The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-07

indiscriminate shooting. or shooting of
any kind, was permitted, they could
hot expect to attract eastern capital.
which was all that was needed to make
Gordon City the metropolis of western
Colorado. He dwelt at length on all
the glorious possibilities which hung
upon this one decision AS he ceased
speaking, a subdued murmur of APP
prevail ran through the crowd, the
hopeless look upon the prisoners face
deepened, and the jury set their lips
in firmer lines. while some of them
felt instinctively toward their pistol
pockets.
Young Raymond had not expected much
from advice of counsel Thus far he
had no advice at all. for the judge had
not asked him about the shooting, and
during the trial he had even avoided look
ing into the prisoners face. Hes sorry
for me. and knows he can't do anything.
thought Raymond. Between the prisoner
and his attorney, it seemed unlikely that
appointed in their desire for a hanging.
Some feeling of chiyalry, or perhaps, a
boyish reluctance TO acknowledging the
attraction which Faro Bills daughter had
for him had kept the young plainsman
from telling the true story of Long Pete S
death. In response to the usual question
of Guilty or not guilty." he had re-
sponded with a convicting readiness,
Guilty"
Those who glanced at the judge during
the progress of the trial casually remark,
ed to their neighbors, Reckon the old
man didn't sleep well last night The
judge had not slept well. All night long
he had sat in the little office above Buck
skin Joe'S saloon, most of the time with
his head bowed on his arms, and the last
thing he did before leaving for the trial
was to take an oiu-fashioned photograph
from an inner pocket and to say as ne
looked at ii, IN do it; must do it.
Now. as he stood up to address the jury,
he was ashen pale, and his hands ner-
t.a, frr.v. hole
that stood beside him. He began in a
voice that was hardly audible. addressing
himself to the spectators rather than 10
the jury. I'm going to tell you little
story TO show why you ought not to take
the life of this prisoner. and I'll try to
make it short enough so as not to tire you
out. To begin with. | might say that L
was born in a little Connecticut town.
that my father was a lawyer, and gener-
ally looked upon as the leading lawyer of
the village" The listeners looked at one
another in surprise. and one or two of
them whispered: What's this got to do
with the case? Must be the old man has
slipped a cog" They paid careful atten-
ton. however, as the judge went on in a
firmer voice: Il had every advantage, and
after going through college | succeeded to
my fathers business. L married the par
sons daughter, the belle of the town. She
had all the country to choose from. and
she took me" The judges voice became
trifie husky, but he cleared his throat
and went on: For two years we were
as happy as though we were in paradise;
then l took 10 gambling. 1t was the old
story, of course. Trust funds went after
my own good money. | was found out
and sentenced to fourteen years in prison.
Only you who were brought up in the east
know what that meant to everybody con-
nected with me. 1t was impossible for
me to live down the disgrace and my wife,
after sticking to me all through the trial,
left for the west to build uD a home for
herself and her children, where | could
rejoin them after my term was over. 1
think that l could have done So and have
lived an upright life afterward, if ii had
hard man and didn't believe there was
any good in me. He came to me toward
the end of my term and told me that
was to be pardoned, but that | had better
happy with her children and didn't wish
to see me again.
Il know now that he was lying to me,
and that | was fool ever to give him u
promise, but a man feels as though he'd
lost his bearings when he first gets out OF
prison. and even though he's an honest
man. he wants to hide from honest folks;
while the jail marks are on him. OF
course. couldn't stay in my native town.
so j drifted west. making my living, or
something better. at the gaming table
where L had already lost more than /
could ever win back. / didn't intend TO
years / went to the town where she had
! lived. thinking to find out how she was
getting along, and to do something for
her if / could without letting her know
where the help came from. But they had
moved away, been gone about two years,
so the folks said, and nobody knew
where
We'll. drifted on. not caring much
what became of me, until / struck Cor
don City. 1 hadn't been here long be-
fore ] saw my son on the street one day.
l knew him at once for he has his
mothers looks. 1 found out where he