The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-06-19
CHAPTER Xxx.
sILENT WITNESSES.

Btoener ca me up the next day and gave the
equired bail for my appearance preferred
remaining ia the county town to returning
30 Pull Bar There was but a week to wait,
as the county court then convened.
zone thing troubles me very much" SAID
b, Broener; ~ cant give my story concerning
CHS matter without revealing in open court
the secret of the Banks whereabouts, and
then there'll be general rush for the mine
from the whole county
GIVE thought over that" he replied. "Oi
course, YOU must ten the whole story, ana
show in court rich specimens of the quartz tc
prove it. That in fact, will be your strong
est defense. A miners jury will think sucl
a claim worth defending, with or withou
law Let them swoop down on our ground.
As I've told YOU before the cream of tina
particular vein we've taken out. It's only a
'pocket.' We can hold on TO n hundred feet
or 50 anyway. I've put up notices claiming
gucn amount. The crowd VIII, of course
take up all the quartz outcroppings they car
find far and near. There'll be tremendous
excitement for time. But the masses know
nothing Of this sort of mining. 1t viii ba.l'
them They'll lose patience after little
There will be reaction. Five-sixths VII
abandon and give up their claims The re
mander will persevere and eventually de
gelop this species of mining, which Will he
eo..iJ extensively followed. But that vii
take tme-years So tel all about it DON
let that trouble you in the least
NV trial came on, and the case being calico
appeared without any lawyer to conduc
my defense. The judge assigned one, young
member of the bar, for that purpose.
| said desired to conduct my own defense
and was allowed so to do Ny counsellor wa
not at all pleased thereat Having hear'
something of our resources he had seen IL
prospective some remuneration II he con
Quoted the case successfully, aS well rs pos
,ablity of establishing Il reputation for
good criminal lawyer.
| thought could tell my story as well n
hive another tell it for me, and | didn'
want "A lawyer to tell any new stories for IN
~ nat any shades of color on mine which Oh,
not belong there Could | prove my asser
snnsf No There were no witnesses TO an
hostile meeting between Pratt and myself
The evidence against me was all circun
tantal In other words, certain events
IN interpreted by certain individuals
were regarded as proofs that Johl
Holder might have tried to kill Jedcdial
Pratt. Because John Holder and Jedcdia
Pratt had quarrel last week, John Holde
uight have tried to kill Pratt the next BE
enc no one could tell how Pratt got hi
hurts. why, John Holder might have inhcte
them Because John Holder was seen tn
evening Pratt was missed with blood on hi
clothing. it il inferred it was Pratt's blood
drawn in enmity. Because John Holder wa
4 Ia. IA.
Inferred that John Holder knew of the afai
more than he told, and because he knew NOR
thar be told, it is inferred that he must hay
uiol "a kill Pratt,
Al these Knight have beens" were ably il
erpretod TO the jury Us must haye-beens
b. The district attorney, who naturally thifs
81 for my blood, because he desired to maxi
a brilliant reputation rs an able prosecute
o. .ha innocent or guilty. He dwelt strOngl
also on the fact that there were neitht
notices nor tools on the ground, and that
~canmed the whole mountain" or great dei
more Ground than could legally hold The,
xeIo lsatt's rawlings which had been reporte
t. him True, these were not legal eydenc,
hut be used them rs arguments against IN,
taking the chances that the jury might /
stupiu enough 10 receive them as such, q
iAat they might forget, even if reminde,
shat Pratt's words, not backed up by proc
Eere no more evidence than mine would b,
Gc pictured me as DIGGING Pratt day by day
OF ms interfering and meddling in this "hOi
ct. Woodworking mans business and dive
81 lay ''skulking ambush in the bushes, tn
''iAassin's shot, and the fall Of the 'innOcen
aoneyt victim" Then l. to cover up the aifai
nid divert suspicion, assume the g,iise of til
Good Samaritan, pretended 10 find Pratt an
BRING him home.
Lastly, he adyerted to my habits rs ''su
picioas' working little and loaiing mucl
au frequently, on what business no on
knew, but all the while inferring, by hin
ani inuendo, that ] might be or must b
Goth terms being by him made TO mean abou
slIe same thing engaged in some disreputabl
business
4 is the boast Ct Low that ali facts allese