Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-12-04
CHAPTER Xxx.
SILENT WITNESSES

broener came up thcnext day and gave the
required bail for my appearance. preferred
remaining in the county town to returning
TO Bull Bar There was but q week to wait,
as the county court then convened.
''One thing troubles me very much.r I said
to Broener; II can't give my story concerning
this matter without revealing in omen conf
the secret of the Banks whereabouts. and
then therell be general rush for the mine
from the whole county"
I've thought over that" he replied "Of
course, you must tell the whole story. and
show in court rich specimens of the quartz to
prove 1t. That, in fact, win be your strong
est defense. A miners jury will think such
a claim worth defending, with or without
law Let them swoop down on our ground.
AS I've told you before, the cream of that
particular vein we've taken out. It's only
pocket. We can hold on to hundred feet
or so anyway I've put up notices claiming
such amount The crowd will, of course
take up ali the quartz outcroppings they can
find far and near. Therell be tremendous
excitement for time But the masses know
nothing of this sort of mining 1t will battle
them, They'll lose patience after a little
There will be reaction Five-sixths will
abandon and give up their claims. The re-
mainder will persevere and eventually do
velop this species Of mining, which will be-
come extensively followed. But that will
take time-years. So tell all about it Don't
let that trouble you in the least"
My trial came on, and the case being called
appeared without any lawyer to conduct
my defense. The judge assigned one, a young
member of the bar, for that purpose.
l said desired to conduct my own defense
and was allowed so to do. My counsellor was
not at all pleased thereat. Having heard
something OF our resources he had seen in
prospective some remuneration If he con-
Quoted the case successfully, as well as DOS |
slbllity of establishing reputation for a
good criminal lawyer.
l thought could tell my story as well "a
have another tell it for me, and I didn't |
want lawyer to tell any new stories for me |
or put any shades of color on mine which did |
not belong there. Could / prove my asser-
tlonsf No. There were no witnesses to any
hostile meeting between Pratt and myself.
The evidence against me was all circum.
stantial. y In other words, certain events
as interpreted by certain individuals
were regarded as proofs that John
Holder might have tried to kill aJedediab
Pratt Because John Holder and Jedediah
Pratt had quarrel iastSweek, john Holder
might have tried to kill Pratt the next Be
cause no one could tell how Pratt got his
hurts, why, John Holder might have inflicted
them. Because John Holder was seen the
evening Pratt was missed, with blood on his
clothing, 1t Is Inferred it was Pratts blood,
irawn IN enmity. Because John Holder was
Lhe first to find Pratt on the mountain, it is
Inferred that John Holder knew of the affair
more than he told, and because he knew more
han he told, it is inferred that he must have
risd to kill Pratt
All these 'might-have-beens were ably IN.
erpreted to the jury as must have beense
y the district attorney who naturally thirst .
d for my blood because he desired to mako :
brilliant reputation as an able prosecutor ,
4 the innocent or guilty. He dwelt strongly Z.
lso on the fact that there were neither :
Offices nor tools on the ground, and that :
claimed the whole mountain or A great deal :
lore ground than l could legally hold These :
'erc Prntts rawlings which had been reported
} hint Tflie, these were not legal evidence. =
ut he used them as arguments against me.
king the chances that the jury might be !
upid enough to receive them as such. or :,
lat they might forget, even il reminded, q
lat Pratt's words, not backed up by proof, a
ere no more evidence than mine would be- \
e pictured me as doggipg Pratt day by day, u
my interfering and meddEng In this ''hou- J,
{, Woodworking mans business and dwelt !.
| my .skulking ambush" In the bushes, the 3
shot, and the fall OF the innocent. !,
nest victim" Then I, 10 cover MP the affair !,
ID divert suspicion, assume the guise Of the 4
bod Samaritan, pretended 70 find Prstt and :
ing him homo
Lastly, he adverted to my habits as '.sus- .,
little and loaflng mach.
sent frequently, on what business no ons :,
ew, but oil the while inf@Tins, By hfza =,
d innsudo, that ! might BE- Or must b, r
9TH terms being by him made to mean abo.t :,
same thing ergsged In some dszrsputAbas :
siness
e Is the boast Of IAwthasn1acH alleged a