Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-12-06

soften her temper or to render her less mo-
ruly. She had upon her dismissal. in the
presence OF other servants, made threats
OF violence, only few hours preceding
tho outbreak of tho fire, and had even ex-
claimed in the lingo of the peasantry:
I'll iet loose the red rooster upon them!"
This expression the accused had re-
peated to the miller that same evening
while she was buying a load Of straw
from him. After this all trace of her
was lost The day following she made
her appearance in our village, tired out,
covered with mud, with her cart empty.
She pretended to be surprised when told
OF the destruction of the manor house
by fire:
In her defense Akoulina alleged that
she had taken her load of straw to an
out OF the way barn belonging to her
cousin, Anton Petrovitch, and had slept
there all night. Shortly after this An
ton had left the country to seek employ
ment at Odessa, where he had enlisted
as sailor upon foreign merchantmen
The authorities had not been able to
find him, but the absence of this single
witness for the prisoner was not deemed
material, inasmuch as it was apparent
to everybody that the alibi pleaded by
the woman was but weak attempt to
escape well-merited punishment
AVAS W as ioI 8c uuulOST VI Witnesses
for the crown. The owner of the estate.
as we'll as other landed proprietors who
were called to the stand testified to the
violent character of the accused, which
they averred had been intensified by
poverty and wretchedness. There was
not shadow of q doubt in their minds
that Akoulina was guilty of the crime
The testimony of the peasants was char
acteristically shutting and evasive, ap-
vNnr tIvy boil
great moment, eXaggerating the import
ance of what they did know, only re-
sponsive after repeated warnings, or
bent upon putting forth hearsay in lieu
OF personal knowledge. Several of them
claimed that they had seen Akoulina re-
turn home in the morning, but in which
direction, or by what route, they were
unable to specify. Old women took the
stand to detail how Akoulina had beaten
them; but one of their number added,
as she ostentatiously crossed herself,
that Akoulina worked herself to death:
that her children were Gods own little
angels, and that what was going to hap
pen would be terrible for them
The young advocate assigned to defend
the wretched woman was manifestly
Overawed by the presence of so many
notable personages in the court room.
He made half-hearted appeal to the
tribunal to show mercy toward the &C.
cused, poor widow, upon the labor of
whose hands depended the lives of her
three children, and then consumed the
rest OF the time assigned him in theo-
rlZlng as to the proper means to har-
monte the relations of the nobility and
peasantry.
Akoulina had paid no attention to the
testimony of the witnesses nor to the
defense of her attorney. Her eyes con-
tinued to wander from the clock to the
door, from the door to the clock. All
this solemn and ceremonious proceeding,
these stilted and mysterious phrases, at
tacl1s and defenses, theories and suppo-
sitions, made but shadowy and con-
fused effect upon her mind. Above all
this tangled network of circumstantial
evidence she saw but one thing clearly
and plainly, and to this creation Of her
mind she chung with the energy of de-
spair. 1t was that single word from
her cousin, Anton Petrovitch, could save
her, and il at this last moment he did
not push the door open and present him
self at the bar of the tribunal she was
lost!
What mattered it to her if friends and
foes alike persisted in declaring to her
that Anton had been lost in q distant
sea? Was he not the only human being
who could step between her and life
long Punishment TO Siberia. and how
could God in His infinite love and wis
dom fail to send Anton to her in the
nick of time? Had her lawyer not lately
received advices from Odessa that sew
eral merchantmen had been signaled?
Why might not Anton be among them?
Many heart grew heavy. many eyes
filled with tears, at sight of this poor,