The morning call., 1892-08-12

Dina, one at time. The parson of Farmer
Fsirweather's church vas the first witness
called Then came the turn Of the labor
ers. / WAS sent for last
When j had been sworn and the girl and
/ were for the first time close to-
gether, face to face, most extraordinary
interest seemed to be felt In my evidence
bow first came to be In Dina's company.
and how long time passed while was
talking with her, were questions WHICH L
answered them 10 days since.
When a voice warned me to be careful
and 10 take my time, and another voice
said, us this Dina CO0mb?" | was too
much excited may say too much fright
ened-to turn nv head and see who was
speaking TO me. The longer | looked at the
girl the more certain / felt that | was not
looking at Dina.
What could l do I? As an honest woman
giving evidence on her oath l WAS bound,
come what might Of it, to tell the truth. To
the voice that had asked me if that was Dina
Coomb. | answered positively:
My reasons. when given, were two in
number First, both this girls eyes were
as straight as straight could be-
not so much as the vestige of a cast could /
see in her left eye. Secondly. she was fatter
than Dina in the face, and fatter in the
neck and arms. and r0under in the shoul-
ders. / owned, when the lawyer put the
question 10 NE. that she was Of the same
uelSUl rs Dlua, anu uau the same COM
pexion and the same fine color In her eyes.
But | stuck fast TO the differences | had
noticed-and they said l turned the scale
against The unfortunate prisoner.
As l afterward discovered we witnesses
had not been agreed. The laborers declared
that the girl was Dina. The paTson, who
had seen Dina hundreds of times at his
school, said exactly what had said. Other
competent witnesses were sought for and
found the next day. Their testimony was
our testimony repeated again aud again.
Later still, the ab0m!nable father and
mother who had sold their child for pur-
poses Of deception were discovered, and
were afterHard punished, along with the
people WHO had paid the money.
Driven TO the wall the prisoner owned
that he had failed 10 ind bis runaway
niece, and that, in terror of being cou-
demned TO die on the scsffold for murder,
he had made this desperate attempt to get
himself acquitted by deceiVng the law.
His confession avalled him nothing; his
solemn assertion OF innocence svailed him
nothing. Farmer Fsirwesther was hanged.
With the passing away Of time the men,
DRY OF things passes away too. 1 was be-
ginning to be an old woman, and the trial
was only remembered by elderly people like
myself, when / got letter relating to my
sister. 1t was written for her by The Eng
lish Consul at the French town in which
she lived. He informed me that she had
been widow for some years past, aud he
summoned me instantly 10 her bedside il
wished TO see her again before she died.
| was just Ia time to see her living She
was past speaking to me, but, thank God,
she understood what meant when / kissed
her and asked her to forgive me. Toward
evening the DoOr soul passed away quietly
with her head resting on my breast
The Consul had written down what she
wanted to say 10 ME. | leave the persons
who may read this to judge what my feel
ings were when discovered that my sisters
husband was the wretch who had assisted
the escape OF Dina CoOmb, and who had
thus been the means OF condemning an iuno-
cent man to death on the scaffOrld.
On one OF those visits on business to Eng
land Of which | have already spoken he had
met little giI sitting under a hedge at the
side OF the high road, lost, footsore and
frightened, ana had spoken TO her. She
owned that she had run away from home
after most severe beating. She showed
the marks. worthy man would have put
her under the protection Of the nearest mag
istrate.
Ny rascally brother-in-law noticed her
valuable watch, and suspscting that she
might be connected with wealthy people he
encouraged her to talk. When he was we'll
assured OF her expectations and of the use to
which lie might put them In her friendles.
Situation he offered 10 adopt her, and he took
her away with him to France.
lily sister, having no children of her own.
took liking to Dina, and readily believed
Wbdt ueI AuSDhDu cbOSo 10 Tell uer. FOR
three years the girl lived with them
After his death this runaway creature
then aged 15-was missing again. She left
a farewell letter to my sister, sayirg that
She had found another friend, and from that
time forth nothing more had been heard of
her for years on years This Lad weighed
on my sisters mind. and this was what she
had wanted to tell me on her deathbed
Knowing nothing of the trial. she was
aware that Dina belonged to the neghbor-
hood Of Betminster. and she thought in
her ignorance that l might communicate
with Dina's friends. if any such persons had
ever existed.
On my return to England I thought ii a
duty to show to the Mayor of Betminster
what the Consul had written from my SIS
ter's dictation. He read it and heard what
had to tell him. Then he reckoned up the
years that had passed. Says he:
The girl must be Of age by this time; l
shall cause inquiries TO be made in Lon
DON"
In week more we did hear OF Dina
Coomb. She had returned to her own
country, with French husband at her
heels. had proved her claim, aud had got
her money.