Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-08-08

unusual noise except an occasional drunk
en- brRwl. But that strange sense of IN
easiness continued 10 pervade the air. /
met the sheriff as / wandered home about
/ o'clock.
"'Do you smell itY' he asked.
"'Smell whatP
"'The blood ID the air. said he, with a
laugh. I've smelled it before, and | know
the odor.'
"When I got out next morning, it was
with laugh at my own nervousness Of
the preceding night. Two hours before
court began the entrance was bssieged
by COW boys. They formed a compact
crowd, aud when the doors we're thrown
open broke into the court room filling IL
to overlooking. The citizens of Hastings
who wanted 20 attend the trial arrived
later, and had to hear proceedings from
the hall way or not TO hear them at all.
81 had seat within the railing com
handing vieE of court and spectators.
The spectators interested me more than
the court. The faces we're all rough, all
bearded, all bronzed with the sun and
weather, all strong in feature, all silent,
all intent, all wstchful, all determined.
As / looked at them the same old feeling
of the night before came over me in re
doubled force. / felt as though | were
in the presence of some mysterious in
tangible evil.
"Did you ever see a western constsbleS
He il long, broad, lean and muscular. He
mas a hand like a sD-cll ham in size
aud color, and seemingly made Of sinews.
HiR neck is long and as brown IA bark.
HE face is lean, aud his eyes have shaggy
brOWs. He stands on one foot with the
opposite hand on his hip lingering a
seven-shOoter. He ia loose jointed, and
shows the strength of a horse. As |
looked over that crowd of long haired,
seriOus-faoed cowboys / noticed at least
a score Of oonstables scattered among
them. Their eyes sparkled eKpectantly,
and they kept furtiveiy looking about on
every side Near tho door | saw the
sheriff. They say he can pull gun
quicker than any man in Nebraska.
His heavy jaws were shut tight even for
him, and his right hand rested upon his
belt.
81 drew wavering breath of excite
NEXT. There was sumething In the faces
of every one of these rough cowboys
that made me almost tremble. There
was suggestion of tension IN the
faces OF the oopstables that alarmed me.
/ could hear my heart beat, and | knew
my breath caught, yet | saw no cause of
alarm. | looked at the judge and the
lawyers and | saw the same spell rested
upon them.
"rhe county prosecutor began the trial
in low, firm tone. Everyone poke low.
Judge bowed his decisions. The counsel
for the defense iuterposed objections in
a set voice. The face of the prisoner was
pale and his eyes staring. He glanced
at the court with a suggestion If con
tempt in his face, but at the audience
with a look thet | thought was almost
terror, The pauses between the sehteu-
Gee OF those who spoke showed that but
for their speaking the room was densely
silent | don't believe any one formula
ed his impressions, but down III his heart
every man there must have known as well
as J knew that We were In the very pres
ence of a coming tragedy.
l"When the young plaintiff told her
story her faintest whisper seemed to ring
out to the corners OF the room. When
she ceased a suppressed Sigh struggled
from the crowd.
"The clerk called the prisoner 10 the
bar, His face grew pale as he arose. He
cast one appealing glance at the still i'm
passive audience. You've seen the sud
den gloom caused by light cloud sweep
ing over the sun. H. some intangible way
did an expression OF pitiless deter
minatiOn stem 10 pass over that sea of
faces at the prisoners glance. Yet no
one moved. The prisoner saw the sud
den cloud ard grew white. He almost
staggered TO the bar. He turned his
back upon the court room and faced the
Judge.
at was then that felt as If II weight
were on me. glanced with tight-closed
II ps around the room. | don't know what
| ex pected, but | never had been so ex-
cited. The faces all seemed blurred at the
moment, hut gradually, as If by tasci-
nation; one face took possession OF me.
1t belonged to a 20 year old boy with the
form OF giant and the dress of cattle
man. He stood in the middle of the
room. What was peculia with him l DO
not know, for | never remember his ex
pression-perhaps never clearly saw IT,
Bat the growing horror in me seized upon
that boys face, centered in it. fed upon
il. His eyes siated heavily at the pris-
oner, and | stared with beating heart at
him.
81 did not see him raise it, though took
ing at him. But in twInklinE pol.
ished barrel CLEANED along the line OF
gaze. Only hie gaze was not heavy now.
One eye closed slowly. The other burned
along the barrel sight. |
held my breath and waited. 1t seemed
hye minutes before the report came. II
was not three seconds. When
the smoke cleared away the prisoner lay
where he had stood before the bar of
justice.
~ don't know exactly what happened
mex. remember a Wild scramble for
he street IN which was drawn rather
than Joined. | heard down there that the
cowboys had cleared tho court, but that
the coustgbles had arrested the man who
fred the shot. They said he was the girls
brother. or course they tried the boy
for murder There were about tweuty
witnesses brought. Every single witness
swore on the stand that he had seen the
shot fire =, but -oul6u't 20 save his life tell
who Sid It, He vas acquitted. The sher-