The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-12-07
CHAPTER |.
evidence was all in. The
speeches had been made en-
both sides of the case. and the

1EtAA HHE+ Hf F[-f 8"
attorney for the state had grow severe
and eloquent ia urging conviction. The
jury had remained in retirement all
the morning and At last had filed In
and rendered their verdict. David
Buckley. the prisoner at the bar, was
found guilty of having deliberately and
In the night stolen a bale of cotton from
a neighbours barn, branded It as his
own and taken it to market the neZ
day.
He was a short. thiekset man near
the age Of siXty-gray. stiff haired and
sullen faced. and just now more angry,
1t was thought. at certain %neighbors
who had testified against him than
chagrined at the verdict of the court.
lie glanced at his wife. who sat
against the railing behind him, and
then stared steadily at the oor till the
sheriff came and led him back 70 Jail.
Later in the afternoon he was brought
back to receive his sentence. The
judge, q tall, powerful man, dark Of
hair and eye, and as brown as a Span
lard, was about to order him to stand
up when Hiram Hillyer. a well-to-do
cotton and grain merchant of the town,
rose and begged permission to speak
to the judge in private before the pris-
oper was sentenced.
well, I reckon we've got time, MIR.
Hlllyer,' the judge said pleasantly. IF
it's anything in Buckeyes favor I'd
like to heal It. I've been on the bench
seven years, and I don't think l ever
had a man before me that was painted
as black by his neighbors."
Making his way through the cluster
of lawyers and students of the law
- IL - q 4AN xr1anrf
Jury rooms, the merchant waited for
the judge to join him, n when he
came Hlllyer, |nervously pulling at his
short, gray beard. faced him, an eager
look in his mild blue eyes.
Tn afeard it amt nothin' In the
old mans favor, Judge Moore" he fall
tered. "The truth Is, I'm a-thinkin'
about his son. Judge, eff thar ever
was a finer, more honest an upright
boy than George Buckley, 1 hain't
never run across i'm"
ooh, you can't tell me anything about
George said Judge Moore. H and
I are friends. He voted for me and
legged for me in the Upper Tenth dis
trlct. All, so he sent you to me, did
he? Well, what does George want? l
was glad he wasn't in court to hear al
that stuff against his daddy"
you see, we thought-me'n' George
both thought that maybe you moughf
Justice mought be carried out by i'm
/. posin' a pretty heavy fine. am"
odd Buckley isn't able to pay E
cent" broke in the judge. "I'v made
;, inquiries, and If his little farm is sold
= it viii leave his old wife without any
e mpans of making a support. No, the
e jigss up with him"
4 But Georges been win money for
the last five years. said Hillyer anx-
0 iously. I've got it borrowed from i'm
4 at regular rates. l can lay my hands
on the money at a moments notice
Yes, he can raise a reasonable amount
I all right"
t Judge Moore frowned, thrust his
hands into the pockets of his trouser.
/, and turned to a window which looked
E out on the courtyard where a few idlers
lay on the grass near the hitching rack
I I'm not going to be the medium
through which deserving innocent peo-
pie suffer for the guilty" he said firm
ly. I've thought 1t all over. l was
afraid George might ask this, but it's
, no go. I've made VI my mind on that
score
"oh, Judge, don't say that pleaded
: Hillyer. 1.-THE boy simply can't beal
: it. You see. Judge Moore, since l tucl
! i'm an sent i'm eff to school he's beer
sorter away from his home, an the
~feller's got as much feelin' as anybody
else. Then when he got through col
+ lege an l give i'm a place ia my bust
I ness he's stood with the best folks In
the town. an 1t you'd go hard with
into have his own daddy at the Goa
? mines"
Il know all that. Mr.. Hillyer. I've
thought of il twenty times during this
trial. / hardly slept last night trying
to make up my mind what to do in
case the jury didn't recommend. Buck
ley to mercy. Well. they came down
on i'm like a load of bricks. an I'm not
. going to let George suffer for him.
Why. the Old rascal can't be cured %
his dishonesty. Didn't you hear what
I Bradley said about his constantly steal
ing from his ~neighbors, many Of whom
| never made n charge against him
out of respect for Mrs. Buckley and
George? No. sir. his son. who is my
friend, shall not sacrifice his saving.
for him
Then I'll pay it, Judge; o know
ann able"
you silan't do that, either" said the
nudge firmly. Even If I'd consent tC
lot as old a man as you he out OF
pocket for such Il hopeless reprobate,
George would dnd il out and insist on
ropaying you la the long run. No; five
years in the mines will do the old
, scamp good. and I'm going TO secure
' his transportation"
I You think that's final then, judge
HiIlvor had turned quite pale, and the