Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-04-02
RESTED THE CASE.

The October sun struggled in dusty
beams through the grimy panes, on
which the flies buzzed noisily, and the
dust dancing light fell over the crowd
ed courtroom. In the witness chair sat
long, lank man, whose trousers wrin-
killed. over his boot tops. His face was
brown and lean, his sinewy bands clasp
ed and unclasped nervously, and his
keen, gray eyes rested ixedly on the
face of the man who stood before him
The man in the chair was Vint Joskins
on trial for his life; the man on the
floor before him was his attorney. The
witnesses for the defense had all been
examined, and now the prisoner had
been brought in to tell his story. The
preliminary questions were done with,
and the attorney spoke to his client
Tell the story in your own way" he
said.
The prisoner twisted his lean hands
together and looked from the lawyer to
the Judge. go on, " said the judge, not
unkindly.
I'm tell hit as near right rs kin, .
the prisoner began. "This man Deer
ing
1.-The murdered man." interrupted
the states attorney. The counsel fer the
defendant objected to the interruption,
and the court told the attorney for the
state to let the prisoner proceed.
"This man Deering," again COM
menced the prisoner, ''he come down
tho the valley when they built that
there railroad two year ago. He was
one of them men that lays out the way,
an while he was in our part of the
county be stopped at Sam Tices. | seen
him there frequent Twas sorter keepin
company with Sans girl then. " The
speaker stopped and looked toward one
of the dusty windows.
go ON, " said his counsel encourag
ingly Cant you remembers"
"Hit ain { no trouble ter remember y
the prisoner said slowly; "hit's the
trouble o. fergittin Seems like l kin
remember ever leetle thing. Well,
Deering, no stopped at Tioe's an he was
mighty soft spoken to 'em all, specially
ter Lizzie, but nobody didn't think
nothin o that. When bad weather
come in tho fall, the men ON the road
quit work an went away, Deering with
EN- was sorter glad whenst he went,
fer | thought cd see more o. Lizzie.
| didn't, though, fer in less'n a week
after Deering went Lizzie was gone,
too, an we didn't none of us hear moth
in of her till Nate Rogers brung word
that he seen her in the city. Nate
lowed that she were dressed fit ter kill
an were smilin an happy, an he heerd
her called Mrs. Deering. Then Sam he
got letter from her, an after that he
an her mother got letters reg lar most
all winter.
lone night in April was over to
Tices, an we was settin there talking
whenst the door open all of sudden,
an Lizzie walked in. 1t was a-rainin
out, an she was all wet, an her hair was
kinder loose an her dress was muddy.
Ivy, Lizzie child, where'd yen
come from an where's your husbands?
says old Mis- Tiee, an went like ter kiss
her, but Lizzie sort O sunk back in the
chair she had dropped inter an begun
ter cry, not loud, but jest a sort q dry
Sobbin, like she hadn' t no tears left. An
then hit all come out, how she hadn t
never been married, on'y thought she
was, till Deering got full one night an
told her Then she come home.
"'An, mother she says, mother,
I-I-Im goin-goin'- An then she
clean broke down. an we seen how hit
was. Old Mis- Tioe air an awful good
woman, powerful on churchgoin an re-
ligion an mighty up an down III her
idees, an she fiared up ter onst. 'Ye
good fer nothin hussy, says she, air
that how it is? Ye kin Jest 20 back ter
the city an yer fine man, Ye air no
child Of mine-you, that we all WASH t
good enough fer An this air what we've
come ter, Ch-bringin shame on ter
/ the rest of us?' An with that she sits
down straight an stiff on the other side
O. the room an wouldn't say another
word not even whenst Lizzie got up an
started ter go sayin nothiu but jest,
oh, motherl kinder pitiful like. old
Tice he didn t dare say anythin contrary
ter his wife but wasn't tied no seoh
way. / Jest slipped out'n the house aft
er Lizzie, an got her ter go over ter my
place, whar mann took keer of her.
II reckon thar haiu't no use tellin
what went on after that Bit Any
way, i got Lizzie ter marry me, an
Lometimes she begun ter act real cheer