Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-10-08

The Crime Tor Which an Innocent Man was
Sentenced To Penial Soryitude-

The Crime Tor Which an Innocent Man was
Sentenced TO PENAL Soryitude.
No. long ago well-set-up well-looking,
well-dressed, and specifically well-man-
nered young gentleman, with more than
respectable name and title. took up his
quarters at certain hotel, where were a
lady with more money than wit, and her
daughter with more beauty than repute.
This daughter had weathered more Lon
don seasons than she and her mother
dared to count; and paint and dye, with
the most becoming toilets that could be
devised, and an air of great naiyete the
older she grew, were beginning to fail.
She was becoRming distinctly passe and
faded-and the days of sarcasm were as
busy with her name as tn. vultures of
SANDER had been few years ago. This
well-seeming young gentleman with a
good name was adopted with both hands
by both mother and daughter. They
made no inquiries, but accepted his own
sponsorship as quite sufficient for anyone
not born child of doubt hardened into
skepticism. The young man asked
nothing better. He courted the mother
and made love to the daughter, and both
capitulated as if he had sounded the
horn of Oberon or blown a blast through
the trumpets of Joshua. The mother
was rejoiced to have found a husband
! for her canary-headed daughter with the
| blackened eye-lashes and rose pink cheeks
and the daughter was rejoiced to have at
| last the chance to throw off the disgrace
| of spinsterhood, and putting on the new
ly mlnted responsibility of a bride. So
! the affair went on, and the trosseau was
| bought, and the wedding cards were print
| ed, the ring was fitted, the marriage Ii
cense was had, and the imperfect evidence
| OF Lord H. identity was no heavier a
hindrance than one of the marabout
| feathers in the brides best bonnet. 1t
was on the eve of the wedding day. My
lord was distract and i'll at ease. He ac
counted for his state by the anxiety ma
| tural to lover who is to secure his treas
| ure-to-morrow. always that to-mor-
row! 1t is so long in coming" he said
with forced smile. And the canary
headed liked him all the better for the
melancholy which sprang from impa
! thence. Tomorrow, however, came in
due course, and all things were ready,
when, as the bridal cortege assembled at
| the door of the hotel, the omnibus of the
| establishment dove up, and a fine,
| soldierly looking man came out. He
went to the steps of the hotel, and
lightly touched the bridegroom on
! the shoulder. "Well, Jenkins" he said,
sternly, now that have found you we
will have that little affair of the check ex-
! planned" Sir, l do not know you. Who
are you:" stammered the bridegroom,
with a face white as his own gloves. The
| soldieriy looking man gave a short laugh.
THAT is soon settled" he said, turning
! to the porter. Here! call carabiniere.'
| he added. Il want to give this fellow in
| charge. He was my valet, and he robbed
me of $500. | am Lord III. if you want
| to know my name, and this fellow is
! Johr Jenkins" Il did not take your
money my lord answered John Jenkins
| firmly. "Whatever follies and sins | may
| be guilty of, | am clear of that" 1--WE
! shall soon see about that answered Lord
| H, and with this he turned into the hotel
where all the people had assembled in
! dlsmay at the turn things had taken. The
| bride was IN Mysteries, and the brides
mother was in rage, while the bride
| groom was shivering between two stall
wart carabinieri, who represented justice
| and vengeance combined to punish
the false lord and pay him the wages
! he deserved. But for all that. he
| Hdu uOb ldhGu Lilf IoFu = MONEY anu
when he denied the theft he spoke more
| truly than when he had called himself
| Lord II. Yet he was condemned and
sentenced, imperfect as the evidence
against him was. He had played such
a sorry trick in thus deceiving the two
ladies who had been saved from life
| long ruin by the merest chance, that
this went for something in the indict-
ment. If not actual evidence, it was
next to it. SO John Jenkins got so
many yeats penal servitude for crime
he did not commit, for the imperfect
evidence of the prosecution was so in
geniously filled up by such perfectly
fitting appearances and reasonings and
hypothesis that justice, who is blind,
did not see the artfuI jennings, and gave
the decree as she thought the truth of
! things deserved. 1t was a case of i'm
perfect evidence all through, and the one
side Numbered just as much as the 9th