The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1905-03-25

to the girl was found in his possession
"On the day of the trial the courtroom
was crowded with spectators. 1t was
understood that there was witness moi
known to the defense. Upon this witness
the state relied for conviction. At five
o'clock the prosecutor, James T. Ronald,
rose He was remarkable man, of
powerful stature, commanding in height
and possessing trumpet-toned voice.
He called to the bailiff: Bring in Mrs.
Martha Bradden!'
"A stir of interest ran through the
courtroom. Mrs. Braddon was the gen.
tie old lady whose apartments were nexi
to those of the dead girl
''She said that she had known Chap
man from his boyhood; had known
the dead girl for two years; had known
of the love between Chapman and the
dead girl from the girls confession.
Then in the tense stiffness she testi-
fed that on the day of the tragedy she was
reclining In her room when she heard
from the next room the expression:
I'm tired of this; I've had enough OF
time to end it. Later she heard scuf-
fling, and the girls voice saying: Don't
kill me- and then, after pause, the Clos
ing of door.
when questioned she said she had
attached no importance to this as the
girl, being an elocutionist, frequently
practiced readings, and she thought this
one of her recitals and that she was read
ing in two voices some dramatic selec-
ton. After the death of the girl she re-
allied that the other voice was Chap
mans. She asserted that she could not
be mistaken. She swore as positively as
one could that she knew it was Chap
mans voice which exclaimed: I've hao
enough of this!'
Though Chapman had not been seen
in the hotel, he had really gone to tpe
girls room that morning.
THE case was ready for argument.
For myself, l was never so hopeless ID
my life. It was the custom to present the
law to the court separately from tie ar
gument to be made to the jury. The
states attorney was to open, of course;
was to follow, and he was to close. The
presiding judge was the gentleman who
has been three times mayor of Seattle,
Judge Humes. He had been the boon
companion and law partner OF the state
attorney. l mention this to show how
difficult it would be for him to mistake
the identity of the states counsel or MS
peculiar and marvellous voice.
Sat noon the judge signaled to me,
saying: You may begin your argu-
ment upon your legal contentious
while we are waiting for Mr.. Ronald.
replied saying that l preferred his
presence. Just then a voice in the
corridor was heard saying: L will be
there in a moment
1T was at once recognized by the
judge as the voice of the states attor-
ney The jurors also recognized it.
Judge Humes, bearing the voice,
said: You may proceed, Senator Lewis
"a was then closing my term as a
territorial senator)-Mr. Ronald is
entering"
Il had already risen, and, turning
toward the door, saw, not Mr.. Ronald,
but his young daughter Then it was
clear that the voice was not Ronald's,
but that of his daughter, speaking to
the lady who had come with her. We
waited several minutes before the
states attorney appeared with an arm
full of books, having been in the library
selecting decisions to reply to what
he anticipated would be my legal con-
tentions.
Here was my opportunity. On this
seemingly trivial circumstance the life
of Chapman hung. l at once aban-
doned every thought that | had previ-
ously entertained so far as line of de-
Tense was concerned. Waving my ar
gument on the law. | presented to the
jury the evidence of the fact-that a
moment before. the judge, who was
known to have been his life friend,
was so secure in the belief that Mr.
Ronald was about to enter the court
room that he had ordered me to pro-
coed with my argument. Also, that so
absolutely assured were the jurors, all
of whom knew Mr.. Ronald, that 1t was
his voice they, too, were prepared to
proceed with the cause.
From that argued that. although
the voice proved to be that of his
daughter, each one of the IL jurors
and the judge himself would have
sworn, were it necessary. that they had
heard Mr.. Ronald's voice How. then,
asked, in the face of such a demon
stration. could they convict Chapman
upon the statement of Mrs Braddon,
when she, too. however honest, could
have been as much mistaken as they:
"The jury acquitted Chapman.
''The girl. who was the unconscious
savior Of mans life. has recently
been awarded a medal at a Chicsgo
college for the best contralto tone pro-
duced in a contest of hundred voices.
But | am safe in saying, there will
never be one of her class who will
give to her voice the value ascribed II
by Chapman. Chicago Record Herald