Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-12-26
IDENTIFIED in TIME.

lDAAN u IL lID IAN l. lulAs
After a brief summing up from the
Judge the jury found verdict of guilty
without leaving the box. Then the clerk
put the formal question:
Prisoner at the bar, you have heard
the verdict of the jury. Have you any
thing to say why sentence of death should
not be passed upon you?"
"Well cap'n, it's hard to be hung for
nothin, but can see this yere is yard
arm business. l knows no more o. this
ERE burglary nor a babby, but these wit
nesses ha'nt told no lies, s'pose. And
what can l say agin 'em? When this thing
came off, was fighting the slaves of the
gold coast. But you've got no call to be-
lieve that, so there's an end OF.
There was something bluff and manly
about the prisoners manner which i'm
pressed the judge, who said, not unkindly.
But, surely prisoner, if your story is
true, you must have friends and comrades
with whom you could have communi-
Gated? If you had thought they could do
you good, you would have done this. 1t
Is too late now. !"
"You're right, cap'n; it is too late But
it's all very we'll to say Let 'em know
when man is locked up in Jail and can't
read or write and don't know where
they are They may be in Ameriky, and
they may be at the Cape, and how could
let 'em know? Leastways, not in time
No, it's no use, cap'n, and you'd better
order me to be run up to the yardarm at
once.
Every one in court stared in amazement
at the man who thus coolly urged the
judge to hasten his execution while at the
same time protesting his innocence The
judge was evidently touched.
"But, prisoner, the court has no wish to
hang a man who may be innocent. Is
there no one who could speak for your"
"Not likely he began. But suddenly
he stopped short, a look of establishment
came over his face, he leaned eagerly for
ward, his eyes seemed starting from their
sockets. Slowly Thomas Wilson raised his
arm, and, pointing solemnly to the
stranger from the Lion hotel, who sat on
the bench, said, in voice half choked by
emotion:
"Ye-es; there's gentleman there who
might speak for me, if he would. l."
The judge turned sharply round. "Do
you know the prisoner he asked.
''No, my lord" was the reply. 81 never
saw him before in my life"
A deep groan burst from the prisoner,
and it was echoed by something very like
sigh of disappointment from the people
in court.
"Well, Csp'n Sharpe, If you put the
rope round my neck, give in. Go on, my
lord, I'm ready for the yardarm. +"
"Stay,' said the judge, turning again
to the stranger, care you Captain Sharper"
eyes, my lord was the reply.
"Well, the prisoner seems to recognize
you, and under the peculiar circumstances
will ask you to step into the witness
box and be sworn in order that the pris-
oner may ask you questions.
Captain Sharpe stepped into the witness
box. Thomas Wilson began to question
him.
"Beg pardon, sir, but are you Cap'n
Sharpe of his majesty's ship WulturP"
eyes, am Captain Sharpe, and did
command the Vulture before she was paid
off,
"Was you, sir, in command of her last
spring on the gold ooastP"
II was"
"And wasn't one Of your crew."
"Certainly not. never saw your face
before in my life.
"But, capn, don't you remember that
big Arab dhow that gave yer so much
trouble? Don't yer remember boardin of
her?''
''Yes, but all this has been in the news
papers, where you have probably read 1t,
for am certain you were not one Of my
crew."
"What, Cap'n Sharpe!' cried the pris-
oner, almost in roar, II wasn't one Of
your crew! Don't yer remember who came
between you and the big niger that was
just a-goin to cut yer down, and don't yer
remember what he got for its Don't yer
remember this, Cap'n Sharper"
And as he almost shrieked out these
words the prisoner pulled aside his full
shock of hair and showed white scar ex-
tending along the whole of the scalp.
Captain Sharpe stared hard ut the in
terrogator; strange, puzzled expression
came over his face; then he slowly NUT
tered:
"Heavensl Is it possible9 Why, you
must be Tom Wilson, my old boatswain!"
Captain Sharpe, leaving the witness box,
made his way across the court to the dock.
Then he seized the prisoner by the hand,
and, turning to the judge, with tears in his
eyes, he said:
'sMy lord, there is some terrible mistake
here. This is certainly Tom Wilson, my
old bosn, but he's SO changed-I suppose
by the anxiety and Imprisonment he has
undergone--that did not recognize him
at first. You can't hang the old bos' n of
the Vulture, my lord, unless you hang his
captain with him..
The scene which followed has probably
never had a parallel in any court Of JUS
tice. The spectators gave vent to their
pent up emotions in ringing cheers, which
the judge made no attempt to check. In
deed, he was himself so affected that the
tears were running down his cheeks
When silence was restored, his lordship
turned to the jury and said:
Gentlemen, l think this is case in
which you may we'll reconsider your ver-
dict
eve have" my lord, promptly replied
the foreman, "and we find the prisoner
not guilty"
About 10 o'clock that night Captain
Sharpe, accompanied by his faithful boat
swain, left Chester for London. Had the
judge and jury overheard the conversation
that passed between them, they would
probably have been more astonished than
In court. 'Well, old pal, /" Captain Sharpe
was saying, I'VE pulled through that bust
ness pretty we'll, think. That was good
idea Of Willy Bobs-waiting for the YER
dict Wo could rever have touched that