The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1889-05-31
low Hacsitt. as yo,r notion Of the ghost
does; there Is nothing to connect him with

and suffered 50 Mucn lOr her sake.
Don't say il, %sir-don't say it!n / cried
Ralph never did 1t; he loyedher too wellV'
''rhere's terrible evidence, Graves"
what evidence, sir"
The weapon that The deed was done
with. 1t is a biudgeon belonging 10 Ralph"
He had lost it'll knew what stick the
squire meant, and R,lpa had searched for
it eve-Swher., and spoken of how lie had
lost it for some time past; a biz thorn stick,
Al Ii a terrible end to il, w!i:ca he had been
use TO carry in the game season when
l~,oa...iers were about.
.lIe lost il. sir" | said. lie"
''lIc vii. have to prove that, Graves there
is more than that. lie was seen with the
girl the very last time she was known to be
alive. There is more than one person to
prove it."
'ue wasn't, sir; l have heard that before.
The poor lass was not with him, though her
mistress SAYS so. He was elsewhere: he
told me where lie was"
He will have to tell that TO others as well
as to you, Graves,-the magistrates"
you don't mean to say they have taken
him, sir!!' l said, nov for the first time real
izing that he was accused by anyone else.
"By everybody. ~Graves-except me-" the
squire added, and l could have worshIpped
him for that word. II have known Ralph
too long to believe that he did this awful
thing. though everything points to il. But
facts are against lin, there's no doubt of
that, and he will have to prove that he was
somewhere else at the time the deed was
done, il the time can be got at"
"That lie can, sir, if it was the night he
was said to be viii her, he was in quite an
other place. Where is he? Can l 60 to
him?"
mot Tonight, Graves. You can see him
tomorrow and arrange with hin what Is to
be done. We vii! spare no expense TO have
him properly defended"
l could not 'ealize it; 1t was too much our
bright boy a prisoner. and for murderl Cher
ry seemed quiet Supplied and off her head,
poor soul, and could give ME no help. Ralph
had been taken ri ,lt away as soon as he
thought I was dead. had been inscnsible
near an hour. 1t was a fit Of some sort, and
l was to be kept very quiet, rs II | could be
quiet, body or mind. Willie my lad was in
snch peril.
Thingswere no better the next day; there
was the stick ard there was the tie; and the
girl had not been seen since that evening,
when Ralph was said to have been with her,
and her mistress and another person swore
that he qCds with her, and there was moth
ing, not one single bit of evidence, TO show
that lie was not. He told his story, how he
had made up his mind to have it out with
Jem Hackitt about her, and had gone to
seek hin, and found that lie was not at
home; gone to the nearest town, his land
lady said, to do II lot of things partly for
her and partly for himself.
He had been there. 1t came ont in evil
dence, and my DOOR Ralph could not tell
what lie had done with himself for the rest
Of that long evening. l knew, aud so did
his mother. He had walked about in his
misery and just let the time so by, thinking
OF the girl who had been so much to him
and whom lie was never to see again in this
world. They just laughed at us when we
told our story, Cherry and me, and a pert
lawyer fellow snecred and asked us if we
expected TO be believed and then the squire
got angry. and said ii everyone could DO be
lievcd as, we'll as my wife and me there
would be more truth in the world, aud one
or two gentlemen said the same; but all
that did not help our poor Ralph, and he
was remandcd FOX more evidence, though
there seemed quite enough to hang him.
80 that l know you don't think me guilty,
l can bear i'll Ii. said. when the remand
was over and lie vas to go up again. 81
don't see wiia. is to help me now, whoever
did it"
"ABd l know who 1t was," l said excited
ly, d
"No, you doa't, father" Ralph said, Quiet
and calm, I'VE none of us know; l hope the
truth will come out. have faith thati,
will, but it is a tangled skein; there's my
stick, and my tie, and my Clothes, were oil
the man who was walking wit,-with her.
he could not speak her name yet without
q pang, poor lad-"it al points to me, and
yet l am as innocent as Il baby; l would
have died rather than hurt u hair Of le]
. head"
II know you would, the squire knows i
too" I said; and Cherry Rugged him, and
: cried over him, but all that wouldn't hell
him, and there seemed no help.
t It ended in Ralplis being committed fol
trial, and sent way to the county prison
Luckily the assizes We're not far of, only
fortnight; so the suspense was not so lon,
as 1t might have been. though it SCENE,
years to us; and the squire engaged a cleye
l man from London to undertake the defence
thoughshe was so silent about it that l felt
! sure he had no more hope than we had tina
things would go right.
az U to INK w Jul CbltIIN dllu lC
I and were very kind to us; but it was awfu
t to see Ralph standing there, charged witt
such a fearful crime, and to think when i
was over that there would be only IL @
little time left to us to see him again. ,Jen
Hackitt was there too, and l could hav4
q stood UP in the court and denounced linn
was so sure that his hand, and no other
committed that crime.
Ralph said, Not guilty. What els
couit he say, poor dear? And the trial wen
on, heaping up fact upon fact, till / couls
almost believe that lie must have done 1t il
some momen OF madness. But the prosecu
. ton didn't have 1t all their own way--tller,
was a turn in the tide presently, when Til,
J, gentleman the squire had engaged had hi
turn. He was a very qaiet-,ooking man
but with a glib tongue, and sail he had
piece OF evidence to offer that he though
. "o"iu set1ie the ease atolce.
. a very olfty, soedea bundle was put OF
,lie .aple, ana looking at Jem liackitt's fac
! saw nm tnfi g''aS,ly white, and make 3
y l HOVE us IL lie WOtiiu nave Srntst, "A MA " Their