Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-02-08

INSISTED upon. 1t HAY nc lHdt hll1pp" 6
accosting the Judge was looked upon rs a
solecism brought about by the excite
ment of a weak woman who vas III
some way connected with the prisoner.
/ suppose such Il scene does sometimes
occur; and perhaps, if its repetition IS
guarded against, hunanely minded
Judge will not deny the offender the sor-
nv comfort of seeing her friends trial to
the end Perhaps the judge who this
day presides is unusually good-natured
and easy-going. Any way, our friendly
policeman does not carry out his lnStruc-
tons, and the court resumes its business
But many curious looks are cast 1T the
yelled woman by my side. | notice that
the hawk-faced Mrs. Wilson turns in
her seat. and looks always at us; and,
strange to say, | notice that the prisoner
in the dock is still staring fxedly in our
direction The policemen take him by
the arms: face him round toward the
bench. Once more the solemn question,
''Are you guilty or not guilty. is asked.
A short excited pause. The prisoner
answers Well | Know what he says,
although he speaks so family that l do
not hear his voice. Strange to say, his
answer seems to create considerable agi-
tation People who are near to him look
back and whisper to those in the rear.
A barrister turns in his seat, and stares
in a dumbfounded way at gentleman
behind him. This gentleman rises up
fussily. and bustles round to the dock,
gagged in earnest conversation with the
prisoner The latter shakes his head,
sullenly and hopelessly. In an appar-
emily highly-excited state, the gentleman,
whom l rightly judge to be solicitor for
the defense, huIries back, whispers to
the barrister, and seems by his gesture to
be washing his hands of some RESPONSE
bility.
What does it ali mean? Why do they
not go on with the trial? The suspense
is growing more than | can bear. hush.
The judge speaks.
The excitement is spreading through
the court. In spite of the warning looks
to each other. The judge is speaking
earnestly to the prisoner. He seems 10
Something So Still the man shakes his
head. sullenly What does it all mean!
Mean! The next solemn action. the
next solemn words of the red-robed judge
answer my question, and tell me that a
thing has come to pass which never en-
tered within the range of probability.
Or have | been asleep? Has the trial
been gone through, and the worst the
very worst. happened? No; five minutes
ago | pulled Philippa back to her seat,
and forced her to withhold her damniDg
words. Even now my grasp is on her to
prevent her from rising.
Ha! Look. The judge places a square
of black silk upon his head. The pris-
Oner covers down. He would fall. were
it not for the arms which support him on
either side. A rustic of intense feeling
runs through the court. Men catch then
breath; Women's eyes are descended. The
sensatiOn-seekerS are rewarded. Hank!
The judge speaks. / can hear him plain
ly now, although there is deep emotion
in his voice.
prisoner at the bar, you are guilty,
by your own confession, of an atrocious,
cold-blooded murder, the motive for
which is known but to yourself and your
God. For me only the painful duty re-
Guilty. On his own confession!
The man guilty! The man to save
whom we have travelled night and
day-he the criminal! Philippa.
my peerless Philippa! my wife! my love!
Innocent! innocent! This-this revulsion
of feeling is more than human nature
can bear!
Order in the court! Order in the
court!' What is it? Who is it? Only
q woman in dead faint. She is borne
out tenderly, lovingly, proudly, by a man
who clasps his precious burden to a
heart full of such rapture as few of his
fellow creatures can ever have known.
ever endured such grief and anguish!
CHAPTER XVI.
"WHERE ARE THE SHOWS THAT FELL
LAST YEARY'
Although. while engaged in the labor
of writing this story, | have many times
regretted that | am nothing more than
a plain narrator of facts and incidents,
no. master of fiction, | think | have
not yet felt the regret SO strongly as at
the moment when | begin this chapter.
The somber acts of the life-drama in
which Philippa and | played parts SO
painful, SO full of grief, and even if
frightened by a ray Of JOY, of joy fall
lacious and of uncertain tenure--these
acts [ have found little difficulty in de-
scribing; | had simply to throw my
mind back to the pictures of the past
and reproduce them in words. The task,
whether we'll or ill done, was not hard
one.
But now. when in one moment and as
if by magic everything changed; when
sorrow seemed to be simply swept Out OF
our lives; when that poor abJect
wretchs confession of guilt, forced from
him in some mysterious way, not only
left our whole future bright and cloud
less, but consigned to rest all the ghosts
of the past, whose shadowy forms
had hitherto logged our steps
and denied US the happiness rightly due to
that | feel my shortcomings acutely,
and wish my pen was more powerful
than it is.
And yet a word will describe the state
of my own mind as, when the last sol
emn words were spoken by the Judge
spoken in a voice which showed emotion
and distress at being compelled to con-
denim a fellow creature to DEATH car
red my fainting wife from the crowded,
reeking court The momentary sense of
rapture passed away; bewilderment, sheer
bewilderment, is the word for what was
left. | could not think All my reasons
ing faculties had left me- In fact, be-
lieve, that had Philippe not swooned, and
so needed my mechanically given care, l
myself should have fallen senseless on
the threshold which an hour before we
crossed, thinking we We're going to end
less misery.
| remember this much As l laid
PhiIippa on one of the hard. wooden
benches in the stone corridor, / kept re-
peating to myself, innocent. my love is
innocent; that man is guilty. | suppose
this continual reiteration was an endeav-
or to impress the tremendous fact upon
my brain, which for time was incredu-