Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-05-16

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 the 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
neighboring streets, and from these
rose somber murmurs. more and more
ominous. The public sentiment Of
community like Canaan can make t.
self felt inside courtroom, and it was
strongly excrted against Happy Fear
The Tocsin had always been a power
full agent: Judge Pike had increased its
strength with staff which was thor
oughly efficient, alert and always able
to strike center with the papers read.
ers, and in town aud country it 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, havieg lit the fire, fed t--fed
It saltpctcr and sulphur-for now Mar
tin Pike was fighting hard.
The farmers aud people OF the less
I urban parts of the country were ac-
customcd TO found their opinions upon
! the Tocsn. They regarded It as the
! single immutablc 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 a few of them
managed to crowd into the courtroom
the others Joined their voices to those
somber murmurs outdoors. which in
creased in loudncss as the trial went
| on.
The Tocsin. however. was not hav-
ing everything its own way. The vol
ume Of cutlery against Happy Fear and
his lawyer had diminished. it was no
tced, in "very respectable quarters"
The information impaired by Mike
Shechan to the politicians at Mr. Far
haCh's had been slowly seeping through
the various social strata Of the town,
and, though at first incredulously re
iectcd it began TO fiud acceptance,
Upper Main street cooling apprcciably
in its acceptance of the Tocsin as the
law and the prophets. There We're
even few who dared to wonder in
their hearts if there had not been a
mistake about Joe LOuGen. and. al
though Mrs. Flitcroft weakened not,
the relatives OF Squire Buckalew and
of Peter Bradbury began to hold UP
their heads a 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.. Bradburys grandson had both
mystifyinglv lent couutenance to Joe
consorting with him openly, the former
for his own purposes, the latter be
cause he had cunninglg 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 thai
|
question had begun to thrive, Was i,
possible that Eshew Arp had not beer
insane after all!
The best of those who gathered ON
inously about the courthouse and 1T
purlieuS werc the young farmers nnt
field hands. artisans and clerks. one o
the latter being a pimply faced young
man Oately from the doctors hands,
who lImped and would limp for tn,
rest of his life, he who of all men
held the memory Of Eskcw Arp il
least respect and was burningiy de
slrous to revenge himself upon the liv
ing
The worst were Of that mystifyng
embryonic, seni-rowdy type, the Amer
lean voyou. in the production of which
/, Canaan and her sister towns every
where over the country are prolific
the young man, youth, boy perhaps
, creature Of namcleSs age, who's
r.. clothes are like those Of brakeman
out of work, but who IS not brake
I man in or out Of work: wearing tn
black soft hat tilted forward TO shelte
as a counter does the contempt of
. cerls-that expression which the fac
. does not dare wear quite in the oper
j asserting the possession of supreme ca
V pacity in wit. strength, dextcrity an
g amours: the dirty handkerchief unde
. the collar the short black coat. n
D ways double breasted; the cyelid
= sooty, one cheek always bulged. tn
!, forehead speckled, the lips cracked
o horrible teeth and the affectation c
@ possessing secret information upon n
: matters of the universe, above all. til
I instinct of finding the shortest way
> any scene OF official interest to tn
! policeman, fireman or ambulance Su
Il geon-a singular being not profession
ally criminal tough histronicall
- =. rather than really, full of its ow
- argot of brag, hystoriCal when crossed
= timid through great ignorance an
therefore dangerous. 1t furnishes M
:, the leaders, but the mass of mobE, an
:, it springs up at times of crisis frol
~ heaven knows where. You might hay
Il driven through oil the streets OF G.
"a naan week before the trial and hay
y seen four or five such fellows, h,