The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-03
ConvrIeht. -. IL Irvlng Bacheller.

CHAPTER 1.-THE TRAGEDY.
CFrom notes written by Miss Sarah
Fairbanks Immediately after the report.
Of the grand jury)
As take my pen 10 write this, I have
a feeling that / am on the witness stand
for or against myself, which? The place
of the criminal in the dock I will not
voluntarily take. 1 will neither affirm
my innocence nor deny my guilt I will
present the facts of the case as impair
TALLY and as cooly as if l had nothing
a. stake. I will let all who may read-this
judge me as they viii.
This I am bound 10 do since I am con-
demned to something infinitely worse than
the life-cell or the gallows. ! viii try my
own self in lieu Of judge and jury; my
guilt or my innocence will prove TO you
ell. II il be in mortal power. In my
despair ! am tempted to say / care not
which IL may be- so some thing be proved.
open condemnation could not overWnelm
me like universal suspicion.
Now, first, as 1 have heard is the Gus
tom in courts of law, I viii present the
case I am Sarah Fairbanks, a country
school teacher, % years of age Ny mother
died when l was % Since then, while l
have been away teaching at Digby, a
cousin of my fathers. Rufus Bennett,
and his wife have lived with my father.
During the Ions summer vacations they
returned to their little farm in Yer
mont, and l kept house for my father.
For five years I have been engaged to
be married TO Henry Ellis, young man
whom I met in Digby. My father was
very much opposed to the match, and has
told me repeatedly that II l insisted upon
4
disinherit me. on this account Henry
has never visited me at my own home.
While l could not bring myself to break
of finally my engagement, / wished 10
avoid an open rupture with my father.
He was quite an old man, and l was the
only one he had left of a large family.
I believe that parents should honor their
children, as well as children their par
ents, but / had arrived at this conclusion:
In nine-tenths of the cases wherein chill
dren marry against their parents wishes,
even when the parents have no just
grounds for opposition, the marriages are
unhappy.
1 sometimes felt that I as unjust TO
Henry, and resolved that If ever / sus-
pected that his fancy turned toward any
other girl l would not hinder it, especial
~ as / was getting older, and, 1 thought,
losing my good looks.
A little while ago, a young and pretty
girl came TO Digby TO teach the school in
the south district. She boarded in the
same house with Henry. l heard that ne
was somewhat attentive to her, and
made up my mind 1 would not interfere.
At the same time 1t seemed TO me my
heart was breaking. / heard her people
had money, too, and she was an only
child. l had always felt that Henry
ought to marry a wife with monew be-
cause he had nothing himself, and was
not very strong.
School closed five weeks ago, and I
came home for the summer vacation. TIL.
night before l left Harry came to see me.
and urged me to marry him. l refused
again; but / never before had felt that
my father was so hard and cruel as |
did that night. Henry said that he SHOULD
certainly see me during the vacation, and
when l replied that he must not come he
was angry, and said-but such foolish
things are not worth repeating. Henry
has really very sweet temper and would
not hurt fly.
The very night Of my return home
Rufus Bennett and my father had words
about some maple sugar which Rufus