The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-02

zone Of the most tragic scenes I ever
witnessed" remarked q western judge a.
an uptown hotel 10 a Washington star
reporter. occurred in a court room n
small town in one OF the new western
states Tha- is 10 say. u was new tAshs
but that has been 70 years ago, ana H-a
out there growing up with me country
and showing people how much law a
youngster OF q has az MS myers elius-
The Judge y as man or - OF more anu "a
addition 10 a most venerable ana ulslll
ned a-ueara nee and manner. ne was tlle
saddesf-faceI man I ever saw. he had
come 20 our town 10 or dozen years pc
fore from the east, and he knew nue. ~
him, except that he was an apie Jaw
and iur So. and that his WIFE WnO y as tile
only other member Of his family, and him
self had some great sorrow from NllcA
they had sought some escape from oy 50
ing into "a far country.
Our was a quiet town, and the judge
and his wife seemed TO live serenely
enough but they were evidently growing
old an feeb ahead OF their Tune Ole
night OFT town was all torn up BY a ROB
berry and murder and the capture OF une
killer and thief almost in the act. For
wonder ne wasn't lynched then ana uneIe,
but he wasn't and as soon as daylight
came the prisoner, and j was appointed
with another yOungster TO defend MN.
Really there wasn't any defense. and
I was rank enough 10 tell him that ne
might be thankful II we could save MIN
from a lynching. He was stranger IN
the town evidently led there by some sto-
ries he had heard Of an old miser we had
among us, and was a man Of perhaps 80
or a. with a most unprepossesslnB ap-
pearance. greatly accentuated by week S
growth Of rough Whskers, years OF dis
sipation and hard living In those days.
and in such cases, the laws delay was
not mueh in force, and by o'clock OF the
second lay the prisoner was standing be
fore tn judge 10 receive sentence. As he
D aHr 4 d Ia Ia O.
customer I think I never saw.
Have you anything TO say why SEN
| tence o. death should not be pronounced
upon your said the judge, after all the
| preliminaries were over.
4 have your honor II you are TO pro-
nounce that sentence replied the pris-
Oner with an air of almost impertinence.
| AT leas-,' he added, half alphabetically,
| possibly under the circumstances you
| might not care to pronounce it,
! This was entirely out of the ordinary
| and l touched my client on the arm, and
was about to remind him of the customs
of the court, when the judge requested
/ me to leave the prisoner to him.
! viii you be kind enough to explain
| he said IN a strangely excited tone.
We'll, your honor responded the
| prisoner, without quaver Of voice, as
But the Judge heard no more. 1t was
| evident hat he knew the prisoner was
| telling the truth, for with groan ne
| threw UP MS NduQst Ieu forward across
the desk in front OF him, dead and a lit
| tie stream Of blood tricking from his lips
| The excitement was terrific. and in the
| midst Of ii the prisoner dashed through
a window and would have escaped, but a
| timely shot from a rife in the hands of q
| man on the outside settled him forever
| And, best of all, his mother never knew
! She fingered few months after her hus
bands death, and the entire population
of the town considered It to be a SACRED
obligation 10 lie TO her about the whole
| affair"