The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1898-03-29
RESTED THE CASE.

RESTED The CASE.
The October sun struggled in dusty
beams through the grimy panes, OF
which the flies buzzed noisily, and the
dust dancing light fell over the crowd
ed courtroom. In the witness chair sal
long, lank man, whose trousers wrin.
killed. over his boot tops. His face was
brown and lean, his sinewy hands clasp
ed and unclasped nervously, and his
keen, gray eyes rested fixedly 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 tc
the Judge. go on, - said the judge, not
unkindly.
"I'll tell hit as near right as kin, -
the prisoner began. "This man Deer
ing
'The murdered man." interrupted
the states attorney. The counsel for 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
menoed the prisoner, she 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 he stopped at Sam Tice's. 1 seen
him there frequent. l was 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 remember"
Hit ain no trouble ter remember, "
the prisoner said slowly; "hit's the
trouble O. fergittin. Seems like I kin
remember ever leetle thing. Well,
Deering, he stopped at Tice'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 the fall, the men on the road
quit work an went away, Deering with
'em. l 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.
Zone night in April was over to
Tice's, an we was settin there talking
whenst the door open all of sudden,
an Lizzie walked in. It was a-rainin
out, an she was all wet, an her hair was
kinder loose an her dress was muddy.
"'W'y, Lizzie, child, where'd you
come from an where's your husband%
says old Mis- Tice, 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 sort O. dry
sobbin, like she hadn' t no tears left. An
then hit all come out how she hadn' t
never been married, only thought she
was, till Deering got full one night an
fold baT Tbpr1 cho aOf11o homo
"'An, mother, she says, mother,
I-I-I'm goin-goin'- An then she
clean broke down, an we seen how hit
was. Old Mis- Tice air an awful good
woman, powerful on churchgoin an re-
ligion an mighty up an down in her
idees, an she fared up ter onst. 'Ye
good fer nothin hussy,' says she, air
that how it is? Ye kin jest go back ter
the city an yer fine man. Ye air no
child of mine-you, that we all wasn't
good enough fer An this air what ye've
come ter, eh-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 nothin but jest,
ooh, motherl' kinder pitiful like. Old
Tice he didn't dare say anythin contrary
ter his wife, but ! wasn't tied no sech
way. 1 jest slipped out'n the house aft
er Lizzie, an got her ter go over ter my
place, whar nam took keer of her.
81 reckon thar hain't no use tellin
what went on after that bit. Any
way, got Lizzie ter marry me, an
sometimes she begun ter act real cheer
full like. She were always mighty gen.
tie an quiet an was always doin some
thin for me, like she were tryin ter say
that she thought heap O. my standin
up fer her. This were long bout har-
vest time, an | hadn't been feelin so
good as then senoe Lizzie run away.
Tlss women folks didn't neighbor much
with her, but man, she says the women
air pack o. fools, an set heapo' store
by Lizzie.
Zone evenin / struck up with Nate
Rogers on the road, an he says, says he
Say, did ye see that Deering Teller ter
day? He were round by your house
talkin ter Lizzie, he says, AN seen her
cryin. Look here, Nate, says, 'ye
mean well, reckon, but ye remember
that ye air talkin bout my wife now.
ooh, we'll, says Nate, 4 didn't mean no
harm, on'y thought ye orter know
what was goin on, an with that he took
short cut cross the fields, an KEEP on
the road.
at were just shutdown, an were
walkin long the road, where hit rounds
the hill long above the river. were
goin slow, thinkin over what Nate said,
an not lookin fer anybody, when all O.
sudden run against man. Hit were
Deering himself He jumped little
but says, cool as anything, Good
evenin, Joskins, an made like he were
goin ter pass on. reached out my hand
an stopped him.
"'Ye've come down here ter make
more trouble where ye've made too
much a're'dy, says l. we've come
down here ter see Lizzie, my wife,
says, but if ye make any more trouble
fer her or keep hangin round tryin ter
see her, by God, I'll kill yel'
cit takes a better man than ye ter
do that, says he. smilin ugly. i was
better man in love than ye. an reckon
am in some other things. Ye fool,
he says. If / wanted Lizzie, do ye