Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-10-20
Fiction


/ upon hers, as he said: That single
witness is-the woman"
Hers was face of tragedy and ap,
peal. Its anguish was its beauty. AS
she gazed on counsel for the defense
as though he was some miracle of
terror and of fascination, her less
than forty years were young
He turned away. And as opposed, "
| he said, ito her explicit statement
I that this defendant slew the victim in
her very presence, defense has only
the testimony of two witnesses. FIRST
the story of man who. standing on
a part of the shore distant from the
spot where this defendant landed
when he fled. there heard in that
same hour the grating of another
boat upon the rocks. The spot from
which the sound arose was hid from
him; but, walking thither, he beheld
the boat itself, where no boat had
been quarter of an hour before
| drifting away. An oar was flung upCn
the ground, and witness thinks he
heard the sound of running feet, as
one of escaping
He paused and wiped his brow;
! the scorn upon his face was luminous.
/ Second the testimony of defendant,
mistaken by the scorching rhetoric
! of my honorable oppnent for the
! prosecution. DEPENDENT says that he
has known the woman and the man
for many years; that he is in the pos,
| of IF
and refuses to divulge it; that he had
made visits to the island before this
night; and that on this night he.
! rowing toward it, heard noises from
the cottage leading him to believe that
| another man, beside this woman's
! companion, was therein, and that a
| fearful quarrel was then in progress.
{ Defendant therefore retreated; defen-
: dant heard a shot, and fearing that
! he, as the only known visitor to the
+ spot, might be entangled in tragedy,
! he fed.
J Behold, then, two contradictory
souls facing each other; the woman S
! soul and the mans, swearing to op,
| posites; and in the bosom of each is
! the truth; and on the lips of one a
lie. Consider first the defendant S
testimony Gentlemen of the jury, if
| it is false, is it not likewise childish
! Is it not too childishly simple to be
false? Look at his face.-look at his
face!-as he crouches there in that
inspeakable dread that hounds the
falsely accused. See the intelligence
of that brow, the fire of that inscrut-
able eye, the cunning of those cultur-
ed lips, and tell me, tell me, is that
the face of one who, guilty and driven
to deceit, could invent no likelier tale
than this? far from it gentlemen, far
from it! That mask is the mask OF
one who, if guilty and driven to bay,
4 could fabricate lie so perfect and in
, genious that the simple, childish tale
/ he tells would be but fiimsy veil be-
! side it.
Il he had slain the victim; if he
! had fed; if on the shore he had saw
the witness (as he did who saw h S
/ fight, and known, therefore, that the
/ establishment of an alibi was practic.
ally impossible, gentlemen, would he
/ have dared to face you with so idle a
tale as this?''
Counsel for the defense flung up
/ his hand and his gaunt face was
lifted as he CRIED
Never, Never! Knowing himself
guilty knowing his flight witnessed,
knowing an alibi impossible; I'M
aware of any visitor to the island on
whom to fasten guilt; ignorant of any
other boat drifting in mute testimony
of that midnight crime; and, finally
well aware that a cause for the vic.
TINS hatred against himself could be
adduced in court | say, gentlemen
of the jury, no such flimsy tale as this
would have come to the mind behind
yon cold and cunning countenance.
His plea in such case would newt
, ably have Observation-Disclosures"
The speaker paused; he grew
weary, weary; ne had a pallid, lonely
face; and over his eyes he passed his
| long and ugly hand
mo" he said, the very simplicity
of his story is the truth. The very
unlikeliness of his defense is it's like
illness. 1t is not clever; it is queer
so queer that it is natural, for Ma
lures law is the law of the unexpe~t-
ed. And gentlemen" ne slowly shook
his head, at seems to me to be the
truest story from the lips of man ac-
cused of murder, that ever THAT
ever +"
Counsel for the defense sighed
heavily; he let his yearnirg eve fan
on the jurors one by one: and forgot.
At length he inihsed. THAT ever
I SEEN" he said.
The prosecuting attorney, who, in
his rapid walking to and fro, had
now and then halted and fixed On the
speaker a fiery look of rebellion,
and seemed about TO start from his
very shoes with objections, now con
tinued his promenade, and cbucklNd
and tapped his hands under the d.
yerted tails of his coat.
The woman had leaned further and
further over the polished oak table to