The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1888-06-22

one was seated; then across the green in
closure walked alone the tail figure of
the accused" Without looking either
to the right hand or to the left she sat
down at the further end, near the bath
house. There WAS no conscious shame
visible on her still face: no anxious gaze
upon the faces of those who could per
hapS. save or slay her. With her hands
tightly clasped togethe-, ana ner eves
fixed on the ground, she sat still % 9
statue.
Mr.. Holdfast left the door and ca-.-e
toward us. then remarked another pc
culiarity of his. His eyes, which were
very deep set, seemed to have the power
of eomPr-hendinE whole scerc and
every individual In it Mt a glance One
felt certain that had he closed his ewes
after an absolutely momentary survey he
could have distinctly described every per
son in il, even down to their miuutest
article of clothing.
He repeated twice, only twice, In low
tone as he walked along the line. when
| go into the bathhouse have the kindness
10 follow me, yet every individual un-
derstood distinctly whether the words
had or had not been addressed, without
his even having apparently looked direct
ly at any one. ! noticed afterward those
thus chosen were those on whose self-con-
troll he could probably place the most re-
lance.
He began an address TO MS by remind
ing us of the solemnity of the occasion
aad Of the difficulty of the duty before us
in rather set fashion, as If he felt some
hesitation over his unwonted task and
took refuge in manneriSms. This, how
ever, was soon shaken off: his words
flowed freely and his voice rang clear, vet
. sT.s. -
band, no information, in fact. i was sen
sible of certain impatience. had not
come there TO be harangucd with plaIi-
tudes.
We might have known we should be
let in for a sermon VIXEN we had a parson
at the head of affairs" F" whispered a lively
little lady at my elbow.
Hush, his voice had Il different tone in
it. He WIS describing the awfulness of
sudden death; lower and more impassioned
came his words. l would not spoil then,
by g1rbled extracts. 1t was impossible
not to listen intently. Scorn and anger
flashed out he spoke of the dastartlly
cowArdice that could strike harmless
victim Then, with pathos had never
heard equalsd, he described the grief OF
the unknown sorrow-stricken once, who
might he left 20 mourn their loss.
Sudde.lyhe stopped. and the abruptness
made me LOOK mp; his eyes were fixed on
the prisoner he said, hurricdly:
''Weare Ignorant of much that surrounds
the history of this awful crime; all that
we have 70 connect Us with the victim lie
here"
He threw open the large door and dis
closed the bath room, whose concrete
floor slOped upward from the entrance on
account of the occasional overfiowing OF
the spring: on it lay hat and cloak, be-
longing To the murdered woman, and the
muel-tslked-of Paris flowers, scattered
abo II Just they had been left
Mr.. Holdfast stocped and picked M
large piul, flower. The fixed eyes Of the
prisoner followed his, then she rose and
Went slowly toward him-He followed nc
ccrding to his direction. Was she-werc
we going 40 examine INFINITELY the dreary
horrors OF the place enhanced by the
mockery Of those tawdry flowers -
The door had been closed upon us. and
the room was almost dark; What light
there was struggled in through the rough
Venetian shutters. We stood huddled
together, about the door, the accused
woman standing alone in the middle of
the room. n beam Of light struck some
thing glitterinE on the floor. ..
] could hardly repress my inclination to
call for the shutters TO he opened-the
twilight was almost painful-yet / felt
that Mr.. Holdfast would not have per
mitted anything, unless he had some de
sign in choosing it TO be SO. =:
The tall figure in the centre bent down
and picked mp the shining something and
raised il high above her head: il was a
long knife OF peculiar construction. At
last the silence WAS broken, and she was
about To speAk-but no, the sounds that
anne Were more like moans than articu-
ate words: tho sounds grew louder, they
pse and fell like an Indian chant, while
Se whirIed the long knife slowly round
nd round her head.
Two or three OF those nearest her rushed
ttthe door; the sudden light revealed Mr..
sitter, the draper, whose oUriu>ity was
as,rear a. his cowarlice, suspended, like
Apammed's coffin, between earth and
hes'en. his body and legs safe outside,
and his head still stuck in round the
doc
ould not have moved II I had wished
1T; hat whiriiug blade fascinated me,
yet he sight Of Mr.. Slater made me
laug.
Bu the voice was rising louder now.
i coul hear, or thought / heard, these
words
Te east wind blows. 1t bring. word;
Aake, my blood -bc,labbled sword
II WORD spark that lights fame,
w kiEd.d 4 noble name
Wien coward Death, from RE-nor heard
Tht, wake and rise. Aycngin.. Snord.''
At thlast line her voice rose TO n wild
scream.nd she ran in frenzy toward
the bath Just at this moment the door
! was opehd from the outside and an old
man Wit streaming gray hair rushed in.
| Mr.. HolCast went TO meet him, and laid
his handn his arm. The old man shook
| him off.
My dnChter, where is she, Who
dares accte her of hideous crime7"
Herself answered the clergyman,
"and yet ut herself"
He tookthc old man gently aside and
| endeavoredo calm him aud tell him what
had passed
The old mn turned his head, and when
the clerSyInn had finished speaking he
came forwas to us with 4 gesture full of
dignity.
MY frieps-this gentleman, to save
my daGChterrom n shameful death, has
proved her-fad. The frenzy could only
lie reproduces by restoring the outward
| circumstance of the last, the fatal one.
l thank him fr the attempt. I thank you
for your prefnce here. Had there not
| been the seTnlance of n trial TO set her
suspicious attest it might have failed.
Yet think of he awful fate reserved for
one who durIe long intervals Is as con-
scious of her coiition as yourselves
He was hardl able to so on, but turned
to Mr.. HoldfaA
"You meant flor the best-the best no
doubt, but was NJ any death better than
such fate.' -
Mature is kiner than we. in our igno-
rance, can be, replied; she has fin
ished the work he began-your daueh-
| ter's death"
We learned afaward that the poor girl
had gone mad fro the shock of hearing
of the death of thman to whom she was
shortly to have ben married He had
been murdered byacoits in Burmah and
his last letter toner, which size never
could be inducedto part with for q
moment, had beensuch occupied in des-