The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1891-08-20

the cruel reprisals Of fate with q fair
share Of stoicism.
From the effects left by Brigham | had
the photograph Of Emily Percival. She
had told me to keep It as o memento
when l offered to return II to her. There
were few things beside that, and such as
there were were left in The Avalanche
Office in the hope that he might yet re-
turn to claim them
The winter had been a gay one in the
Crescent City-the season at the French
opera had never been better, the Mardi
Gras q brilliant success, the town was
full Of gay life, which renewed and re-
hected the Latin graces among our Puri-
tAnical institutions. In the merry round
! had had my share and borne my part as
well Of the brunt Of the work incidental
to the daily grind Of journalism. So !
found myself upon the eve Of starting
north in anything but q pleasant frame
Of mind, when'the managing editor Of
The Picayune sent for me and said:
II wish you would go up to Donaldson
vile and do that Nine. Armand murder
case for us. You know have no man
here to send, and It is too big thing for
the Indifferent local correspondent we
have at that point to handle"
OF course I couldn't refuse-to have
done 30 under the circumstances would
have been objectionable. But criminal
affairs always nauseated me, and hated
the stuffy atmosphere Of court rooms,
where ignoramuses make pretense Of
knowledge to befuddle stupid jurors, and
where the whole performance Is q mock
cry Of the solemnity Of justice.
The case was famous or infamous
enough, as such things go. Mime. Ar
mand, who owned a plantation down on
the Bayou Lafouche, had been.murdered
in her bed, presumably for money which
she was popularity supposed to keep con-
cealed in the house. The criminal had
escaped detection for several months, and
then had been apprehended while en-
ployed in timber camp where he was
one Of gang Of loggers. Just what evil
dence there was against him the officers
Of the state declined to make public, and
the poor wretch, having no money to
tempt a cormorant Of the law to under
take his defense, and no friends to inter
cede for him, had been kept in jail to
await trial at the spring term. It was
understood in q general way that the
evidence against the accused was incon-
trovertible, and 1t was further under
stood that as he was a stranger and the
law needed a victim, he was to be hanged
In due season.
Invent up to Donaldsonville the day
before the one set for the trial, and
landing at the miserable and forlorn
place in the evening, hunted up the
prosecuting attorney. That worthy was
fully imbued with the Nervousness oi
the crime, the necessity Of some ones
being punished for it, with the convic-
ton that the prisoner was the guilty
man, and with the assurance that he
would be hanged. Further than that he
had nothing to communicate. II ]
wanted information I must seek the
counsel for the prisoner, the judge hay-
ing recently appointed q member Of the
bar - defend him.
This advice was good, and took It. I
found the counsel for the defense mild
hammered young man who was evidently
just breaking into the profession. But
II his legal acumen was not overpower-
ing he was 10. be commended for his
modesty. he had not yet acquired the
insolence or the vanity Of the prosecut-
ing attorney, and, what was in bis
favor, he took some interest In his un.
fortunate client.
"a do not believe him guilty, he said,
"and yet l scarcely know why believe
in his innocence. The state, under
stand, will bring witnesses to prove that
he was seen in the vicinity Of the mur-
der, that he carries jewelry inconsistent
with his occupation as q lumbermAn,
and, what is more effective in the eyes Of
an ignorant and prejudiced jury, that he
is not what he seems to be-. This, think,
viii be themost effective weapon they win
use The man Is evidently Of consider
able refinement. Of good education, and
IL not accustomed to the life he has
lately been living. Yet he stubbornly re-
fuses to say anything about himself be-
yond declaring his innocence. The incon-
sistency Of his character and associations
Is 30 great that once demonstrated to q
jury it will be ready to hang him with
out a qualm Of conscience, II for nothing
else, to show that 1t has the right to in
Aict the extreme penalty Of the law"
Perhaps he will weaken when he finds
himself confronted by the stern necessity
Of making an effort to save his life"
"f he were guilty might believe 90,
but l am convinced the man is sinnocent,
but that for some unknown reason he
would sooner die than talk"
"May he not be shielding some one
else-a relative, perhaps3"
"a do not think 90, for we have been
unable to find any one who knows him.
BE seems to be total stranger"
i'What do his associates in the logging
camp have to sayT"
"That he walked into camp from the
woods one day, applied for work, was
given It and took his place. He was
evidently inexperienced as an AMMAN,
and was put on duty as an assistant to
the cook"
"How long ago was thisg"
"only q month. II is supposed that
be had been in hiding in the woods or
perhaps concealed in the cabin Of some
friendly negro between the time Of the
commission Of the crime and that day
upon which he applied for work at the
camp"
The next morning accompanied Mr.
Briggs, the counsel for the defendant,
over to the court house-a dilapidated
old frame building which had once been
whitewashed, as an observer might con-
clude from the mottIed appearance Of its