The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-02-21
SIlIES Evidence.
"A Legal Incident of tho Rio Grands.
BY II. S. CANFIELD.

wrinkled skin and tanned, leathery hands, lie
sat in his low chair and looked at the jury
with haggard eyes. His sparse gray hair rose
straight from his crown in front, and fell
Jagged and tangled on the dusty coat-col'ar
behind. There was a nervous twitching in his
tobacco-stained lips and shifty aspect III the
way he moved his long neck and turned hur-
riedly to confer with his counsel. He was the
focus of five hundred pairs of eyes. He SEEM
ed to shrink and shrivel under their scrutiny.
His face said that he was hard man; n man
of deeds against the law and its officers af lax
regard for the rights of others; of the intense
selfishness SO prominent part in the makeup
of the true criminal. He was common man,
too of the lower order of mind lower order of
society, which, by the way, he called-when
he mentioned it at all-"sassiet; :" and in utter
contempt.
One hand grasped with nervous hold the
scattering beard on his chin, and his under lip
was slightly swollen and SCARED from the dis
colored teeth which he had pressed against it
at various periods of the trial. Over by the
rusty, unused stove in the corner group of
young lawyers sat- hair thrown back to expose
their foreheads, feet tucked comfortably on
vacant chairs, shirt collars and cravats awry
and crumpled, eyes tired and sleepy, laughing
and testing III a whisper.
The judge, old and hard with many winters,
nights with the boys, closed his eyes and by
force of long practice, heard every word, while
his thoughts.were thousand miles away. The
blue flies hummed against the DIM windows
and the jury, one and all, seemed intending
suicide. A pale, tired woman, with al old
sun-bonnet set crookedly on her aching head
and snutf-stick in her mouth, held sucking
BABY and gazed steadily and drearlly at the
prisoner.
There were other women too presumably rel
oil oil init ctp1n a
snuff A hum arose from the spectators, who
watched with tagging zeal the legal tragedy
before them. The blare of a brass band tioated
into the room with the cries of hawkers Oh the
streets--for it was court week and the town
was full of people. Outside the sun rioted on
the white sand and unpaved walks and the
weatherbeaten fronts of the houses. There
was strength and hope and freedom in the
sweeping shafts of the heat and the soft breeze
that came from over the leagues of prairie.
Knots of people stood in the dark stores, or on
the corners, eagerly discussing the progress of
the case, and the chances of the man who was
on trial for his life.
For it was the state of Texas vs.. Gabriel
Wilkinson, indictment for murder in tie first
degree.
"1ell YER" said one man, as the shavings
flew from his virulent pocket knife, and he
looked around in enjoyment of his superior
knowledge, tell yer, he's hard OLD soi,zen,
an had orter swing. Tbeyst5% the
tuffest crowd in the county an that's
sayin' lots. You uns don't recklect mebbe
what OF Gabe's in the hole fur, but does. 1t
were seven year ago the KILN were done, but
Lord, it didn't make much stir in them days.
HE were jew peddler, an he came long
agar with big pack O. notions. He sold
goods right in this town, lots O. EN-, an one
mornin' he left for the Tordilas settlemint to
take the folks down thar. He were known TO
hev stopped at OF Gabe's house, an he flashed
a big roll. He were known to leave thar mex
mornn' with OF Gabe fur pilot Jesus! An
he weren't seen no mo-. That is, he weren't
seen no mo- sellin' goods. They foun' him in
the woods torerd the eyenin'. All his money
an most O his goods was gone. An he never
knowed what hit him."
The speaker passed, expectorated freely and
deliberately, smiled affably on the listening
crowd, and resumed.
'But it created no big stir them times Lord,
no! Folks know'd in reason OF Gabe done it,
cause he were terrible flush awhile. an his
young wife-she were han some gal, wen he
married her-she come to church in q
red silk dress as most o. the town folks rec'ni2-
ed Many a woman had a-wanted to buy that
piece, but the thievin' Jew he axed too much
fur it, An he sold it mighty cheap at las.
Haw! haw
''Thar come new peopie inter the place with
idees bout law an order an state develop
ment.' an might school, an sich an the
sheriff as were sheriff then he weren't lected
no mo-. A new man come in an OF Gabe
went on the 'quedow'-dodse, yer know.
like iavelina in the brush three month ago,
an he made what yer might call good game
fight; but I wer'n't no sorter use. Mover is.
Some say as thar were or nuther man in the
KILN. Kinder helpin' Gabe, an the officers
is keepin him low. / dunno. Gabe never
needed no help take it."
The hum in the court house had ceased
Night came in the windows and the dirty
lamps were lit. The crowd leaned over the
benches, and from the dark back ground their
T1cCc plnpp1 eteo1ilu n ba
man, sitting constrained and still, that they
were all rising TO the ceiling to fall on and
crush him. The women were paler, and the
baby's cries were hushed. The officers were
alert When any one opened the door Snd tip
toed noiseessly in, hat in hand the sheriff's
head turned and he watched the intruder with
steady eyes until lie melted into the crowd.
The droning, unimpOrtant witness stepped
down from the stand; the judge straightened
up and looked eagerly over his jnclosure; the
young lawyers at the stove, pretty well filed
with stimulants by this time took down their
feet and stopped whispering; two deputies
stood up calmly; the lean. wiry prosecuting at
torncy arose, cast one swift, triumphant glance
at the jury, another at the judge, one more at
the nervous little attorney for the defense, a
last, long, searching one at the prisoner,
turned to the men and said:
Bring in ST Brady, alias John Thompson,
alias William Parker"
The effect was like knife wound on tLe
man at the bar. His dark skin grew sickly
green, his small pale blue eyes turned inward,
his lips drew slowly back displaying the huge
yellow teeth, and his powerful hands gripped
the chair arms till his knottcd veins rose In
tl1roDbing rebellion and the wood creaked I'M
der the strain. As he sat huddled in the chair
he looked like some tremendous incarnation Of
murder crouching for the spring. His faded
wife half rose from her scat, screamed family
and dropped back. In strange perYcrsity, she
wore even then q stained, dscolored scarlet
silk gown.
An intense silence followed broken only by
the rapid beating Of the prisoners foot on the
floor and the quick rustliug of papers in his
attorneys trembling fingers. A measured
tramp assembled tho stairs, the door swung
open and the two officers appeared, their
hands resting firmly on the shoulders Of a fig
ure between them. All eyes were bent on
him and he knew it, With shuiflng tread
and hand TO bis face he was shoyed rather
than led into tho witness chair. He was tho
poriah Of his class, the detestation Of criminals
the frequent instrument Of the
law, the nameless yicarious ayen-
ger-statc's evidence. There was
scorn Of him IN every heart loathing in every
look, from the Judge on the bench 70 the small
boy ia the rear industriously ofacklng pecans