The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-02-12

the last moment she was in such ner-
Vous condition that her attorney ad~
vtsed her not to attempt 1t. Miss Pilch-
er sat quietly through the hearing, &C.
c%asionally consulting with her attorne%
She wore an ugly brown veil whfsas
jaunty brown hat, black coat and gray
dress, fur boa and muff completed hei
attire. Her right arm useless on ac-
count of her wound. hung Imply IN her
lap n her face twitched. with pain
Whenever she moved her body. That
she suffered intensely was apparent to
everybody who watched her. Occasion
ally, especially when her lover was or
the stand. she became almost hyster-
ical but her nerve held out to the end.
when she practically collapsed.
She is "a years old and moved from
Marion. Ind, her birthplace, to Hand
county in 1882. She has lived at Howell,
st. Lawrence and Miller all her life.
practically, and moved in the best So
ciety up to within the past two months.
In appearance she Is rrepossessing, with
dark grey eyes, an erect well-formed
figure and regular features. In repose her
face would, were it not for her expressive
eyes. appear dull. When In conversation
her eyes fash. her smile is winning and
possessing considerable personal magnet
ism she is undoubtedly an attractive wom-.
an. At the trial her hollow cheeks and \
eyes and haggard features. the result Of
her suffering, made a profound impress
sion. Blu she occasionally laughed and
1oked with her attorney and to some ex-
tent appeared rather amused at the no.
tortety. After Mrs. Sedan had related
the confession as told her by Miss Pitcher.
the prisoner was asked to ten Tile Nj
bune the story of that fateful night. SNA
consented willingly.
What Mother Sedan has said is true:
IFS what II tnId ha> of tho TOLL ~ cI,a "a
her eyes filling with tears. II love Dick
Romig and when he went away from Mil
Ter last fall We were engaged. He is in
tensely jealous and upon his return to
Miller about December rs, he heard 1 had
gone to dances with other young men
and he took me to task about 1t. Well. we
quarreled violentlyAI thought he had no
right to upbrald me as he did-and we
hadn't made up when I decided to kill
myself.
You see papa and mamma died the
past two years and brother Ed %died-how,
you mustn't ask me, but I can only say
that they claimed he committed suicide
or rather took laudanum by ~accident-but
I'll not talk more of that. Anyhow. with
ali my folks gone and only a little left
from the estate, I had no one but Dick
to live for. When he went back on me
and said all was over, 1 first tried to win
him back and falling apparently, I de-
clded to die by my own hand. Besides, I
was penniless and out of employment. No
body seemed to care for me. On Monday
afternoon. January IL, ] called on Mrs.
Clinton Crabtree, an old girlhood friend.
and after talking with me she stepped
from the room. In her absence ! stole q
loaded revolver which lay on the bureau.
That night I went out toward the ceme-
terry where my folks are buried, intending
to kill myself. Dick followed me and I
came back with him. I didn't tell him my
purpose but hoped he would make up. In
stead he again sco.ded me and we parted
in anger, arranging, however, to meet
next evening at s o'clock. All that day
1 thought over the matter and decided no
reconciliation would be effected as Dick
seemed so cross. At z o'clock Tuesday
evening, January u. I again went down
the railroad track toward the cemetery.
On the way I tested the revolver twice. to
see IL it worked. It did. When I Mas
about a half mile east of town I stepped
down from the railroad track, stripped my
coat off my right arm. placed the revolver
to my breast and fired. I am left handed
and my HAND was thrust through my muff.
The shock when the bullet htt me whirled
me about and I dropped the revolver. I
couldn't find it again. My right side
seemed paralyzed. / felt awfully dizzy
and sick but finally I came to myself and
started back to the hotel"
Picking her muff from her lap, Miss
L iSAiS1 iOIo uP lOI lIlSDSCllON.
you can see there where the gun-fre
singed the muff," she said. pointing to a
spot Of fur about an inch in diameter that
had been burned away wv I'll, when I
got back to the hotel I was braced up
some. I went to the south entrance and
started upstairs. I saw people in rhe Of
flee but met no one on the stairs, except a
dog which was at the top of the stairs.
I patted him on the head and went to
room 1S-my closed the door,
lit a lamp and sat down to think. 1 had
lived in Miller most of my life and I fig
ured that / had disgraced myself by try
ing to commit suicide. So 1 planned to
tell a story that my sister-in-law who
hates me had shot me. I wrote a letter,
ostensibly from her. saying Hattie Pitch
et had besn shot and would bleed to death
before morning. I thought then I would
be dead by morning. Then 1 lay down On
the bed. but the pain made me nervous.
] went out in the hall and met Mr.. Fetch
er, the clerk, near the head Of the stairs.
l asked him where Dick was and then re-
turned to my room. j lay there until mex
morning, when AL Dehart. a boarder, went
by my door. I called to him and asked
him to tell Dick I had been shot. He ans
his roommate, Frank Webner, cane and
called the doctor. That's all there is to
my story"
But how do you explain the 'noiseless
gun eXpression?"
I'll tell you. When Mr.. Henshaw and
Sheriff Abbott were in my room,.l heard
them speak of the drug store HOLIDAY. The
sheriff said, when Mr.. Henshaw, repeat
ing my story, declared / had been shot at
1880 the night before, that the woman
probably used an air gun on me the same
as the robbers had at the drug store. So
l incorporated that in my story. I told
Dr., Wallis the same thing"
When you are cleared what will you
and Dick do?. Marry?"
That's for him to say A woman re-
mains faithful, but a man, you're one
yourself-what would you do. Would you
desert a woman because she was in trou-
ole? You needn't answer, for you prob.
ably wouldn't tell me the TRUTH,
When Judge Pussy rose to make what
Is admitted to be one of the most powerful
appeals ever heard in the Hand county,
court room, the prisoner listened atten-'
lively. When he referred to her affair
with Dick Romig and especially when he
pilloried the church members back of her
prosecution, the girl wept. But she said
nothing. At the conclusion of Mr.. Pusey's'
speech. Miss Pitcher wavered in her chair
he had been talking an hour-and was
led away while States Attorney Cole
closed for the state. /
During Judge Pusey's address, the wom.!
en- in the crowd began by sneering and
ended sobbing. The men sat silent att