The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1907-06-20

likely OF which would be to play the
peacemaker He would talk Of his
good intentions toward bis enemy.
speaking publicly of him ln friendly
and gentle ways. then. getting at him
secretly. destroy him in such fashion
as to leave open for himself the kind
gate of self defense. in brief. here
was tie whole tally Of what had .actu-
ally occurred. with the exception Of
the last account in the sequence which
had proved that demise for which Cory
had not arranged. and 1t fell from the
lips of witness whom the prosecution
had no means Of impeaching. When
he left the stand. unshaken and undls-
credited after frantic cross e1amina-
ton. Joe, turning to resume his seat.
let his hand fall lightly for a second
upon his clients shoulder.
That was the occasion Of a demon
stratiou which Indicated 4 sentiment
favorable to the defense ION the part
Of at least three Of the Spectators), and
it was in the nature Of such ham,
mering o. canes upon the bare wooden
floor rs eTertualiy stopped all other
proceo dinGs instantly. The indignant
Judge fixed the col)nel. Peter Brad
bury and Squire Buckaiew with his
clitteriny eye. yet tie hammering con-
tinuci unabated and the offenders
surely would have been conducted
forth in isnominy had not callantry
prevailed. even in that formal place.
The judge. reluctantly realizing that
some latitude must he allowed TO these
aged enthusiasts. since they somehow
seemed 10 belong TO Miss Tabor, made
his remarks general. with the time
worn threat to clear the room. where
upon the loyal survivors Of Eskew re-
lapsei into una6ashed silence.
1t was now. as Joe had said. a clear
enough case. Only the case Itself,
however. was clear, for. as he and his
friends feared. the verdict might pos
sibly be neither in accordance with
the law. the facts nor the convictions
of tie jury. Eugene's detection had
not altered the tone Of The Tocsin.
All day long crowd Of men and
boys hung about the corridors Of the
courthouse. about the square and the
neighborng streets. and from these
rose somber murmurs, more and more
ominous The public sentiment Of a
community like Canaan can make IT.
self felt inside courtroom, and 1t was
strongly exerted against Happy Fear.
The Tocsin bad always been q power
full agent; Judge Pike had increased its
strength with a staff which was thor
oughly efficient. alert and always able
to strike center with the papers read
ers. and in town and country 1t had
absorbed the circulation Of the other
local journals. which resisted feebly at
times, but in the matter Of the Cory
murder had not dared to do anything
except follow the Tocsin's lead. The
Tocsin. having lit the fire. fed it-fed
1t saltpeter and sulphur-for now Mar
tin Pike was fighting hard.
The farmers and people of the less
urban parts Of the country were &C
customed to found their opinions upon
the Tocsin. They regarded 1t as the
single immutable rock Of journalistic
righteousness and wisdom In the
world. Consequently. stirred by the
outbursts Of the paper. they came into
Canaan In great numbers. and. though
the pressure from the town itself was
so strong that only few Of them
managed to crowd into the courtroom,
the others Joined their voices to those
somber murmurs outdoors. which In
creased In loudness as the trial went
on.
The Tocsin. however. was not hay-
ing everything its own way. The vol
ume Of outcry against Happy Fear and
bis lawyer had diminished. 1t was no
ticed. in very respectable quarters"
The Information impaired by Mike
Sheeban to the politicians at Mr.. Far
bach's had been slowly seeping through
the various social strata Of the town,
and, though at first incredulously re-
jected, 1t began to find acceptance.
Upper Main street cooling appreciably
in Its acceptance Of the Tocsln as the
law and the prophets. There were
even a few who dared to wonder In
their hearts II there had not been a
mistake about Joe Louden, and. al
though Mrs. Flitcroft weakened not,
the relatives OF Squire Buckalew and
Of Peter Bradbury began to hold up
their heads little after having made
home horrible for those gentlemen and
reproached them with their conversion
as the last word of senile shame. In
addition. the. colonels grandson and
Mr.. Bradbury's grandson had both
mystifyingly lent countenance to Joe.
consorting with him openly, the former
for his own purposes. the latter be-
cause he had cunningly discovered that
it was way to Miss Tabor's regard.
which since her gentle rejection Of him
he had grown to believe, good youth.
might be the pleasantest thing that
could ever come to him. In short. the
question had begun to thrive, Was 1t
possible that Eskew Arp had not been
oil