Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1901-09-18

what q Deautnul night, = said he,
In voice steady, strong and emo.
Is eyes" replied the sheriff, - fine
night" Il. q II. Il s.
Turning to their right they: en-.
tered the courtroom. Two lights on
a central chandelier sent feeble rays
staggering throughthe darkness. The
attorneys, newspaper reporters and
a baili1f were seated inside the rail
ing. |
The prisoner, through force Of
habit, threw a glance towards the
back, Of, the room. The woman in
black, was in her accustomed seat,
and opposite to her was the man
with the bronzed face and the broad
shoulders. j, She did not return the
prisoners, glance, but kept her eyes
upon the man. No one else was in
the room, and the voices of the law
yers .>conversings pleasantly echoed
strangely from the walls. -
The prisoner took his seat beside
his counsel. Presently the Judge en-
tered through rear door and took
his place upon the bench He glanced
at those in front of him and nodded
at the bailiff, who withdrew.
After few moments the sound OF
footsteps sounded along the corridor
and the jury, with the bailiff at their
head, entered solemnly through a
side door. All eyes except those of
the prisoner and the woman in black
were turned upon them.
The prisoner gazed calmly at the
wall back of the judge; the woman
stared at the man with the bronzed
face. The jurymen took their seats
in the box and the judge said:
"Gentlemen, have you decided upon
a verdict?''
"We have, your honor" replied the
foreman.
The man with the broad shoulders
glanced nervously at the woman in
black. Calmly, intently, she. was
peering into his face, the CLEAN in
her eyes seeming to pierce the dark
ness like the light from burning Goals.
He shrank from her gaze; his hands
clutched the back of the chair in
front of him so tightly that the nails
cut the wood. He tried to turn his
face away from her, but could not.
Her eyes held him; their glimmer ate
it's way throug h him, and he grew
pale and trembled:
''What is your verdict, gentlemen"
asked the judge. 8
Again the broad-shouldered man
vainly struggled to tear his gaze from
that of the woman. An icy GOODNESS
chung round his heart and cold per-
spiration sprang from his forehead.
But still the woman in black gazed
silently at him, and in her eyes was a
sign of deadly reproach, of unpity-
ing censure.
The foreman arose and began speak
ing. His voice, sounding loud and
clear in the quiet room, startled the
man with the bronzed face, and he
sprang from his SCAT, white with fear
. eve, the jury" read the foreman
from paper in his hand, find the
defendant" =.
':Hold, your honor!' cried the man
with the broad shoulders, raising his
hand as though commanding silence.
"Hold, your honor!"
The voice, ringing through the dark
ness, sounded weird and ghost-like.
Two of the jurymen visibly trem5led.
All present, except the prisoner,
turned to look at the man standing
like a specter in the uncertain light.
For moment he paused, covering
his eyes with his hands. Then he
staggered down the aisle and leaned
against the railing. The clock in the
tower began the stroke of IL. T.:
"If your honor please" he said, with
a voice that shook with fear, ''if your
honor please, let not this verdict be
rendered.. For I am guilty Of this
murder. 1-1-my God, killed that
mani"
A sudden movement swept through
the room as though each one present
caught his breath.
'He had grievous1y wronged me-"
the man resumed, $50 I waylaid him
and stabbed him to death. The pris-
oner here, your honor, heard his dying
yell and ran to his assistance. I had
dropped the knife, but he picked it
up. Then pulled my gun, and he ran
Again there was silence-deep, aw-
full silence. The judge spoke:
"Do you fully realize the, conse-
quences OF. this confession, STRIP
II do, your honor" replied the man,
slowly, deliberately: II have tried to
leave here, but something held me
back. Some resistless power has
dragged me into this courtroom every
day of the trial; has compelled me to
hang around tonight until the
jury should agree, and has forced me
back into this room to listen to a yer.
dict that I knew would be q lie!~AI
am guilty, your honor, I swear it,"
Then the judge turned to the fore
man of the jury.
"You will find for the defendant"
he said. 'Mr. Sheriff, release the pris-
oner and place that man under ar
rest" = = ~ + ], -
When the shackles had been re-
moved from his wrist, the young man
with the clear-cut features walked
calmly up the aisle with the light tof
a great joy on his face. In the rear
of the room he; found the woman in
black leaning forward against the
back of a chair, a handkerchief
pressed against her eyes. He rested
his hand tenderly upon her shoulder.
"sweetheart,' he said. Grave it,
tie woman" = - -
She arose to her feet and locked her
arms around his neck. sist 6,
rJohn," she sobbed, "John!ns.: . Z
When he had been locked ina cell;