Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-24

idiotic and irresponsible and ought to be
put in an asylum rather than put to death,
the heroic counsel uttering these beautiful
words: 4 speak now in the hearing of 8
people who have prejudged the prisoner anC
condemned me for pleading in his behalf
He is q convict, pauper, negro without
intellect, sense or emotion My child, with
an afectionate smile, disarms my csre-worr
face of its frown whenever cross my thresh'
old. The beggsr in the street obliges me to
give because he says God bless youI as ]
pass. Nv dog caresses me with fondness i
I will but smile on him. Ny horse recog-
nizes me when fill his manger. What re-
ward, what gratitude, what sympathy and
affection can I expect here? There the pris-
oner sits. Look at him. Look at the as.
eemblage around you. Listen to their i'll
suppressed censures and their excited fears,
and tell me where among my neighbors OF
my fellowmen, where even in his heart can
expect to find sentiment, thought, not to
say of reward or of acknowledgment, OF
even of recognition? Gentlemen, you may
think of this evidence what you please,
bring in what verdict you can, but assev-
crate before heaven and you that to the best OF
my knowledge and belief the prisoner at the
bar does not at this moment know why it is
that my shadow falls on you instead of his
own The gallows got its victim, but the
post mortem examination of the poor creature
showed to all the surgeons ana 10 all the
world that the public were wrong, and
William h Seward was right, and that
hard, stony step of obloquy in the Auburn
court room was the first step of the stairs of
fame up which he went to the top, or to
within one step of the top, that last denied
him through the treachery of American pol
itics. Nothing sublimer was ever seen in
an American court room than William h.
Seward, without reward, standing between
the fury of the populace and the loathsome
imbecile."
''But Davy isn't idiotic, papa" Mary in
terposed; land trust he couldn't find it in
his heart to murder anybody"
80, was led away into a "reminiscences.
All meant, so far as citing Stewards exam
pie TO your young legal friend, was that if
he is going to become a lawyer ne should
begin practice at home by steadfastly de-
Tending his badly behaved brother"
Murder not possible to Davy Mulford?
We shall see.
The Thanksgiving missionaries spent q
week at Msdswaska before something re-
nsrkable happened. Their visit to the
Pierson household was in itself enjoya-
BILE. Martha and Mary were delighted
in each others company and Mr..
Pierson and Mr.. Bernan got along
socially, under the amiable influence of
Mrs. Pierson and the young folk. The tao
turn Pierson rather liked his clerical guest
after getting acquainted with him, and the
two men went hunting and fishing together,
to the surprise Of the residents, who had
never before known their richest neighbor to
be cOmpanionable. Bernan met the Mulford
young men, too, and some of his converse
tions with the parties to the estrangement
were aimed cautiously at reconciliation.
Mary exerted her influence gently and in
sidiously, too, and the mission might be said
to have met with no reverses, if it had not
made much progress. Bernan was persua-
sive talker, without being too assertive, and
his citations of Webster and Seward had an
effect on Arthur, while with Pierson he had
made q placatory impression. Only with
Davy the sullen, Davy the revengeful, had
he lsbored seemingly in vain; and even he
was impressed by the fact that, in conse-
quence of Bernan's request, Pierson had not
prosecuted any charge against the young
man for the assault committed months be-
fore. There had been an arrest, and re-
lease on bail, with a view to indictment
later; but Pierson had somewhat reluctantly
consented not to go before the grand jury,
and so the matter stood.
Tomorrow" Bernan said to Mary one
evening, 81 shall boldly propose to Mr..
'Pierson that he invite both his cousins to
Thanksgiving dinner. l shall, if he con-
sents, prepare Arthur to accept, and then
be, you and will tackle Davy."
Before morning, however, something was
done by DavY which nobody had dared to
foretell.
That night Davy said to his brother, with
an indifferent air:
"There'll not be much of moon tonight
and I'd like to go out for little deer shoot
ing. Lend me your gun, will you?"
Something in Davy's manner had a sinis-
ter meaning quite apparent to Arthur, who
said: why are you so industrious sud-
denly?"
'Oh, everything must have beginning;
and well, 1 feel like shooting some
thing"
Arthur surveyed his brother attentively
as be said: "I know that Hank Pierson
went to Ogdensburg to-day, and will come
home tonight. Don't get any nonsense
into your head. To give him good thrash
ing should satisfy you, but anything more
serious wouldn't do. Justice never jests,
you know"
"And Hank doesn't mean it shall. be-
lieve he's gone to Ogdensburg to testify be-
fore the grand jury. But I'm not going to
shoot him. What are you thinking of? l
only feel ugly, and want to shoot a deer.
viii you lend me the ri6e-yes or no?''
Take it if you choose" said Arthur, his
faint suspicion removed.
Dayy made sure that the gun was loaded,
drank glass of whisky and went of whist
ling.