The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1890-12-17

4 ann however, 50 lie wa. released. and
suspicion fell upon a woman named
AkonEna, who had been employed in.
our neighhoIs house. She had been.
7 discharged for irlpertinence on the even
ing before the fire. and, after u,.orin.
sundly threats, had gone toward her
home, Saehal not, however, appeared
IN The little cabin until rn5.uns. and
now was unable TO give asati. ffaesaYy
account of her Whereabouts during the
night
Three months later the trial took
place. Ny father was called as Wit
ness, AkonEna having formerly been his
tenant, AID yielding to my bOyish en-.
treaties Ee took ne 40 town with him
On arriving he leitrae with the horses
and ealri72e attlsa inn, and told me to
wait there pttial,ly until his return.
Bnt this being TOO much for my curiosi-
ty / slipped out behind him, followed
him down the sire and crept into the
courtroom Ea-s teToucbed unnoticed
in a corner nea~ he doorway and listen
cd to the proc ines with the Hveliest
. interest.
1t was Il Wy bare looking room. with
a long row # benches on each side.
/ platform q. one end, where sat the
/ judges, and Just overhead on the white
washed wall was a large, ronlld clock,
with a crgciEX hanging above st.
The hall Was full of people. On the
| right sat the mobiles, land owners and
city officials; on the left We're the peas
ants Of lyanofka, where the fire had taken
PLACE, and Of eur village On the prison
ers' bench sat Akoulina, and lust behind
her one Of her relations was holding an
infant, and at the same time trying to
keep two little girls amused These
were Akonlina's children.
Every eye was fixed upon the accused. =
She was young, strong and straight.
neither pretty nor plain, but a true
Russian type with & round, fiat face,
bright color, and adult, stubborn expires
sion. She seemed to pay no heed to
What the clerk was saying in his sleepy
| voice, and looked at neither the judges
| nor the audience, but kept her eyes fxed
upon the great clock. whence she occa-
sionally glanced at the door, as if anx-
lousy expecting an arrival. ~-
| The testimony against her was over
whelming. She WIS Of a turbulent. in
tractable disposition but worked hard
to support her chii5ren, having re-
Gently lost her husband, a worthless
fellow who had died OF drink. After
being discharged by the lady Of
Kanofka she had been heard to use
threatening language while stopping at
the mill to buy some straw, and had ap-
peared inoRr village the next day tired
and muddy aud affecting to be ignorant
of the fac in the night.
AlIonlina declared that she had slept
in barn belonging to cousin Of hers
named Anton Petrovitch. Unfortunate-
! -ly-this person had lately left the country
and gone to seek bis fortune at Odessa
whence he was supposed to have EN-
barlIed as q 8nilQr in foreign ship. In
quirY proved fruitless respecting ais
whereabouts, but that fact was thought
to be Of but little consequence, as the
womau's stat cement WIS evidently a false
One, t, #tEs# te-
/ The punishment for incendiarism is
Punishment to Siberia, but before SEN
tence was passed a number Of witnesses
were to be examined A
Akou.iua paid little or no attention to
the examination of the Witnesses. but
kept looking from the CLOCK to the door,
as,u It was evident that only one fact
was clear to her duh understanding
Anton Petrovitch was the one person
who could save her, and she clung tena-
Giou-ly to the idea that Anton Petro-
witch would enter by that door and say
the necessary words before it was too
late People Lad told her that her cousin
was reported 10 have persisted by ship
wreck III the distant sea, but that could
not be. God was 500 just to let her suf-
fer for the want Of a few words. Mes
sages had been sent to Odessa, aud she
/ clung desperately TO the hope that Anton
would be found. But as the clocks
4 hands moved round and the time went
by the hope began to weaken.
The president Of the court put more
questions to the accused for the last
time.
Il am innocent" was her reply, re-
peated again and again, Il know moth
ing about the fire; was not near the
Eplace at all When Anton -Petrovitch
comes he will tell you. know nothing
about It'll am innocent"
The judges retired for a few minutes.
! When they returned the president rose,
I holding a paper in his hands.
Then Akonlina knew that all was
, over A shudder passed through hel
frame. She stretched out her hands and
: convulsively patted the heads of hen
= children: then. falling upon her knees
she raised her Clasped hands toward the
crucitix on the wall and wildly exclaimed
"Christ, my Saviour, save me! Lord
q have pity upon me and my children!"
: At the sound of her prayer and al
. sight Of her supplicating attitude al
. the country people present fell on then
knees with one accord and reverently
" made the sign Of the cross. A sort o.
stupor seized the large assembly, lords
=. and judges seemed struck dumb, anC
the silence was so profound that coult
y plainly hear the ticking of the grea
: clock upon the wall as the pendulum
: swung back and forth increasingly, hl1t
: the measure of eternal justice. TIL,
= clock was the first to break the silence
striking the hour of noon with its grave
a, Ha4Hh NuICt' NliI6 every oue Hsteue'
a breathlessly The sound reused Akonlina
~ and she turned toward the door with
- agonizing look. Many an eyefolowet
!. hers, and | thiEk that no one would hav,
:. been astonished to see Anton Petroyitcl
= enter at that moment. But the door re
- manned closed; and now, for the frs
~ time, perceived the old peddler stand
= ing near it, clad in his ragged pelisse.
>, . His small, blinking eyes wandered
- round the room, lis gaze resting tinidl,
q upon the judges then passing on t.
= AkoHhua and Ior children. As he look
ed at the h.le ones an expression o
- gentle kindness came into his face. sucl
~ ] l..1 d. n.s.- IT,, 7 L. I a..