The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-25
CHAPTER VI.
RUTH POWLETT.


r;art Gnlston and his companion had
L',9r, n wait to learn the verdict, for in
~. ~ ,7inutes the people began to pour out
~" house aud a constable came out, and,
Oh 20 ling round, walked up to the lieut.
au M Gulston," he said, "your presence
ill ba required tomorrow at II O'Clock at
W. yolkss'. Capt. Mervyn will be brougt
w VA there at II o'clock tomorrow"
~ -. I- we'll" Mr. Gulston replied
-. rardiet have the coroner's jury
i' ..Ttsv have found Capt. Mervyn guilty
If viIlful murder" the man replied.
The next morning the inquiry was heard
Aot,ro Mr. Volkes and two other magis-
.ratos and the doctors evidence, that of
~ G,Iston. the gardner, the cook, and OF
- ~. Unstable who found the glove, was
IIo '5ored sufficient. Mr.. Carae was not
o,.-7,,1ored and although Ruth Powlett's
- was called she did not answer to 1t,
R. Arrowsaith explaining to the bench
hat she was too i'll to be present. Capt
~ I'm was asked if he had any questions
+1ask the witness or any statement TO make,
hut he simply said that he should reserve
his defense, and the case was then ad-
iorrned for a week t. see II any further
SS1ijarca would be forthcoming, the magis-
trste intmating that unless some altogether
now lght was thrown upon the subject
az should commit the prisoner for trial.
Very graveIy and silently the men who
cornnosei ths cor0ners jury walked down
IN Carpesford: scarce a word was. spoken
on the way. and a stranger, meeting them,
,nigbt have supposed not unnaturally, that
they were returning from funeral The
news had arri ed before them, having been
carried down at full speed by one of the
law villagers who had been present. 1t had
at first been received with absolute incred-
nifty The idea that Capt. Mervyn should
kill Margaret Carne seemed SO wild propo-
sition that the first person to arrive with 1T
was wholly dsbelieyed, and even the con-
firnation Of those who followed him was
also doubted. People, however, moved
toward the foot of the hill to meet the jury,
and a small crowd had collected by the
time they camedown. The jury, upon being
Questioned, admitted that they had found
Ronald Mrvyn guilty, and when the fact
wa, grasped, a sort of awed silence fell
up0l their hearers"
why, whatever are you all thinking
OFF, ore of the men said. "Why, you must
have been downright mad. You fiud that
Capt Mervyn would murder his own
cousin, and Mr.. Carne your own landlord,
too! | never heard tel of such a thing. {"
The jury, indeed, we're regarded almost
to be as culprits; even to them
selves now their verdict seemed
monstrous, though at the time
the evidence had apparel SO strong that
they had felt themselves unable to resist
,opi,.o
the evidence before them, they had no
course open but TO return a We dict Of will
tul murder against Ronald Mervyn.
"Yoa will hear about it presently lads"
Hiram Powlet5 said. If you had been in
our place and heard what we have heard
you would have said the same. / should
have 10 more believe it myself this morn
ing, if any one had told me that Capt.
Mervyn had murdered his cousin, than |
should If they had told me that the mill
stream was running the wrong way; but
now lsee otherwise There ain'C one OF
us here as wouldn't have given another
verdict if we could have done o, but hav-
ing heard what we heard there
weren't no other verdict to be
gwen. | would have given G10O myself
have to found any other way. but l couldn't
60 against my conscience; and be ide5,
the coroner told us that if Capt Mervyn is
Innocent he will have full opportunity of
proving 1t at the trial. And now must De off
home Tor hear Mr.. Carne sent down Ruth,
as soon as sne had given her evidence, in
one Of lis carriages
huta had so FAR reco vered that she was
sitting on a chair by the fire when her
father entered. she had heard nohtinc of
,|naJ had taken place at the inquest beyond
her own evidence, and she looked anxi0usly
at ter Ia her as he slowly took off his coat
alo nat and hung them up, and came over
10 the lire beside her.
V now are you feeling now, Ruth?
the courl.n 40
Il believe you will kill the child between
YOU MRS. Powlett said, testify, as she en-
tered with the dinner. "Anyone con saa
via half an eye that she amt fit to be
eng before court and giving evidence
uiter the shock as she 'as had. she ought
t " nave oeenleft quiet If you had half The
Ieellhg OF a man in you, Hiram Powlett.
you wouldn't have let them do it. 1T had
G9en there | should have got up and said
1our worship can see for yoursef as NV
aausnIer Is more tit to be in bed than to bs
molflIed and questioned here She amt
gon uoIhing to tell you more than YOU
{ou Know yourself. She just came in and
Knows about it.'n I'LL
pa ana what verdict did you find, fatherg
ished N0A HioUuet hau M
Il, verdict! What verdict should thew f;ndu
i ufs' fo"lett said, angrly, but that thew
80 ,,r Ale" nothing at all about it.n
Pon Ia wasn't the.verdict, H4sba,n Hiram
tab %ie'O Iald, as he seated himself at the
Wa ~ l wish to God it had been. there
oas5 g came out at the trial as alto
EFT t altered the case. We found as one
fSrat u9en quarreling with Miss Carne and
faI,SH 'ellhg what he would do to her We
baa 3nu : as something belonging to him had
onIn t houhu close at hand, where it could
al H. love oeen put somewhere at the time
coni5r,t murder tunuer. We found as the person
tina ma. aU seli US where he had been at the
to do a ~ Cnough it were sorely against us
thing in - anu seemed the most unnatural
of AZ az Ine world, We had to find a verdict
Pun %i.tui murder against Capt, Mervvnn
fst tsa.n mad risen from her seat as her
wbitan was Speaking, her face had grown
gone "a as ne went on, and one hand had
a. tbe " ner heart, while the other clutched
She r,o oach OF the chair As he finished
scras $40 a sudden start and burst into a
Hrsnli u II hysterical laughter, SO startling
Who ~rA Fowiett and his wife. neither Of
upset bi we're looking at her, that the former
Will 10 cualr as be st .rted to his feet
in tho C ans latter dropped the plate she was
F S,e act OF setting before him.
tbronGGso lne minutes the wild laughter rang
taken 81 Ihe housa. H sba had at once
the thai nbs ene girl in her arms and seated her in
ute o o.d AZ again, aud after trying for a min
Hiram Two Valnly to soothe her, turned to
for the do sand staring there, Hiram; run