The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1907-08-22

stood open, displaying limp wares of
trade, but few tokens Of life, the clerks
banging over dim counters as far as
possible from the glare in front COS
siping fragmentarily, usually about the
| Cory murder and anon upon subject
suggested by the sight Of an occasional
pedestrian passing perspiring by with
scrooged eyelids and purpling skin.
From street and sidewalk transparent
bot waves swan up and danced them
selves into nothing, while from the riv.
er bank half mile away came q
sound hotter than even the locust's
midsummer rasp, the drone Of a plan
Ing mill.
Greater heat than that Of these blaz-
Ing days could not have kept one of
the sages from attending the conclave
now, for the battle was on in Canaan.
and here upon the National House cor
ner, under the shadow Of the west
wall, it waxed even keener. PERHAPS
we may find full justification for call
ing what was happening battle in so
far as we restrict the figure to apply
TO this one spot. Elsewhere in the
Canaan of the Tocsin the conflict was
too one sided. The Tocsin had indeed
tried the case Of Happy Fear in ad-
vance, had convicted and condemned
and every day grew more bitter. Nor
was the urgent vigor Of its attack with
out effect.
Sleepy as Main street seemed in the
heat, the town was incensed and rous-
ed to a tensity Of feeling it had not
known since the civil war, when, on
occasion, it had set out to hang half
dozen "Knights Of the Golden Circle"
Joe had been Kissed on the street
many times since the inimical clerk
had whistled at him. Probably dem
onstrations of that sort would have
continued had he remained in Canaan,
but for almost month he had been
absent and his Office closed, it's thresh-
old gray with dust. There We're peo-
pie who believed that he had run
away again, this time never to return,
among those who held to this opinion
being Mrs. Louden and her sister, Joe's
step-aunt. Upon only one point was
everybody agreed-that twelve men
could not be found in the county who
could be so far persuaded and befud
died by Louden that they would dare
allow Happy Fear to escape. The
women Of Canaan, incensed by the ter
rible circumstances Of the case, as the
T0csin colored tia man shot down in
the act of begging his enemy's for
giveness- clamored as loudly as the
men. There was only the difference
that the latter vociferated for the
Hanging Of Happy; their good ladies
used the word punishment"
And yet, while the place rang with
condemnation of the little man in the
Jail and his attorney, there were voices
here and there uplifted on the other
side. People existed, it astonishingly
appeared, who liked Happy Fear.
These were for the greater part OBJ
scure and even darkling in their lives,
yet quite demonstrably human beings,
able to smile, suffer, leap, run and to
entertain fancies; even to have, ac-
cording to their degree, certain rudi-
mentary sense Of right and wrong, in
spite of which they strongly favored
the prisoners acquittal. Precisely on
that account, it was argued, an &C.
quittal would outrage Canaan and lay
it open to untold danger. Such people
needed lesson.
| The Tocsin interviewed the towns
great ones, printing their opinions of
the Nervousness of the crime and the
character of the Defendants lawyer.
1.-THE Hon. P. J. Parrot, who so ably
represented this county in the legisla-
ture some fourteen years ago, could
scarcely restrain himself when ap-
preached by reporter as to his senti-
ments sanent the repulsive deed. I
should like to know how long Canaan
Is going to put up with this sort of
business were his words. I am a law
abiding citizen, and I have served
faithfully and with my full endeavor
and ability to enact the laws and
statutes of my state, but there is a
point in my patience, would state,
which lawbreakers and their lawyers
| ~AAs~J AASS ScASAS pASos VI "AdI uSC O1 =
our most solemn enactments, may
even ask of what use is the legislature
itself, chosen by the will of the people,
If they are to ruthlessly be set aside by
criminals and their shifty protectors?
The blame should be put upon the law
yers who by tricks enable such rascals
to escape the rigors of the carefully en-
acted laws, the fruits Of the solon's
labor, more than upon the criminals
themselves. In this case If there is
any miscarriage Of justice I will say
here and now that in my opinion the
people Of this county will be sorely
tempted, and, while do not believe in
lynch law, yet if that should be the
result it is my unalterable conviction
that the vigilantes may well turn their
attention to the lawyers or lawyer who
brings about such miscarriage. am
sick Of it,"
The Tocsin did not print the inter-
view it obtained from Louie Farbach-
| ~