Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1903-06-24
Mystery Of the
Bayou Woods
BY WALKER KENNEDY.
Copyright. 1905. by A. N. Kellogg Newspaper Co.
= CHAPTER ".

Col. Franklin was "a man of strong
traits and prejudiccs, and it was evil
dent ID Irving Warde that if he in
tcrested himself in the Wright case
he would come nearer perhaps than
any one else in solving the mystery
involved in it. He was not an eN-
tensive practitioner of his profession.
but he had accomplished number
Of wonderful feats in cases which
had become historic Ii was Franklin
who had unravelled an election con-
spiracy and made the demonstration
so clear to the courts that the emf
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
swindle which had a fame in its day
throughout the entire lower AGississ-
ippi valley; case ramifying into
NiluS. New Orleans and Nickebur0
1T was Franklin who exposed il. and
by the exposure landed a number of
audacious swindlcrs in the penitenti-
airy. He was known to he wealthy
though he did not practice his profess
sion with that assiduity which he
tokens the born lawyer Indeed IL
was hardly of sufficient scope for the
mans many sided activity. and though
he took very sharp interest in that
class Of litigation which demands the
readiness of reSourcefuI intellect
and makes unusual demands upon the
ingenuity. he very cordially despised
that other sort which inhicts a dull
nrudgery. II was popularity supposed
that The col"p"i was interested i'm q
mbcT Of enterprises outside of the
law. which paid him more Handsomely
than his profession. I'm Arkansas he
owned plantation which yielded him
q fine cotton crop every year. and il
was said that he had some interests
IN common with his friend John f.
Wright. He cane TO Nilus about 20
years before the opening of this mar
rati'e, and 10y his affable manners
hts dash, his decidedly handsome face.
and the meSmeTism. as il we're. of
his personality, nc was soon success
fully launched. He happened to win
at the start several cases that Occur
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 4. Wright from the charge Of
murder In q fat of passion the lat
Ter had killed the overseer of his
plantation. and when his anger sub
sided and his reason returned he
found himself in by no means enyi-
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
70 Kill another for insult or Islander.
" was often brought to bear with
equal force against the wanton per-
petrator ~ crime Franklin was
employed TO defend Wright. He at
once raw thr desperate situation Of
his client. and the necessity Of secur.
ing an acquittal by other means than
rusting to the luck Of a Jury trial
lie worked on the case like a remorse-
less machine. and he did not hesitate
10 use his clients money freely. Pub.
lie sentiment was subsequently van.
pushed by the corruption. and Wright
was acquitted. From thai time on
close intimacy existed between the
client and his lawyer The popular
idea was that Wright had given him
an enormous fee aud that ne had al
lowed him n share i'm his own business
sisJ ia addition had probably assisted