Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-06-01
THE REVERSED VERDICT

Jem Blake was shot dead in his own
doorway by Antonio Gueldo, and the
trial was to come off directly.
The extraordinary interest in the
affair was less due to the murder and
its peculiar circumstances than to the
fact that this was the first case tried
at San Saba in any more formal court
than the time honored institution of
Judge Lynch.
AS there was no place specially ar
ranged for this trial, Judge Pitblado
Hospitality offered the use of his shed.
Here a rough table and chair were
placed TOR the Judge, the other neces-
sary furniture, intended to represent
the dock, the stand, etc, being eked
out with boxes from SilaS BaggetS
grocery store.
Jake Smith looked at these prepa-
rations for time with frowning dis
content and then strolled down the
road, turning into the lane that led
to Blake's. When he reached the
door of the shanty he leaned against
the lamb and poked his naked head
inside, tanning himself in an en-
barrassed way with his greasy frag-
ment Of hat. He had come there
with the intention of saying some
thing, but the sight within made him
forget it.
Blake's widow sat there, as she had
pretty much all the time since the
murder, staring straight before her,
with her chin on her palm. The sun
light struck through the foliage of
the red oak trees that grew before the
door, and checkered with the flicker
ing brightness the floor and the cradle
in which Jem's baby was sleeping.
There it was, just as it had been
three days ago could it be only three
days?)-just as it had been when she
went out that morning to look after
the drying clothes and left him stand
ing in the door by the cradle chow
fond he was of the babyD-just as it
was when she heard the crack of the
pistol and ran in with an awful sense
of suffocating fright-just the same
as when she had found him lying upon
the cradle, dabbling its white linen
with his blood, and the baby playing
with his hair. She screamed once,
the first and last complaint any one
had heard her make; then she was
quiet and helpful through it all
when men came and lifted her up,
when they laid her on the rough bed
in the other room; when they car
ried him to the grave, she following
with the baby in her arms.
Jake Smith was trying TO find the
link missing in his thoughts. He
shifted with perplexity-or some
thing-and Blake's widow looked up
without speaking. Jake nodde@
pleasantly four or five times.
'Pooty clipper" asked he.
Blake's widow smiled sadly bent
over the sleeping child and smoothed
the clothes with tender touch,
They're agoin' to try him in a
court" Jake went on, sam l don't
believe -"
TRY who--AntOnia?" See turned
toward the burly figure in the door
with flash of interest 10 her black
eyes.
eyes. The Jedge is making a
court of his shed. l hope it'll turn
out all right, but it seems like giving
that Mexican devil a chance he
Oughtn't ter have"
''He can't get clear, can he?" she
asked, rocking the cradle gently and
patting the coverlet.
81 don't see how, but he's got some
kind of law cuss ter speak for him
feller that stopped here day or
two ago on his way to Galveston
and it makes me kind O. nervous"
Blake's widow did not appear to
notice the last remark, for the child,
disturbed by the talking, had awak-
ened, and sat up in his cradle with a
wondering look.
"Pooty. amt he?" said Jake, re-
] yarding the small figure with inter-
.st. Clocks just like-ahem-you
Poor little-l-a-" he stammered,
and treated his hat like a mortal
enemy. "Of course he'd had-you've
yot-there's nothin' can do fer ye1,
maybe?"
She answered with a grateful Took,
but it was accompanied with shake
of the head.
Jake bent down, and with his big