The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1907-09-05

sAAS "AAuO"S, MV1IluS TO I0e open
country, to swimmin' hole, to orchard
reveries or shaded pool wherein to
drop meditative line. You would
have thought no one could willingly
coop himself in this hot room for three
hours twice day while lawyers
wrangled, often unintelligibly, over
the life of dingy little creature like
Happy Fear, yet the struggle to swell
ter there was almost like a riot, and
the bailiffs were busy men.
1t was a fighting case throughout,
fought to a finish on each tiny point
as 1t came up, dragging, in the mere
matter of time, unfortunately, yet the
people Of Canaan (not only those who
succeeded In penetrating to the court
room, but the others, who hung about
the corridors or outside the building,
and the great mass Of stay at homes,
who read the story in the Tocsin)
found each moment of it enthralling
enough. The states attorney, fearful
OF losing so notorious a case and not
Understanding his opponent, had
modestly summoned others to his aid.
and the attorney for the defense sim
gle handed faced IAN array Of legal
talent such as seldom indeed had hol-
Tered at this bar" faced it good ma
turedly, an eyebrow crooked up and
his head on one side most of the time,
yet faced It indcmitably He had a
certain careless and disarming smile
when he lost a point, which carried
on the defeat as Of only humorous
account and not at all part of the Sc
r1ous business in hand, and in his
treatment of witnesses he was plausi-
DE- kindly, knowing that in this case
he had no intending perjurer to en-
trap; brought into play the rare and
delicate art Of which he was a master.
employing in his questions subtle sug-
gestlons and shadings Of tone and
manner and avoiding words of debat-
able and dangerous meanings-a fine
craft, often attempted by blunderers
TO their own undoing, but which. prac-
ticed by Joseph Louden, made inartic-
ulate witnesses articulate to the pre-
else effects which he desired. This he
accomplished as much by the help of
the continuous fire of objections from
the other side as in spite of them.
He was infinitely careful, asking never
an Ill advised question for the other
side to use to his hurt and, though ex-
h1b1tlng only a pleasant easiness of
manner, was electrically alert.
A hundred things had shown Ariel
that the feeling of the place, Influenced
by public sentiment" without, was
subtly and profoundly hostile to Joe
and his client. She read this in the
spectators, in the jury, even in the
Judge, but it seemed to her that day
Dy day the inimical spirit gradually
failed inside the railing and also in
those spectators who, like herself, were
enabled by special favor to be present
throughout the trial, and that now and
then a kindlier sentiment began to be
manifested. She was unaware how
strongly she contributed to effect this
herself not only through the glow of
visible sympathy which radiated from
her, but by a particular action. Claud-
inc was called by the state and told as
much of her story as the law permitted
her to tell, interlarding her replies with
fervent protestations, too quick to be
prevented, that she "never meant to
bring no trouble to Mr. Fear and that
she Ibid hate to have gentlemen start
ing things on her account" When the
defense took this perturbed witness
her interpretations became less fire.
quent, and she described straightfor-
Wardly how she had found the pistol
on the floor near the PROSTATE figure
of Cory and hidden it in her own dress.
The attorneys for the state listened
with a somewhat cynical amusement
to this portion Of her testimony, be-
lieving it of no account, uncorroborat-
ed, and that, if necessary, the state
could impeach the witness on the
ground that it had been indispensable
to produce her. She came down weep
ing from the stand, and, the next wit
ness not being Immediately called, the
eyes of the jurymen naturally followed
her as she passed to her seat, and they
saw Ariel Tabor bow gravely to her
across the railing. Now, thousand
things not set forth by legislatures,
law men and judges affect jury, and
the slight salutation caused the men,
bers of this one to glance at one an
other, for it seemed to imply that the
exquisite lady in white not only knew
Claudine, but knew that she had spok-
en- the truth. It was after this that a
feeling favorable to the defense now
and then noticeably manifested itself
in the courtroom. Still, when the evil
dence for the state was all in the life
of Happy Fear seemed to rest in
balance precarious indeed, and the lit
tie man, swallowing pitifully, looked
at his attorney with the eyes of sick
dog.