Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1900-07-07

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Inc curiosity IN those parts. The law
ger was quite conscious of the interest
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excited by his appearance, and was
gravely making the most of il. The
1'plug" hat, which was part of his
stock in trade for awning the uninitist-
ed, was very SYSTEMATICALLY brushed
and set on the mantelpiece. Then he
got out couple OF lawbooks from his
saddlebags, and with spectacles astride
his nose he pondered over those books
like one waterlogged with deep
thoughts.
The defendant, Bob Timberlake, was
a typical Saxon In appearance-aIl but
his complexion. He was a big man,
yellow of beard and Hair, and with
much evidence of locks and whiskers.
His eyes were bright blue and his
nose was hooked like hawks. He
had, in fact, the look of q bewildered
birds of prey. He apparently did not
know whether he wanted to fight OF
not. The squire was as impassive as
shock OF corn. He was an iron
faced man with chin whiskers like
wire. He sat in the shadow of the
statutes of Iowa and asked odds OF no
man. The audience shifted and whis-
pered, and finally the solemn-visaped
lawyer announced that he was ready
to go on with the case. The prose
cutting witness, together with wap>
on load of people, testified to the fact
that on the previous Sunday at about
the hour of eight o'clock In the
morning, they were all going to
church, and as they passed the Tim
berlake farm they saw Robert Tim.
berlake blowing In the fields with a
"cultivator-" The lawyer for Timber.
lake merely cross-examined them as
TO the well-known enmity existing be
tween the house OF McClsnahan and
that of Timberlal1e, and then excused
them from the witness stand.
Then he put on the mail-carrier,
who testified that he had been
Obliged to lay back day with the
mail, and in consequence OF that fact
had come by on Saturday instead OF
Friday, as had been his custom for
five years. The carrier further testi-
He'd that be saw Undertake in the
field on that day and ''hollered' to
him and tried to get him to come
over to the road, but the old man
! JUS hollered back and druv over the
ridge" Then Undertake took the
lchair and testified that he thought il
was Saturday when he got up in the
morning, for the reason that the mail
went by the day before. That he had
seen people going by on their way to
church, but that he had no notion Of
what 1t meant. That he thought it
must be some picnic or something.
That he had an almanac in the house,
but that he had depended on the
mail-carrier for Sunday except when
his folks were at home, and then "the
old woman" always hauled him out
for church. He did not deny the
crime, but he said that it was COM
mitted under a misapprehension of
the day.
The evidence all being I'm, the law
yer for the defense drew his author
tiles and started his speech. This was
really what the audience had been
waiting for, and they leaned forward
and drunk IN every word OF the dis
course. II was simply an elaborate and
vivisecting exposition of the character
OF Samuel MoClanahan AS such IL
was really artistic. lie read from
his books, and he likened the com
planning witness to Judas, the Phari-
sees, TO Nero, jay-bird and a yellow
dog. John had never heard anything
like it In his life. He scared into
the regions of American liberty with
a roar like the wind in the "big
woods" and he let his voice drip down
in the valleys OF pathos as soft as a
turtle dove cooling to his mate He
ridiculed the idea that Mechanism
was actuated by any other motive than
petty revenge, and made a very pretty
figure about the Lord in the fields on
Sabbath day. McClanahan squirmed
and Redeemed and clinched his fists
under the TRADE. Old man Timber
lake, on the other hand, beamed and
glowed and smiled and chuekled as
the speech progressed, and when 1t
ended with thunder burst of several
syllabled abuse, he was the happiest
man In the room.
The Justice never quivered during
the argument. His decision he rem
dered immediately He said that Mr..
Undertake didn't deny working on
Sunday; that he had known him for
upward of 20 years; that he knew
Mr.. Undertake had honestly made a
mistake. But that didn't alter the
fact Under the law, and he was
bound by the law, it was his duty
to Judge facts only, and let the bark
fall where it might. He would i'm
pose a fine of five dollars. Old Bob
paid it, and then went into a corner
and paid his lawyer. He was still
smiling when he left, and shook hands
with the esquire" before he went
away. AS John and his uncle rode
away, the tall farmer was saying:
by cat, eff could pick the felier to
git me brought up fer workin' on q
Sunday, I'd hire that Teller from
Dorindy to defend me, an git into
the field next Sunday. It's a great
way to git even with some felhers."-
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