People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-03-16

y
supposed to constitute legal death
had elapsed, that she chose for q
husband man of character as pure
as her own and you may see. a man
physically her match, and though
the spite and venom of their neigh
bors may have affected to consider
the bond between them illegal, they
were unquestionably in the sight Of
man and God, husband and wife.
"Could such a woman's nature
change all at once, could her venera-
ton for all things holy, all things Of
good repute, fail her utterly in the
one supreme moment OF her life, when
she found her heaven suddenly trans.
formed INTO hell? Was yonder the
woman to boldly conceive and exc
cute murder with skill and rap
idity that the most experienced
criminal might have envied, and
striven to initiate in vain? No! That
she had displayed extraordinary
nerve and resource in carrying out o
wrong act, he fully admitted; but
when one comes to think OF the i'm.
mensity Of the stakes involved. OF
what life in bondage meant with this
man, of what love in freedom awaited
her in the new world. you may con.
denim her, but you cannot wonder
that she snatched at any means, how
ever unlawful, by which to save her.
self.
al contend, then, that there Is no
case against this woman, and tAat
each and all Of you, gentlemen OF
the jury, will be guilty OF murder II
you send this innocent and sorely
tried creature to the gallowsm
He sat down amidst applause from
the legal fraternity. and strangers
present, but low murmurs and growls
of dissent rose from the fishermen
and their wives in the body OF the
court
"Who else had motive In getting
rid of Seth Treloar? And the motive
was everything in murderl Why
was the door found locked, and every
window fastened from the inside (tor
hadn't some Of them prowled around
to see after the pair left, and the
key found hanging in the place the
landlord and Croft had agreed onp
Didn't the doctors say he had been
dead a good three days, and how
could he have poisoned himself when
his arms were fastened to his sides
with cords? Wouldn't an artiul jade
like her have tied a rope to the
hook, and put the food there, Just to
make people think she expected him
to get up againe Wasn't his face
fixed in the most awful look OF hun
cry agony, more like famine-struck
wolf than human beingP Only to
dream of it was to lie awake all
night afterwards"
And then the Cornish sing-song Of
bitter tongues ceased as the first
witness was called for the prosecu-
tion-Stephen Croft
| have said that he and Judith
made the handsomest pair ever saw
in my life, but the mans beauty wa:
the more pre-eminent OF the two
Save in sculptured images oil
Antinous, whom he most curiously
resembled, alike in feature and the
sweetness tinged with melancholy o
his expression, ! never saw anything
in the least like him, and from thu
crown of close sunny curls on hi
splendid head to the sole OF thu
finely shaped foot, he looked a maj
who would wear a fisherman's dres
or a 1ing's robe with equal grac
and dignity. No wonder, thought
that the women Of the village hate
judith saw evil looks pass anon
them as Stephens blue eyes sough
hers as he left her to take his place
And now she stood alone, and tn
l man who loved her was on oath
give evidence against her.
And surely this was cruel thin
to see, for had he been the woman
9 husband, the law would have close
: his lips, so that he might neithe
t help to save nor to hang her; b.
t Seth Treloar's return had broke
e the tie between them, and she wi
/ no more than any other stranger
d him in the eye Of the law.
II fro BE CONTINUED.