The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-09-23

IN tne cnaln OF eNlVence tnht nuu Deeu
coiled about him.
"On his behalf the testimony of the
weeping mother mode deep impress
sion, but wns confident that the spell
she had put upon the twelve men sit
ting in Judgment would yield to the
cool deliberations of the jury room.
After several unknown witnesses had
given testimony tending to show that
Winter had led reputable life, the
man who had called upon me limped
to the stand, and l must confess that
l rejoiced at the anticipated confusion
of the defense.
| "But there was most unacounta-
BILE intervention. No sooner was the
oath administered to tho witness than
voice from overhead solemnly warned
him to remember that he had made
sOcred promise before his Maker to
tell nothing but the trnth. The pris-
oner dropped heavily into his chair, the
| jurymen went white as ghosts and the
| judge cast a troubled look about the
ceiling as if to detect the bold Offend
| er. Order in the court was gruflly
demanded and the case proceeded.
The first material question asked was
MS to the character of the prisoner,
and that same phantom voice, this
| time from the rear of the Judge, ca He'd
the collapsed witness by name and said
in measured tones: Remember that
the pains and penalties of perjury are
not inflicted in this world alone, but
are imposed through all eternity
"The court whirled and gasped with
terror that his pride sought vainly
to conceal. An unknown dread was
upon me and jurymen we're stricken
with fright. Hard.headed and prac-
tical old farmers as they were, the
superstition that had lain dormant
and dying through generations was
quickened into life. But it was the
witness who cringed and stared MS
though in the presence of death. He
admitted n bitter enmity toward the
prisoner whose liberty he had meant
to swear away, though called in his
behalf, and wound up by not only
swearing that Winter was model
young man, but that he was seen walk
ing with his mother by the witness on
the night in question.
'I felt the ground slipping from
under me, but the dramatic climax
was yet to come. From an open door
into one of the small adjacent rooms
hurried an excited man with striking
features and blazing eyes. He rushed
to the prisoner, embracing him as a
father might have done, and then de.
manded, rather than requested, that
his evidence might be taken. 1t was
to the effect that he had been captain
in the Mexican war, that Winter, then
q mere boy, was drummer whom the
captain loved as father; that when
he was shot from his horse in n
charge, the boy gallantly fought back
the murderous Mexicans till stronger
assistance could come, and that there
he had received the wound which left
such n ghastly scar. The impetuous
witness even got in statement that
there must be some vile conspiracy
against Winter and wanted to confront
the private detective. But he had
disappeared. The jury acquitted with
out retiring, and thought their ver-
dict righteous one.
"One evening some years later,
when South on business, l found
time heavy on my hands and dropped
into a place of amusement. was in
differently interested until that voice
OF the court room, which still haunted
my memory, came from an upper
corner OF the hall. 1 felt like run
ming, but, turning to the stage, I saw
my hero of the Mexican war. He
tipped me a recognition and later
went with me to the hotel. There,
under pledge of secrecy, he gave me
the inside facts of that mysterious
trial.
"The alleged mother, the alleged
detective, the alleged captain, the
cripple and Winter were all members
Of shrewd gang of crooks operating
in the East. Winter had committed
the robbery and his pals had put up
an elaborate scheme which saved him.
They enjoyed many laugh over the
manner in which they had done the
'Rubes' up in my country. Winter