The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1896-11-27

| uUrIu IuCe anu IOng sandy WHISPERS, VINO
wore light overcOat and plaid trousers.
1.-The defense was a complete failure, and
| deserved to be.
1T was certainly rather audacious, = re-
| marked n clean shaver young man with a
double eyeglas-. But | don't like cir.
eumstantial evidence
! ''All evidence is more or less circum-
| ttantial, said he of the llorid complexion
and this man is as clearly guilty in my
| mind as if there had been IL dozen wit
nesses to stand by and see him do this
| deed. That's my opinion, Haywood.
And the oracle disappeared behind the
newspaper.
Feeling glad to discover any topic that
would divert my thoughts from their
gloomy forebodings, l addressed myself to
Haywood the young barrister, with whom
had slight acquaintance.
'YOu seem much interested IN this trial
that is going on" said. MAY I ask If
You are engaged on it?"
NO" he answered. but it is curl
Gus case. A man, clerk dismissed from
! his employment, is accused of numbering
the cashier of the firm The evidence
against him is entirely circumstantial, but
the defense broke down at the most crit
for the prisoner"
The train was now slackening speed, and
there was a general rising to 60 1 rose
too.
Are you going to get out here?' Mr.
Haywood asked opening the door as we
glided into the station. "Have you come
down so early on business
Eyes, | said, wishing to goodness l
knew what the immediate business was
Nothing very urgent, though, y l added,
half to myself, rs got out.
III you have the time to spare, you had
better turn in n hear tho end of the
trial, " said Haywood. 1.-The court will be
crowded with ladies, no doubt, but can
smuggle you into corner"
Not knowing in the very least what I
should do with myself for the next two
hours, l accepted the offer with gratitude.
was soon seated in an obscure corner of
ii dingy, i'll lighted, i'll ventilated court
house, which would have been i'll smelling,
too, had it not been for the scent waited
from the numerous ladies who were pres
emit
One of these, buxom female obstruc-
ton who ought to have known better was
just in front of me and blocked my view
with an enormous bonnet. 1 could not see
the prisoner or his counsel, or even the
clock over his head, ut which the people
kept looking eagerly as the hour for the
recommencement of the trial approached.
At last there was Il stir and hustle,
caused by the persons invisible to me,
then call of "silence," and after few
preliminaries the summing up commenced.
l listened the more attentively because I
could see nothing. The telling sentences
cut deep into my consciousness. How con-
vincing it all was! How all those minute
facts, the minute testimony of footmarks
and the like arranged and distributed by
that powerful intellect grouped themselves
into the damning proof of guilt! 1 cared
nothing for the prisoner-had no personal
interest in the trial-but my mind was
wonderfully fascinated by tho tale of hor-
ror
At length the weighty tones ceased and
a murmur of relief and expectation ran
round the assembly. At this moment the
woman with the huge bonnet shifted her
seat, and obtained n full view of the pris
oner. l started involuntarily Where had
l seen that face before? The jury returned
after a short absence. The verdict was
Guilty, accompanied with Il recommend |
alton to mercy. Once again the judges !
solemn tones resounded throughout the |
court once again they ceased. There was !
n dead silence. l sprang to my feet, rs if !
impelled to do so by some unseen power, |
and looked steadily at the prisoner
His face was ayerted from me at the |
moment, but the looks of the people |
showed that he was about to speak. Slow |
ly he turned about, and in u voice whose |
deep, earnest tones could be heard all over |
the assembly he said:
"There lives but one man who can prove !
me innocent, and there he stands!'
With white face and outstretched arm,
he pointed--at me. l gaZed at him with o |
sudden flash of recognition. 1t was the |
man l had seen under the lamp, and, by |
strange coincidence, ut this moment the |
church clock struck IL.
The plea that had been set up by the de- |
Tense was an alibi. But there was a space
of two hours that could not be accounted |
for, and the theory OF the prosecution was
that the crime had been committed during |
that time Ny evidence supplied the miss
inE link, for the place in which I had seen
the man was 50 far distant from the scene
of tho murder that it was impossible fer |
him to have been anywhere near at the |
time Of its commission.
And the dream? Only u coincidence,
You will say, perhaps. or n fit of indiges-
ton, or my timber contract. Nevertheless, |
as L have told it you, so it happened. FIX |
plain it away who can.-Spare Moments