reach home for nearly an hOu" after
leaving me by saying that, feeling hot
and excited, he went for a scamper
over the Vpldt, and the beauty OF the
mOonIit night caused hiEl to stay out
longer than he intended.
He pressed me to tell all IknCw about
the matter, and | reluctantly did so,
making the most OF his expressed de-
termination on leaving mt not to visit
the Frenchman that evening.
The trial dragged on until latem the
night, and ut II o'clock the jury came
into the court with a verdict OF
Guilty"
shall never forget the look of mute
agony on his wife's face as Dirk stood
up to be sentenced to death, or the
calm, proud way in which he heardhis
doom.
"Mark my words, boys, Sylvester's
wife will get him reprieved."
The speaker was ~lounging at the
counter ofthe Yellow Bar, in the Trans-
vaal road, and his words evoked a
murmur of sympathy.
Ever since theCOnViCtiOn efforts had
been made in all directions to prevent
the dread sentence Of the law beingcar-
ried out, and Sylvester's wife had be-
come the heroine Of the camp. There
were few who did not believe that he
shot the Frenchman; but why should
he die for an offense which was light
compared with some which lay quite
easily on the consciences of not q few
Of the inhabitants of Kimberly?
AS the hum of approval subsidized,
some one directed our attention to a
lady walking rapidly in the direction of
the jail. We recognized her at once,
and respectfully saluted as she drew
near. She stopped for a moment and
spoke to the fOrmOst man, who, rs
she hurried on, turned and gave a
great shout.
"Hurrah," he cried, "Dirk's re-
prieved! Tie little lady has just had
a telegram from Cape Town. Three
cheers for Sylvester's wife!
doubt if the attention was pleasing,
but the kindly jailer told me that she
smiled for the first time since Dirk's
conviction, as that cheer reached her
ears, just as she stepped into the pris-
on yard.
Three weeks afterward I had occa-
sion to call on the governor of the Jail,
and as we sat in his little cool room,
discussing his Martell and smoking his
Boer tobacco, he looked up suddenly
with a troubled air, and said, "By the
bye, do you know that Dirk
Sylvester goes to Cape Town
with the next lot OF /. ID.
BIS tIllicit Diamond Buyersl?"
expressed my surprise, as / knew
the governor had the selecting of the
prisoners to be transferred to the
breakwater at Cape Town, and heard
that he had an idea of making Dirk a
clerk in the Kimberley Prison Office.
There was little chance of his ever be-
ing a free man, but it was something
that he should serve his weary years
at Kimberley, amongst friends who
could visit him, and close to his faith
full wife. | mentioned this, and the
governor, steppingto a little cupboard,
turned the key and took out a little
blue packet.
"Ihavehadt forbid Mrs. Sylvester's
visits" he said, 1.and when / tell you
the reason, I I think you will agree that
/ am right in sending Dirk to Cape
Town. 70. see, he seemed to expect,
when the reprieve came, that he would
be set at liberty; and so did she, but
as you know, the death sentence has
only been committed to one of inn
~prisonment for life; and how ON earth
they managed representative Govern
or to do that, / can't tell. Well, since
that has been made plain to Dirk, he
has been a changed man. He talks
hopelessly Of his ~future-and God
knows, poor fellow, it's dark enough!
-he seems to be pining forfreedom, he
says the convict dress clings to him
like searcloth, and the other day just.
after his wife had visited him, / saw
such a queer look in his eyes that |
quietly turned over his things. Atthe
bottom OF a basket Of comforts she
had brought him, / found this
He opened the packet, and poured
out before my eyes a whitish powder.
"Well?" / said interrogativelv.