Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-03-20

all, they had unearthed that fellow who had
rushed in with a pair of trousers to be re
paired, who turned out to be one Herman
Olgreich, and who swore that he had seer
me standing up before Bilsing in threat
ening attitude at quarter past G.
But l had left the shop good halt
hour before that insisted, when heard
this. 1 remember that fellow coming in
and l am sure that it couldn't have been
/ more than ten minutes to 6 at the very
latest
| but even as l spoke remembered with
a shudder that 1 would find it difficult to
prove my assertion, for on account of my
search By the way for the locket 1 had
taken, as I have said, twice the usual
| length of time to get back to our camp, so
that the testimony of my mates there as to
the time of my arrival would avail me
nothing. Jack Dingman, my chum, did
all that mortal man could do, and the rest
OF the fellows in our claim secured Blue
| bell in search of witnesses who might be
able to prove that l was not in Bilsings
| shop at a quarter past 6. But it was no
use. The only thing gained by it was the
discovery of trampish sort OF fellow who
said he had stepped in at the tailor's estab-
lishment about 6 o'clock to get a light for
his pipe, and found Bilsing alone, and ap-
parently all right.
=" Now, if you could only prove that that
| Olgreich fellow is wrong, and that you are
right about the time Of your being with
Bilsing, we could get you clear in jiffy,
Jack assured me.
''But that was the worst of it. couldn't
prove it, and of course, under the eircum-
stances, Olgreich's word would be believed
| hofor
blaclzer and blacker Money was found to
be missing from Bilsing's place, and so to
the mind Of nearly all in town it was evi
dent that I had choked the German to
death in an ungovernable fit of passion,
and disdained to fee after the deed had
been committed, trusting to my good name
ing implicated in the affair. The finding
of my locket among the shreds of cloth on
the floor had betrayed me-
There was no Jail in the place, of course,
so was detained in we'll guarded room
at the hotel. My friends were allowed to
come in and see me at intervals, but, as
you can imagine these interviews were
anything but cheerful ones At last the
day of the SO called formal trial came. and
all my worst fefTs were realized as the
case progressed. All the little flaws I had
picked in the array of evidence against me,
and charged the boys to bring up when
the time came, were showed under by the
preponderating evidence on the other side.
Suddenly Jack Dingman sprang to his
feet, and | imagined he had thought of a
new line of evidence. But he said nothing;
only hurried out of the room, carrying my
last shred of hope with him.
He can't bear to stay and hear me con-
victed,' told myself.
but was wrong. In five minutes Jack
was back again, out of breath, but with a
look in his eyes that set my heart to throb-
bling quickly.
Twill you please call Herman Olgreich
back to the witness stand?' he said to the
man who was acting the part of Judge
"Amid a good deal Of wonderment about
what might be coming, Jack turned to the
German youth and asked:
:" How did you know that it was quarter
past when you saw the prisoner in Bill
sings shop? You have no watch, believe
~ looked at the clock was the reply.
"'What is Jack driving at?' asked N.Y.
self. Surely this has all been gone over
BEFORE
"'Where were you standing when you
looked at the clock?' went on Dngman
"'In the doorway. 1t was just as was
going in replied Olgreich.
Jack brought his hands together with
a smack. That settles it, guess, he ex-
claimed. But there is just one more
question should like to ask, How could
you tell the time if you got no farther
than the doorway, because the clock at
Bilsing's is over it?'
why, sure enough answered the I'M
suspecting witness promptly. There is a
looking glass behind Bilsing's table, and I
saw the clock reflected there
(which turned the hands round and
made it seem to you quarter past 6, when
it was really quarter before 81 and Jack
rushed toward me with hand outstretched
sit was as if a bombshell had been burst
in that improyised court room. There was
q complete revulsion of public sentiment
in my favor, and it scarcely needed the
testimony of the trampish individual who
wanted light for his pipe to clear me.
suspicion nov being turned back upon
itself, SO to speak, a doctor was procured,
and an autopsy held on the dead man,
which established the fact that he had
died of an apoplectic stroke.
Sand now do you wonder, Grant, that |
am little sensitive to the ticking of !,
clock, even though, as | said one did save
my life9''
''It wasn't the clock, Frank, but the
mirror, which did that" and Young SHY
cred slightly as he sat up on the lounge
and looked at his watch, to find that it was
just midnigh t.-Vignettes, Real and Ideal.