Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-04-13
THE COUNTERFEIT COIN
CHAPTER III

The course Of retributive justice as
administered here on earth has more
different PAGES than Rosalind has attrib-
uted to time, but "those with whom II
lags withal" are not often the poor and
friendless. A few days only elapsed
before was summoned as a witness to
attend the trial Of Alice Summer. In
the meantime both Mr.. Bullion and
myself made great but fruitless efforts
to obtain further insight into the true
facts of the case.
The prisoner herself made no confes-
sion, but constantly asserted her inno-
cence, to the great discontinue Of the
broker and the unutterable perplexity
Of myself. sought in vain for a flaw
in the chain of evidence against her or
q chance to establish her innocence by
other facts. Even the general testimony
Of good characteristic last frail reed on
which she leaned-seemed to bend be-
meath her. She and her mother had but
lately come to the city, and TO all our in
quiries as to their former home and
friends we received only courteous but
evasive answers. 1t was evident that
some dark cloud Of sorrow, If not Of
crime, hung over their past history, and
this, while it did not diminish the in
terest felt in her, sadly weakened my
confidence in her defense.
It was the day before the trial, and
sat in my Office musing painfully on the
dark feature Of the case, when stranger
entered. The first glance assured me
that he was one Of class Of clients with
which most Of our city lawyers are fa-
Iniliar. "A seedy, decrepit old man,
humble yet querulous, detected and yet
visionary, bearing about tattered and
worn collection of papers and pitifully
urging his tale Of wrong and suffering,
from which the patient listener CLEANS
at the same time q belief that the sad
tale is true and melancholy conviction
that knavery has SO cunningly hidden
or time so long obliterated the evidences
of the wrong that no court save that Of
the Omniscient can ever set it right.
turned from the man more pettishly
than / should have done but for the sub
ject that engrossed my thoughts. The
poor old mans spirits were too much
broken to take offense at my rudeness
Beseechingly he added:
II did not mean to give you trouble
for nothing, sir. have but little to
offer you now, but ! will pay you liber-
ally when ! gain my case. You shall
have-you see mean to be generous
let me see-I cannot recover less than
twenty thousand dollars-itmay be thir-
ty, or even forty-and you shall have
quarter of it all. Think of that, sirl
Ten thousand dollars for one caser'
And my client threw himself back in
his chair, feeling for the thousandth
time, poor fellow, that his troubles were
almost over and the phantom in pur-
suit of which his life had been wasted
at least within his grasp. But l had
had many such clients before, and when
] was very young at the bar had been
dazzled more than once IN the same way.
"How much can you afford me as a
retainer?'
'Now? He seemed to be engaged in
an abstruse calculation as if over the
resources of nation. ''Ten Thousand
dollars when the case is finished, say six
months or a year hence. Suppose we say
five dollars, sir, ON account"
There was something SO painfully eager
in the look that accompanied these words
that ! suppressed the smile which had
been prompted by the pathos in his offer
and signiied my acceptance. My client
drew from his pocket lank purse, and
from the purse solitary coin. Poor
dreamer, he was paying his all for this
one more ticket in the lotteryl
had opened my lips to bid him leave
his papers and take back the coin when
my eye fell on it. One scrutinizing
glance, and / jumped from my seat as if
electrified by the little piece of gold.
"Where did you get this money, sirT'
A transient gleam of former fire shone
in the old mans eye.
81 do not see, sir, what that has to do
with my case"
"By heavensi' shouted, collaring the
old man and fairly lifting him out of
his seat, ''if you do not tell me this il
stant"--
Just at this moment my Office door
opened toadmit my learned and eloquent
friend Flourish. What that eminent
counsel thought of the scene do not
care 70 guess. The personal appearance
OF my client was not suggestive Of any
temptation to a felonious assault, nor
did his manner indicate any provocation
which could have called for chastise-
ment; and these two suppositions being
impossible, Mr.. Flourish stared with un-
disguised amazement at my unprofes-
sional conduct. His presence brought
me to myself, and with many apologies
explained that this coin, which, as nv
hearers would notice, was, peculiarly
marked, had formerly been in nv Dos
session, and that I was anxious, FOR par
ticular reasons, to trace its subsequent
history.
The old man hesitated and stammerSd
and cast SO many side glances at the
door that | hogan to think we had fallen
upon one Of he chief conspirators. Here
MIR. Flouris.I came to my assistance
with his blandest smile and most mel
lifiuous tone, and in five minutes had
drawn from my client all that he knew
about it. Assuring myself that he would
attend and testify to the same facts on
the following day ! dismissed him, and
then rapidly recounted to Flourish the
facts Of the case. The hard old lawyer
listened complacently, and when had
finished dryly expressed an opinion that
the young woman should be acquitted.
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