The Opelousas courier., 1893-09-23

packed away the papers that had seen
their ;day in his green bag, and, arm
in arm with his assistant, had strolled
away. pausing now and then to whls-
per g caution to g bailiff, and to re-
ceive in return more or less authentlc
information.
The prisoner had been led over n
covered corridor-another Bridge OF
Sighe-into the jail, to await his fate
in the cell where murderers were al
WAYS kept, as the great iron ring in the
centre of the floor, for their better Sc
curing, attested. His counsel had
accompanied him to the stairway, and
then had turned into the Office to have
a smoke and d chat as to prospects
with his friend the Sheeif.
Dubious" said that functionary.
munching on his cigar. 1.-THE Judge
was agin him from the fust, and the
Jury seed it."
The reporters had hurried away
with their notes, first arranging for
telephone calls when q verdict was
reached.
High above the Judges bench ran a
gallery. At the end nearest the win
dows wal a door. Before this door sat
a court officer, and behind it were the
jury, discussing, and SO vigorously,
too, that again and anon a mufied
sound would descend to those who
waited.
These were few in number-the jan
itor of the building, the clerk, who
lived out of town and had brought a
lunch with him three OF four attend
ants, the blind crier, doing in his
chair, and, in the further corner Of
the spectators seats, an old woman
and a young girl. The former Of
these two was stiff and motionless, ner
features set sternly, and her eyes burn
ing with a fierce desire. The latter
was slight and yielding she swayed
from the weakness that terror had
brought, and would have rested her
head on her companions arm had not
an unrecognized antipathy prevented.
There and thus they had sat through
out the day, the matron a stone and
the maiden a reed. Finally this young
girl spoke. Grandma" she said,
"why does that man sit without that
door,"
HE is on guard, my child, to see
that the jury are ecu and unmo-
Tested"
"But why should they be locked
up?"
SIN order that they may render a
verdict and thus punish the wicked"
"But surely each one must have
known what he believed when the case
was finished, and combining them won't
cause them to change"
'"No, but discussion may
''Then that would be yielding to
other influences than that Of the evil
dence, and that would be contrary to
the oath they each one took"
"Some are strong and sensible, and
others are weak and foolish. Il Is
proper that the will of the former
should prevail"
But that wouldn't be their unani-
nous Judgment then, and who can say
but that the weak and foolish may not
sometimes be right? Besides they
must be hungry and tired and cross.
And when people are cross they are
unfair. Oh, what q dreadful thing is
the lawl"
"What a dreadful thing rather is
murder. Think of your only brother
done to death by the Barlings. I only
wish the old days of drawing and quar-
tering had returned"
ooh, do you really believe"
Believe! Don't I know? Hain't
the Knowleses and the Barlings been
at odds this fifty yearss Didn't the
boys quarrel at the tavernf HavenA
we heered the detectives stories and
this lads admission2 What if the
others did get away? He was there,
and he done it as much as them. And
the jury will say Swing you mark
me-"
But there we're two who seemed TO
believe his story.
Chem poor critters in the back
row? They dassent trust their own
feelings in the face of the others. Do
you mind that racket? That will set
tie their doubts in short order. Now
you shut up, Patty. If ! thought
that one of my kin wouldn't rejoice in
the death of an enemy, I'd turn her
into the street without a shawl to her
back or O shoe to her feet"
"Poor, poor Tommy" sobbed the
girl, as she trembled before the indis-
tinct sounds of wrangling that came
from above.
Patty Knowles shrank still further
away from the stony bosom and the
threatening arm, and tried to think,
as if thoughts could bring comfort. II
wa all too awful to be real she must
be dreaming; yet why could she not
awake? Was it true that she, with her
grandmother, was awaiting in court
the verdict which should shamefully
destroy their enemy, and that enemy
her old comrade, Tommy Barling2
All, there were substances, not shad-
ows, about her her mind in its peace
sui slumbers had eve imagined any
thing SO cruell Yet he would be &C
quilted, how could she doubt. when
the iurymen as we'll as she had heard
his frank, simple story and had EEL
the candor of his beautiful face? Had
she not watched them and detected
expressions of sympathy, of confidence,
on at least two of their eountenances?
And if these men had once trusted
would they dare to condemn? Then,
indeed, were not they the murderers
who would slay for relief from Gus
tody, from fatigue, or from fear OF
a.a0 Ok dunaif,I