The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-06-26
CONTINUED from Last Sundays News }
CHAPTER XVII.
THE CLOSING ARGUMRNTs.

IhG CLOSING ARGUMENTS
Mr.. Stone, whose mind was particu-
larly keen and alert, reviewed in a tell
ing manner the evidence which had
been presented for the defense. TT
had been claimed he said, that the
case was one of identity only; but it
was not so. 1t was a wife's unfaitb-
fulness that was the root of the whole
matter. No one had denied the iden-
tity of Mr.. Hamilton, except his wife
at the time when he returned: and
she had no other reason for her denial
except the absurd one of individual
odor,' something which never before
had been preached in any court of ius-
tce. She had tainted when she first
saw him, which fact spoke of instant
recognition, but claimed to have i'm
mediately afterwards doubted him by
the absence of the individual odor.
The utility of such reasoning as
this must be apparent to every one who
heard it. A matter of breath or diet,
1t was not worthy of the least consid-
GRAFTON. But other matters were AT
the moment of his return Mrs. Ham
ilton was talking with Mr.. Allen about
the monument. which was Just com
pleted, to be erected to the memory of
her husband. She was dressed i'm
black; but she was far from being UNI
happy, for she had other hopes in her
heart regarding the unknown Primus
Edes, who in some mysterious manner
had succeeded in getting a hold on her
heart and sympathes She tainted be-
cause she saw her hopes dashed to the
ground by the return of her husband.
whom she had thought dead. There
was especial reason for her thinking so.
But it is we'll known that wishes color
thought. No doubt she hoped So
But all this time her husband had
been suffering with a mental ma!ady
that robbed him of memory. What he
did or did not do at that time could
not be discovered. Every means had
been taken by the defence to ascer-
tain, but nothing of real knowledge
could be gained. There was little doubt
but that he had been supporting him.
self by good honest labor all the time,
as he was doing when he recovered
his reason, or memory, in Seattle. He
went away on Friday, the fifteenth of
May; he returned Jan. Is; and the
interval was filled with labor to sup
port his necessities. Could anything
be simpler of understanding than this?
He took no cognizance of what went
on during his absence,-the bank
troubles. his wife's hollow grief, the
half-hearted search for him, the monu-
ment to be set up in the cemetery. He
knew nothing of all this. and when he
returned to Grovedale he was greatly
Astonished at the turn affairs had
taken. He did his best to set them
right, took up his place at the mill
and would have subsidized into his old
relation, unquestioned by any one. had
1t not been for his wife's infatuation
for PrinTus Edes. a common workman
as he chose to appear, but whom we
now know to be a most accomplished
villain. No ignorant, uncultured man
could so have worked upon her SYM
pathies as this man did, for Mrs.
Hamilton is an accomplished. high
bred woman whose affection could not
have been easily gained. But this man
is noted for his resources, his lngen-
ious methods of working out his plans.
He saw the lady at church and was
struck by her beauty. There can be
little doubt but that he was filled by
a wild, uncomfortable love for her the
first time they met. Had he been
man of ordinary honesty and purpose,
of true manliness, he would have strug-
gled against it; but he was not. He
was a villain. He began to lay plans
to possess her, knowing that her hus-
band had left her. perhaps never to
return.
''In his love for this woman he for
got all else--forgot he was fugitive