The Irish standard., 1903-06-27
| Mystery Of the
Bayou Woods
| BY WALKER KENNEDY.
Copyright, 1908. by A. N. Kellogg Newspaper Co.
: CHAPTER ~.

. Col. Franklin was a man Of strong
traits and pre.uGices, and it was evil
dent TO Irving Warde that if he in
terested himself in the Wright case
he would come nearer perhaps than
any one else in solving The mystery
involved in it. lie was not an ex-
tensivc practitioner of his profession,
but he had accomplished !: number
of wonderful feats in cases which !
had become historic. 1t WAS Franklin
who had unravelled an election con-
. spiracy and made the demonstra tion
so clear to the courts that the emi
nently respectable gentleman who
appeared to have been elected .
chancellor on the face of the returns |
was deprived of the Office to which he
had been elevated by one of the !
cleverest frauds recorded in the his
tory of electoral rascality. Beside
this, there was the great diamond |
swindlc which had fame in its day
throughout the entire lower Mississ- |
ippi valley; a case ramfyin@ into
Nilus. New Orleans and Niclisburg.
1t was trnnklin who exposed it. and
by The exposure landed n number of
audacious swintllers in the pcnitenti- f,
ary. He was known to be wealthy, !
though he did not practice his profess
Rion with that assiduity which be-
Eol1ens the born lawyer. Indeed it
was hardly of sufficient scope for the
enan's many-siled activity, and though
he took Il very sharp interest in that
class of litigation which demands the
readiness Of a resourceful intellect
and makes unusual demnnts upon the
ingenuity, he very cordially despisctl
that other sort which inilicts dull
drudgery. 1t was popularity supposed
that the colonel was interested in a
number OF enterprises outside of the
law, which paid him more handsomely
shan his profession. In Arkansas he
owned Il plantation which yielded him
fine cotton crop every year, and it
was said tllnt he had some interests
In common with his friend John r.
Wright. He came to Nilus about 20
years before the opening of this mar
rative, and by his atfable manners,
his dash, his decidedly HANDSOME face.
and the mesmerism, as it were, of
his personality, he was soon success
fully launched. He happened to win
at the start several cases that occu-
pied notable places in the popular
fancy, and this at once made him
famous. But his financial success
dated from the time when he defend
ed John Il. Wright from the charge of
murder I'm Il fit of passion the lat
ter had killed the ovcrseer of his
plantation, ana when his anger SUBJ
sided and his reason returned he
found himself in Il by no means envi-
able position Public sentiment was
against him. and in those days that
was more potent than the law While
the invisible statute allowed one man
to kill another for insult or slander,
1t was often brought to bear with
equal force against the Wanton per-
petl,at,r of q crime. Franklin was
employed TO defend Wright. He at
once SaM the despera te situation of
his client, and tlnr necessity of sccur-
ing an acql, tai ily other means than
trusting tn the luck OF jury trial.
He worked s,p he ease like Il remorse-
less lnuchinr. and he did not hesitate
10 use his clrll : money freely. Pub
llc seastjmr1at was subsequently van
uuishnl lN he corruption. and Wright
Svas aa3rittcd. From that lime on IL
close i&Jilnury existed between the
@lcni aa,l his lnwyr:'. The popular
adca yv&l&s ti&it N'ri@!i1 hat, gwen him
an enownnS,sS Zee and ,I;:i lie had al
9owed l,t1t . sslDsr in his own business
and in ss.lsliti"n had probably assisted
l,i,n ial ca,, ,si.yh bs:s in several indcpcnd-
N.nt ,A.ie,, |sli:ai's. Iva any number of
H,agva ,ffoS aA- planter SNOW his graft
1tDue ftw b" services rendered him
10y thv .na..yr,.
AZ Il ivs 5j!Nn Wright was murdered,
iEFrankEs sP2ja :9n'sw1 40 years, Old. He
yNas: ta.t NJ s;t3itnrr and be dressed
Ni1A tirrrtPuNpus care. lie was Il very
lh#Dii>se; ;.e nlaM, and il was a matter
OF pgi.t srj3h hirl to- groom himself
vrM r,s- flslyertDesS of his attire,
u lie fa.;s}5l.sses linen, and the rose that
Ele a.fSa'.s n',1,. in the lapel of bis
goat a'rrr all intimately connected
r,dIh th'- si1Avjty and courtinesS .of
mis- }ei9raRor. Has hair was partly
frosted by Times blighting touch.
3lis eyes were small and soft and
OEoaSn; fhs. set of his mouth,
sslsesdowed 10y d small mustache. was
Eesolute and masterful and the gen
cral expression of his face was dig
hifiea and gracious. Evidently he was
e ynan Of resolute nature, whose
friendship was as valuable as his hos
4ility would be dangerous. Such a
man seemed to Warde in the nature
of a special dispensation in this
emergency, for he would doubtless
enter with all his soul into any efforts
made to bring the murderer of his
friend to justice, and it need hardly
be added that Warde had now become
q prey to a rather absorbing interest
Gn The mysterious crime and had made
up mis- mind to unravcl it, if that were
possible.
When s,e entered Col. Franlllin's
law Office hc found that gentleman
emol1ing a cigar and reading Byrons
poems, book Of which he was eN,
cs.ssively fond. He seemed to think
Fit n,ecessary to explain that whenever
he did not feel like working he did
feea sdse reading Byron; ''the greatest
OF al, s1,c poets," he would say, with a
Ihalf-cazessIDg touch upon the worn
volume.
HE received the newspaper man
courteously snsi laid the book aside
II come to as>se you," said Warde
~about Che murder of your friend