The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-03-21
By BOOTH HARRINGTON
lCONTTNUEn1

dozen schemes (for he was ready in
such matters. he bragged). the most
likely OF which would be to play the
peacemaker. He would talk OF his
good intentions toward his enemy,
speaking publicly of him in 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 the 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, mistaken and undis-
credited after a frantic cross examina-
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
stration which indicated q sentiment
| favorable to the defense ION the part
of at least three of the SPECTATORS, and
| it was in the nature of such Il ham
mering of canes upon the bare wooden
floor as effectually stopped all other
proceedings instantly. The indignant
| judge fixed the colonel. Peter Brad
bury and Squire Buckalew with his
| glittering eye, yet the hammering con-
tinued undated, and the offenders
surely would have been conducted
forth in ignominy had not gallantry
prevailed, even in that formal place.
The judge, reluctantly realizing that
some latitude must be allowed to these
aged enthusiasts, since they somehow
seemed to 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-
lapsed into unabashed 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 the jury. Eugene's detection had
not altered the tone of the Tocsin.
All day long a 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 a
community like Canaan can make it
self felt inside a courtroom, and it was
strongly exerted against Happy Fear
The Tocsin had always been a power
full agent; Judge Pike had increased it's
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 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, 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 ac-
customed to found their opinions upon
, the Tocsin. They regarded it as the
single immutable rock of journalistic
righteousness and wisdom in the
l 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 loudness as the trial went
on.
u. The Tocsin, however, was not hav.
ing everything its own way. The vol
ume of cutlery against Happy Fear and
bis lawyer had diminished, it was no
f ticed, in very respectable quarters
n The information impaired by Mike
Sheehan 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, it began to find acceptance
L, Upper Main street cooling appreciably
In its acceptance OF the Tocsin as til,
law and the prophets. There were
: even few who dared to wonder il
their hearts if there had not been {
mistake about Joe Louden, and al
a though Mrs. Flitcroft weakened not
the relatives of Squire Buckalew ant
of Peter Bradbury began to hold III
: their heads a little after having mad
home horrible for those gentlemen ant
f reproached them with their conversion
as the last word of senile shame. L
addition, the colonel's grandson ant
a Mr.. Bradbury's grandson had bot
mystifyingly lent countenance to Joe
.. consorting with him openly, the forme
for his own purposes, the latter be
cause he had cunningly discovered tina
is 1t was a way to Miss Tabors regard
which since her gentle rejection of hiI
he had grown to believe, good you'll
might be the pleasantest thing tia
l. could ever come to him. In short, th
- question had begun to thrive, Was
. possible that Eskew Arp had not bee
insane after all?