Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-07-02

/ LOT, ludt next appearance, winch WOu4d
be so momeutous a one. for by its re-
suits she would either be set free or
fully committed for trial.
| The court was crowded TO its utmost
capacity. The gaze of hundreds Of eyes
was upon her as she was led TO her place
in the dock, and for one brief moment
it seemed to her as if the sickening tor
| ture Of this public shame was worse
! fate than that which had oyertaken John
Marsden.
Once again the evil face of her aceuser,
once again she heard her counsel cross
examine the witnesses, and felt the old
dread and wonder as. to the reality of
| her position, and the actual belief of
these people in the guilt to which their
words all pointed.
| Not once did she lift her eyes; not
| once did she glance toward that seat
which she knew held one presence bat
| Ting with agony as great, and shame as
| lettering. as her own.
! He wanted to de battle for the out
ragged. suffering woman, who stood so
calmly and so nobly there. He felt every
moment was wasted that did not tend to
her yindieation and release. All, at last!
| The counsel for the defense rose and
| addressed the court.
! There is no use in wasting valuable
! time over this matter when | have 1t in
my power to prove that this charge is
| false from first to lost. Nay, worse than
| that, the man who brings it knows it to
| be so. That man not only knows who
is the real criminal, but is keeping her in
hiding. That man had. and maybe still
| has, in his possession the dagger with
which the murder was accomplished; that
man, while giving evidence against an
! innocent woman, knows perfectly well
| the reason and origin of the crime Of
which he has accused her. That man is
even now trying to leave this court. but
| he will find he cannot do so as easily as
he imagines. Warrants for his arrest
| are out on more grounds than this, and
now, my lord, viii call my witnesses,
and then produce the real criminal
| The excitement in the court was in
| tense at this moment. Sayona, who had
| endeavored to sneak out at the first
words Mr.. Eerrinder had spoken, was
arrested at the door by Brough himself.
| and now stood there in the custody of the
two constables, while the imperturbable
detective advanced to give his evidence
as the first witness called by Mr.. Yer
rinder.
Beryl Marsden sank back, white and
trembling, in the seat which had been
placed for her, and covered her face with
her hands in the weakness of an over
| powering agitation.
| John Brough sworn and examined:
II am a detective officer of Scotland
| Yard. From information received l went
to make an examination of the premises
: in Old street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, where
| this murder has been committed. There
had been no attempt at robbery; the per-
! son of the deceased and the room were
| alike undisturbed; neither was there any
| trace of the weapon with which the crime
| had been committed. In recess on the
stairs, roomy enough for a cupboard, and
dark enough even by day to shelter or
| conceal either man or woman, | found
| this piece of stuff" Fragment produc-
ed and examined. Il am in position to
produce the garment from which that
stuff was torn, and also the Wearer of
that garment; to show that she had every
motive for committing this crime; that
the dagger used was in her possession,
and by her handed over to the man call-
ing himself Count Savona; and that the
said Count Sayona had kept back this
evidence, and wrongfully and knowingly
accused another person of a crime of
which he knows her to be innocent"
Then followed the other Witnesses:
Tom. whose evidence caused a tremen-
dous sensation; the Counts man, Clifford
the detective who had watched the house
at Bermondsey; and finally the order
came to produce the accused woman.
A dark, strengthening creature, hand
cuffed and guarded by constable. now
appeared on the scene. She was richly
dressed, though oddly, and had a half
bgrbaric. half-dcfant air that reminded
one of some tameess desert beast trap
ped and caught after long pursuit.
Now" said the detective, Il accuse
tbis woman native of India. name Ma
tabia Daji-Kor-of the murder of John
Marsden, late of Old street, Lincoln's
Inn Fields. | have evidence sufficient
TO convict her, and to insure that Mrs.
Marsden shall be set free"
1t was wonderful with what ingenuity
the astute Brough had pieced it and fit
ted it into one perfect whole.
Collected together the story ran as fol-
lows "The woman Matabia was the
daughter of a Rajah, and had resided in
Madras. Having lost caste by some grave
mfsdemeanor in youth, she lived a very
solitary life. She appeared to be very
rich, and had, from her own confession,
repeatedly lent John Marsden large sums
of money from the time she had first
made his acquaintance When his bust
ness failed, and ruin and disgrace threat
ened him, he had suddenly disappeared
from Madras, and left no trace. Every
one thought he had gone TO England. A
brief while later, the lady in question
disappeared also. From letters found
in her possession, and also from the con
fcssion of her native servant. it appeared
that she had found a hiding place for
John Marsdca. and after a time followed
him there After three years Of this sort
of life however she noticed that her
companion was growing restless and dis
contented. Being of somewhat Jealous
disposition. she did not admire these
symptoms ands kept careful watch on
the man who had sworn to her an eternal
fidelity in exchange for all her generosity
and devotion to himself. Despite her Wig
lance. however, he escaped. after taking
sufficient sum of money to pay for his
passage. and she. feeling sure he had
come to England. dismissed her servants.
broke up her home. and followed him
thither"
Anyone who knows anything Of The In
dian character, knows that it blends the
patience Of the eat with the fer5 ~ Of
the tiger. This woman had suffered IN
suit at the Aends Of the man she had be-
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