The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-09-13


the gaze of SO many eager and curious
eyes were upon him. His thoughts had
wandered sadly to his old home, his moth
er, his sister and the old days long ago
long ago, when his heart was young and
the love of gold had not tempted him to
leave the abode of his youth. Then he
thought of Minnie. Was she here listen
ing while they swore away his lifei This
thought brought him with a bitter pang
back to the agonizing present, and again
he heard the questions and answers, each
one of which now seemed to close the
doors of hope more firmly upon him.
Again he felt that hundreds of eyes were
gazing at him. Was she there too2 Yes,
he could feel that she was near, although
he could not see her. This circumstance
was perfectly applicable.
The proceedings were necessarily part
ly in the official language of the coun-
try, but many of the jury were well con-
versant with English, and every oppor-
tunity was permitted the accused to rebut
the damaging evidence. He was asked
IL he had anything to say, and Clarkson
repeated his story simply and truthfully
rs before. He had nothing to conceal,
though the truth could help him little.
He knew well the evidence against him,
circumstartial though it might be, was
too strong. Judge, jury and listeners
all appeared quite convinced of his guilt.
Very calmly and with an unconscious
pathos he told the story Of his futile eff
forts to obtain employment, his hopeless
misery, his reckless resolve to spend his
last shilling and purchase that which
should render him oblivious of his suf-
fering for time. He told how he had
gone into the bar and now the music
had created calmer and better thoughts
and saved him; how he had gone forth
into the street again, and worn out by
hunger and fatigue had lain down and
slept until morning. The notes and the
watch must, he said, have been put into
his pockets while he lay on the stoop.
He was innocent, he asserted, and in the
presence of God he could only repeat it.
The court and the crowd were skep-
teal, and few Of the latter appeared to
Bympathze with the accused in the
slightest.
The jury retired, and painful silence
fell upon the court. In a few minutes
the jurymen returned. and their verdict
could in sense be felt before it was
given. Very slowly and deliberately it
came, eve find the prisoner guilty"
Noone seemed surprised, and certainly
not the pale young prisoner himself. Not
surprised; but, oh, how bitterly fell upon
his ears and heart the words that con-
signed him to doom of sudden and
shameful death!
In low, calm tone the judge pro-
nounced the awful sentence, and the
prisoner was about to be led away when
it was seen that some one was struggling
through the crowd toward him. 1t
proved to be a young girl, with wild
looking eyes and face the picture of de-
SPAR. 1t was Minnie Colbeek, and in
moment she was beside her lover. The
policemen offered no obstacle. Indeed
they appeared to fall back Involuntary.
She looked so pale, so fair and SO I'M
earthly that she might have been a spirit
from the other world confronting them.
Clarkson gazed upon her, but his white
lips remained unmoved, and he uttered
not word
"Tom," said the girl in voice so low
that he only heard it, "you will yet be
saved. They cannot take your life. You
shall not die for another's sin. Heaven
will not permit such cruel injustice"
Minnie spoke as all inexperienced people
speak on such matters, women especially.
Clarkson did not speak. He knew that
with the first word he uttered all his
self command would desert him. He
took her little cold hands in his and held
them for a moment as we hold hands
that we never expect to clasp again in
this world. And with one look into her
sorrowing eyes-a look that seemed to
bid her an earthly farewell-he was led
away.
Among the passengers who left johann
nesburg by the early coach for Pretoria
on the day following that on which
Thomas Clarkson's death sentence had
been pronounced was girl who, thickly
yelled, sat in corner of the coach with
bent head, clasped hands and melan-
choly mien. 1t was Minnie Colbeck
She had made desperate, firm, though
wild resolve to go to the capital, see
President Kruger and plead for the life
of Thomas GARRISON. Only woman
would have carried out such resolu.
ton.
The coach Travelled at the utmost speed
of eight spirited horses, but to her heat
ed and impatient fancy it seemed to
crawl along the smooth, dusty road. It
was still early in the day when it dashed
into the streets of Pretoria.
Half an hour later Minnie stood at the
gates of the presidency, an unpreten-
tious, ordinary looking residence in a
quiet part of the principal street. Her
heart beat, her hands trembled, and her