Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-07
/ was there, waited for you" He spoke

was there; waited for you.' He spoke
John" she whispered. IT was therel NO
one must hearl Those men camel saw Il
all. At first thought It was you, but /
didn't know them-did they find him-the
dead one7'' she asked abruptly.
John Burton, very white, was looking at
Leona In stunned. wild-eyed way. Then
great wave Of relief swept over him.
In the dark-the Folly oak-not ours! That
explains my missing you
After little trying to keep his voice
from being too eager, he got her to tell him
the story of the murder. She told it ac-
curately, describing the men. He knew
them, even If she did not. A great light
broke upon his mind at his Identification of
the TALL fair murderer, but he said nothing
to her. Then he left her and was escorted
back to prison by the two officers
When they considered Leona well enough
and she eonvalesced rapidly-they told her
of Johns arrest as the murderer. He had
been seen coming from the wood the night
of the storm shortly before some one found
Donaldson's body and raised the alarm.
John could motor would not-explain his
presence though he admitted being there.
Leona read the whole thing in the papers,
the details of the Indictment and the COM
Ing trial, which, Of course, came under the
Jurisdiction OF her fathers court. All the
evidence was gone over, overwhelming.
though. Of course, purely circumstantiai.
The defendant had borne himself well; his
story. what there was of 1t, hung together,
but 1t was proven that he and Donaldson
were not on good terms and he would not
explain his presence In the wood in such
storm and SO late at night. To all qres-
tons bearing on that he was obstinately
silent. This was terribly against him. The
details OF the inquest were gone over in
the papers. There were evidences of
fierce struggle in the woods. There was
discolored wound on the dead mans tenn
pie deona knew 1t was a club blow ana
Burton was defended by Walter Long
street, prominent lawyer, and the state
was prosecuting through Bruce Hunter
new man at the bar. but said to have much
ability, and more brilliancy than scrupu-
lousness. He had lately come from the
east somewhere.
Leona, after careful thought, had long
talk with her father, who was plainly
moved by Burton's refusal to connect his
daughter with such an affair, and Long
street. who had believed in his clients COM
plete innocence from the start. The girl
did not go to the city at all.
The trial was postponed for three weeks
to the Impotence of the people and of the
prosecution. Bruce Hunter was evidently
anxious for sentence to be passed, and left
no stone unturned to prove John Burton the
murderer. His zeal was noted and a sue
cessful future predicted for him.
AT last the trial came. The court room
was crowded to suffocation. All the first
day was filled by the preliminary evidence
there was the first bit of sensation when
Longstreet, for the defense, brought forth
a beta woman's belt of heavy carved
Spanish leather-and held it up to judge
and jury. 1t had quaint, massive silver
buckle. The leather was stained and dis
colored, as from wetting. 1t had been found
near the body This introduced an entirely
new element into the case. 1t brought
a woman into It. Not that the murder had
been committed with the belt, for the skin
had not been broken at the dead man s
temple, where the dark wound was and
there were bloodstains on the buckle.
Whose was the blood? Moreover, the finger
marks on the mans throat were not those
of woman. The defense pointed out that
1t would prove the finding of this belt to be
significant
tense was called. The box was entered by
a tall, slender girl, veiled and clad in a
dark tailored suit. The court room rustled
with curiosity and suspense. The specta-
for every look and word. The witness lift
ed her veil. and there was an audible muir
muir or amazement. 1t was the judges
daughter-it was Leona.
She was duly sworn. Then she told her
story, straightforward, connected recital
the truth of which not even the prosecution
could doubt. She omitted nothing. She told
OF her intended elopement, the full reasons
TOT 1t, of her missing the accused, of her
witnessing the quarrel and ensuing fight
and of her stroke with the belt at the muir
derer.
Full across the left cheek-it must have
left scar she finished Her stained
muddy shoes and skirt were produced to
corroborate her statement that she was
In the woods, and her maid swore that the
belt was her mistress property, but that
she seldom wore it, because it had been
her mothers
Then the attorney for the defense asked a
quiet but significant question, looking full
at the attorney for the prosecution, who
turned white a sheet. Others looked Gu
riously at Bruce Hunter
Gould you identify the murderer should
you see him, Miss Morton?'
Yes, among ten thousandw answered the
girl. She had scarcely looked about her
yet Then Longstreet pointed his finger at
Bruce Hunter. She looked full at him.
us this the MANI"
No one thought the question meant any,
thing more than to see If further descrip-
her: But Leona staggered and almost fell. |
He is the manr' she cried, family but
clearly. Then she tainted
Bruce Hunter, attorney for the prosecu-
tlon, with queer scar attributed to a fall |
on his left cheek, gave a nervous glance
ABOUT him. He was surrounded. But he |
made dash for the door, thus confessing
his guilt and proving the innocence of John
burton. whose friends were thick about |
MIN Leonas was clinging to his arm.
suddenly shot rang out, and Bruce
Hunter fell by his own hand in his own
blood. They had not thought to watch him
closely enough |
In the evening papers appeared a full and |
sensational account of the whole affair, and
IN the society column was this short and |
announcement:
Judge morton announces the engagement
of his daughter Leona to Mr. John Hastings
Burton, the wedding to take place in Oc-
tober."