Mohave County miner., 1891-04-04


81 was too elch stupehed at frst tc
Ask What it all meant / did so al
/ last, and the explanation camo--it was
terrible! My friend, with whom had
so lately act out In coinpany, had been
1 found murdered and robbed near the
sDot al which ]. but alone, knew we
had separated. was the last person
known to be with him. and | was now
arrested on suspicion of bis murder. A
search OF the premises was Immediate
! ly Instituted. The watch was found Ii
the drawer in whleh 1 had placed It
and was identlhed as the property of
The murdered man. His horse too,
was found in my stable, for the animal
had just put there was none. sther.
recognized him myself hen saw him
In the light What / said ] know not.
My confusion was taken as additional
| evidence. And when, at length, did
command language. to give an intelI-
gible statement IL was received with
sneers and incredulity.
'The mob spirit il inhere mt In maA
at least In crowds OF men. Ii may
not always manifest Itself iii physical
violeace II sometimes contents itself
with lynching a character. But what
ever its form, it is always relentless,
pitiless. cruel,
"As the proofs OF my guilt one after
another, came TO light, low mutterings
gradually grew into elamor for von-
geance; and but for the frmness Of one
man--the officer who had me In charge
Il would doubtless have paid the pen.
atty OF my supposed offense on the
spot. II was not sympathy that actu-
ated my protector. His heart was as
hard as his office; but be represented
the majesty Of the law, and took sort
OF grim pride in the position. As much
under the glance OF his eye as before
the muzzle of his pistol, the cowardly
clamorers drew back. Perhaps they
were not sufficiently numerous 10 feel
the full effect Of that mysterious reflex
influence which makes crowd OF men
so much worse, and at tunes SO much
better, than any one Of them singly.
''At the end OF some months my trial
came. 1t could have but one result.
Circumstances too plainly declared my
guilt. i knew they lied. The absence
OF the jury was very brief To their
verdict / paid but little heed. II was
single hideous word, but / had long
anticipated it, and it made no impress
sion. As little impression was made
by the words OF the Judge which fol-
lowed IL and his solemn invocation that
God might have that mercy upon me
which man was too just to youchsafe,
sounded like the hollowest OF hollow
mockeries. IL may DO hard for the
condemned criminal TO meet death; it
is still harder for him who is innocent.
The one. when the first shock is over,
acquiesces in his doom and gives him
self to repentance; the heart Of the
other, filed with rebellion against
mans injustice. can scarcely bring its-
self to ask pardon OF God. / had grad
ually overcome this feeling, in spite of
the good clergyman's Irritating efforts,
which were mainly directed toward ex-
tracing confession. without which
he assured me, he had no hope 10
offer.
''On the morning of the day fixed
for my execution felt measurably re-
signed. had so long stood face TO
face with death, had so accustomed
myself to look upon it as only a mo-
mentary pang, that no longer felt so
licitous save that my memory should
one day be vindicated. She for whom
| had gone TO prepare a home for had
already found one in heaven. The
tidings Of my calamity had broken her
heart. She alone Of all the world,
believed me innocent; and she had
died with a prayer upon her lips that
the truth might be brought to light
All this | had heard, and IL had sooth-
ed as il sweet incense my troubled
spirit. Death, however unwelCome
the shape, was now a portal, beyond
which could see one angel waiting TO
receive me. | heard the sound OF ap-
preaching footsteps, and nerved myself
10 meet the expected suramons. The
door OF my cell opened, and the sheriff
and his attendants entered. He held
in his hand a paper. II was doubtless
my death-warrant. He began TO read
it. My thoughts were busted else |
where. The words full and free par
don were the first to strike my preOccu-
pied senses. They affected the by |
ISLANDERS more than myself. Yet so it |
was; I was pardoned for AN offense |
had never committed.
The real culprit none other, it is
needless to say, than be who had |
sought and abused my hospitality, had |
been mOrtally wounded In a recent |
affray in a distant city. but had lived |
long enough 10 make g, disclosure,
which had been laid before the gov
ernor barely in time 10 save me from a |
shameful death, and condemn me to a |
cheerless and burdensome life. This !
is my experience. My Judgment, as
yours in the case before us, leads 10 |
but one conclusion, that Of the pris-
Oner's guilt; but not less confident and |
apparently unerring was the judgment |
that falsely pronounced my own"
We no longer impOrtuned our fellow
juror, but patiently awaited our dis
charge, on the ground Of inability 10 |
agree, which came at last.
The prisoner was tried and convicted |
at a subsequent term, and at the last |
moment confessed his crime on tho |
scaffold.