The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1896-08-28

er. He filed it with water and ice and
started toward the door
Scuse me, jedge, that don hear We, I"
he said in frightened tone
Hear me, PhilO?" repeated the ledge
without glancing up. He was delightfully."-
absorbed in applying the decision in John
stone versus Hayne to the case in hand.
"Yaas, jedge," answC ed Philo, colo
quail for Philostratus. "Yere's de ice wa
ter, an lie doctor'll git around lively with
de medicine"
The judge was too intent on study to
notice Philo's rambling excuses For a
full minute the darky stood there, tray in
hand, before the Judge looked up absently
and said:
"Oh, yes I didn't want ice water, but
I'm Obliged. 1t will taste good Better go
to bed, Philo."
The darby opened his eyes in astonish-
ment, stared at his employer a moment
and precipitately sought the kitchen
There he met the cooli-Sue--in great ex-
element.
"Wha' you done, you brack niggahY"
she exclaimed. Dat doctor man don see
me snoozin in de cornah, an he put white
stuff in de ice watah an light out fore you
Jest gone an say fore l could cotch him
Dat fixes de jcdge anyhow an dere
you've been an give de jedge poisonp'
With great gasp of fear Philo started
again for the library, followed by Sue As
they stumbled in Judge Holbrook was put
ting an emptied glass upon the table. He
looked up surprised at their noise.
"Fo' de Lawd, jedgel" cried Philo, seiz-
ing the glass and pitcher, "you done drink
DAT pizen water Oh, marcy jedge say
you done knowed all bout it an trowed err
stuff outn de winder. didn't know for
shu, jedge l fought he war de doctor
OH Ohm
The judge rose from his chair in aston
ishment The jurist stared an instant Mt
his terrified servants, put his hands CROP
ingly to his eyes and fell heavily to the
floor.
1t was the morning after the Judges
study into the great contested will case. A
physician stood by his bedside, while Philo
and Sue, mute with anxiety, listened near
by.
you are in no danger, Judge Hol-
brook, said the physician. There is no
need to worry We've brought you through
all right. There isn't particle of poison
left in your system, and if you want to get
up and walk around today you can do so.
And you can be perfectly easy about Wal
ton. He has been identified as the man
who put the powder in the ice water and
he is now in Jail awaiting your action"
Pm glad to hear it, - was the judges
reply. If you will let me get up, will
go down to the court before the afternoon
session is over. :"
The physician interposed no objection
further than 10 caution his patient not to
overdo. The judge was perfectly calm,
and before leaving the house he glanced
over the papers he had been studying when
the draft of poison interrupted his labor
The judge received congratulations grave
ly, and when he had taken his seat on the
bench other business was suspended to
hear what he had to say.
last night, he began, and everybody
supposed he was about to refer to the at
tempt to kill him, II took the papers in
the case of Teliafer and others versus Wal
ton. / gave them careful study, in order
to free myself from any sympathetic inter
ests with the contestants and to determine
the strict bearing of the law upon the
points at issue. Because of certain cir
cumstances, personal to myself, l cannot
render now complete opinion in writing
as had intended to do at this time. This
deficiency / will make upat any early day.
cat present, however, l can announce
my decision in brief, which is that the law
clearly shows the defendant Walton to be
fully and indisputably entitled to the estate
OF Josiah Teliafer, and judgment is ac-
cordingly rendered for the defendant
Judge Holbrook was very pale as he
pronounced these words, and the crowded
courtroom was as silent as If funeral
Grafton We're being delivered. The Judge
himself was the first to break the silence
as he rose from his chair to leave the place
At that moment there was commotion
at the door. A flushed, excited man came
in and edged his way to where the county
sheriff sat. There was whispered mes
sage, and the sheriff rose with q startled
air and said;
Your honor, 1 am credibly informed
that the defendant Walton has hanged
himself in his cell and Is low dead"
Judge Holbrook never stirred for full
minute, while all eyes were fastened upon
him. His face flushed, and his eyes glis-
tened. At last he said:
'In that case shall write out the opin-
ion upon which my recent decision was
based and deliver it to the court at an early
day. This event, however viii leave the
plaintiffs Teliafer and others, in undisput-
ed possession of the property until this day
at issue. The law is vindicated, and if /
may depart for one moment from my jul
dicial capacity may say that am glad
that 1t has come about in this way. Dos
ton Globe
Queer Things About Flames.