The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-04-14
4 JUDGES STORY.

after some two hours, was brought to
an end by the judge suddenly exclaim-
ing, ..Do you see that MANI"
The benchers turned their faces in
the direction indicated by the speaker
just in time to see a tall. lank a in
shabby attire leave the building.
Before a word was spoken by any of
the curious benchers the judge said. as
though musing to himself, though in a
tone loud enough for the others to hear
"Strange that I should see that man
just at this moment and when we were
discussing a question that he could
have answered. His life, like mine, has
been a failure; but, thank God, my re.
grets, though many, can never be as
bitter as his are. He ruined his career
as a lawyer by defending a man who
had confessed that he was guilty of
murder.
"Tell us the story" exclaimed the
one known as the proctor.
''He was ruined" began the judge.
.'by his ambition"
"Ambition, suggested the solicitor,
with a genial smile on his kindly, clean
shaven face. lis responsible for much
good and much evil. It is ambition
that has made wrecks, legal driftwood.
of many of us. We have dreamed Of
great deeds in our profession; we have
builded fairy castles in the air, while
others have by hard work succeeded. l
for ONE
1.-THE story, the story!' exclaimed
several of the benchers.
The Judge, thus urged, told his story:
..Some 40 years ago it was that I en-
tered the small courthouse in a small
town in the western section of New
York. Court was in session, and the
hush that had fallen upon the crowd in
the room was oppressive. Nothing was
heard at that time but the ticking Of
the clock and the breathing of the spec
tators. The presiding judge was look
ing up some legal question in the law
books before him. The rapt attention
Of the jurors and the eagerness of the
counsel caused me to realize that a trial
of more than ordinary interest and i'm
portance was in progress. I asked a by
stander what the case on trial was. He
gazed at me in surprise for a moment
and then exclaimed, You must be a
stranger in these parts?'
"'I am. I replied. 'Ihave just come
here from New York city to file a com
plant in an action Of ejectment.
"'This, replied my informant, lis a
murder trial, and there, he pointed in
the direction I was to look. lis the man
who will certainly hang.
II looked at the prisoner, at the bar.
He was a good looking young fellow
about 25 years Of age. There vas some
thing in the expression of his pale face
that convinced me of his guilt.
while the trial judge turned over
page after page of the law books I learn
ed the details of the crime"
Here the story teller took a nip from
the flask the proctor handed to him
and then resumed:
II learned that in his house on the
outskirts of the town, one morning two
months before the day of the trial,
John Peterkin. a wealthy old man, who
had been, it was said, in the habit of
keeping large sums of money in his
house. was found murdered, shot in the
back. The murdered man had been
seated when he was shot, for his chair
was overturned just as he had fallen
from it. Peterkin, who was about 81
years old, lived alone with his niece, q
pretty girl about 10 years old. She it
was who discovered the murder. When
she had sufficiently recovered from her
alarm, the niece. Mary Peterkin. aroused
the neighbors. -.
"At first it was thought that the
motive Of the crime had been robbery,
but when the police discovered that the
safe. the door of which was unlocked
and half way open, contained 81, $50,
and that the old mans watch had not
been taken. that theory had to be aban-
doned. For several days the case was a
mystery. Then it came to the knowl-
edge of the chief of police that Hascall
Reindeer, the only son of a widow,
whose father had been postmaster of
the little town, had been seen around
the house and had spoken unkindly of
old Peterkin. Reindeer was put under
arrest.
"When / had learned this much,'
said the judge, 1.-THE trial judge, whom
we will call Blank, looked up from the
legal books and said. 4 will admit the
testimony objected to-
"While Judge Blank was reviewing
the law questions l looked at Mary
Peterkin. She was seated in the real of
the courtroom and was an exceedingly
pretty young woman. the pallor of her
refined face illumined by large blue
eyes. She was in deep mourning. which
but enhanced her beauty.
Proceed. exclaimed Judge Blank.
1.-THE witness on the stand-a police
o@cer-then testified that he had found
q small revolver with an ivory handle
in some bushes Just outside of the win