The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-12-05

The clerk of arraigns now rises and cell
the first case, and like jack-in- he box,
the accused springs up literally out of the
ground for he comes up through trap
door IN the floor of the dock.
The clerk then reads the indictment,
and asks the prisoner to plead-guilty or
not guilty. The accused having pleaded,
the first witness is called and sworn, the
oath being administered in the following
phraseology: ''In this case between our
! sovereign lady the Queen and the prisoner
| at the bar, swear To speak the truth, the
| whole truth and nothing but the truth, SO
help me, God!' And then the trial COM
mences.
Women Of the world are not cruel but
! they are the most curious creatures in the
! universe; they live on emotions; they die>
OF emotions every five minutes; they
nave lovers for their verses and verses for
their lovers; they must, iorsooth, suffer
10 enjoy and enjoy TO suffer. Your woman
OF tha world breads nothing so much as
regular hours, sleepy existence and the
genial Incidence of the boudoir and the
| easy chair. She is forever on the wing
from noon TO night; at the theater, at the
senate, at church, in the park, at balls
she is always in search OF whatever NAV
excite, or amuse, or shake, or conYuIse or
upset her wretched body or her still mo
Wretched soul. Everything sne touches
multiplies her existence. She PUSHES
with all her passion and all her spirit.
into every sensation that chances to cross
| her-obstacles are nothing to her. She
| has made up her mind to see thing and
she will see it. She will write a DOZEN
three-cornered notes on pink, perfumed
paper to the Sheriff to obtain the favor OF
an admission and a seat-a CHAIRMAN. a
stool-at the trial.
at daylight she leaves her scft and
warm bed to wait at the door of the court.
There she stands, with keen northeaster
in her teeth and her feet in the mud
She shivers all over. The door opens.
she darts on; she presses forward, she
crowds, she pushes and at last she gets
In through the ushers and the police and
the black gowns OF the bar She haDgs
on to the skirts of a policeman's coat
talks to him softly in his ear. and does
not let him go til she is placed and
squatted at her ease, with her eyeglass at
her eve, close 10 the prisoner and near
the Judge.
Ii woman in court !aints she rusbes
up, cuts the lace and offers her smeIlinr.
saIts-another sort OF emotion BCtun-
less the solid pillars of the court give wav
she will not give up her seat. Her ewes
are rlyeted to the eyes of the prisoner.
she cllngs to his lips; she feasts upon the
lnetfable terrors of a human soul The
hours fly, night is coming on, the Jury has
retlred-stlli she waits-she waits to hear
the fatal sentence and the wretchod con-
vici's sigh; she catches the last futter Of
that tattered consc:eace; she listens for
his slightest exciamation-for his stihad
groan; she follows him with one long
look when he is removed from the dock
TIL the prison doors turn upon their
hinges, and then she falls back on her
chair, absorbed, overpowered by what she
has seen. The usher is Obliged to tell her
that the court is cleared and TO show her
the way out. She drags herself along the
passa 5es of the building; she gets home
worn out. tired to death.
The public prosecutor has accomplished
his task, the Judge has done his duty and
passed sentence, and the court is cleared.
Not quite. Do you see that man dressed
in black, resting his head on his handsP
He is the prison chaplain, who has at
tended the trial that the culprit might
see that he had one friend on whom he
could lean for strength and consolation.
Verify. this minister is a father 20 his
flock. In his pious attendance at the
scaffold, where he will accompany the
criminal who will in few days suffer the
pain of death, what resignation, what
courage, what strength of mind are REX
qulred TO comfort, with looks and vordsl
OF hope and peace, that miserable bein A
who has aimos: irretrievably lost all hoRe
of pardon from his offended Maker r.
there one among us, even novel bv the
most Christian feelings, and endowed ot
the same time with the power of RESISTING
the strongest agitation, who could hear
nay, who would undertake by choice that
terrible duty which the pastor accom-
pushes with such majesty, even when his
nature, betraying the torture of his mind.
drops of cold sweat appear on his fore.
heau' thlhK not. ERNEST FORBES.