Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1909-03-25

anybody or any noise that gave you d.
rection in taking aim7"
81 certainly did not.n
NOW, Mr.. Reynolds, what was your
object IN firing as you did,"
wal, l was good deal riled up ter
neeln with. Things hedn't gone right
tnat Gay. Then when the noise begun I
TOOK u a. an insult an I billed right up
mad. Then when them rotten eggs come
at me, an specially when the scamps
stumped me oeut, jest couldn't hold on
20 myself no longer. l didn't hardly
know what l was abeout, an I did the
Inst thing that come handy. II that
pesky gun hadn't ben right there, /
shouldn't hev hunted it up. he'd to
do sumthin' quick"
snow, / ask you" and Spencer threw
much seriousness into his tone. ssdid
you have any knowledge that John Ed
wards was in that party at your door
that night?"
mo, l didn't, sir.''
ibid you mean to shoot him or any
body when you fredf'
Wilkie hesitated so long that the
spectators grew uneasy.
II don't think I meant to hit no.
body, but ter tell the truth, ef hang
fer 1t, was so dumd mad at the min
ute | didn't stop to consider. l didn't
pick oeut nobody an shoot at 'em.
Couldn't see 'e'n at ALL"
That's ALL" declared Rollin Spencer,
feeling that his chief witness, in telling
a plain and truthful story, had put his
case in the best possible light.
The states attorney subjected Wilkie
to rigorous cross examination, but
could not shake his testimony in a single
Particular. Reynolds proved quite
match for the lawyer, throwing back an
swers that stung.
"You had threatened to pound Squire
Edwards that very day, hadn't you?' he
asked, to nettle wilkie.
"Yep, and I'D a whaled lin good ef
I'D caught him after the caucus" replied
Wilkie before Spencer could head of this
line Of questioning as irrelevant.
"Nou hated Edwards aud all his tribe,
didn't your" persisted the prosecutor.
No love fer the Squire-he's done me
too many mean turns, but en- stand th'
sight of his boss er dog without bootin'
'em. Squire has a real likely mare tibet
I'd like ter own"
"But in politics you always fought the
Squire?p
eve ft together replied wilkie, SEN
tentiously.
"How did you happen to buy that
buckshot on the very day Of the shooting
right after the caucus9'' asked the at
torney, seeking to trap Wilkie. He
failed
didn't buy it after caucus. Bought it
afore. Said so, too"
Excuse me, but why did you buy the
shot that day?''
"Wsl, cats hid ben thicker fer few
nights, an l happened ter be in Walters
store an happened ter think ont, so
bought it.'
Snow when you grabbed up that gun
and went to the door with it, you didn't
have any idea anybody was coming into
your home to do you harm, did your
"Wal, sumpthin' he'd come in to do us
BARN. Didn't do US no good to be rotten
egged."
al know. That's your version of it.
But really you didn't expect anyone
would try to forcibIy enter your house,
did you? That wasn't the reason you
took up the gunP'
81 didn't know what tew expect2
They stumped me oeut ter fight, an
didn't know but they might be rough
house inside"
"But you fred, as you say, when no
one was in sight. You won't undertake
to say you we're defending your castle
when nobody vas even approaching it.n
81 don't undertake ter say nothin' but
tn truth. don't claim / didn't do
nothin' wrong in firin'. was upset.
mad AN lost my head. / didn't aim at
nobody an intended to scare tn crowd
of ruther'n to hurt 'em."
Now, Wilkie, isn't that an after
thought? At the moment you leveled
the gun-mind / gay leveled-you didn't
care whether you hit anyone or not, did
your You have said you had lost your
head completely"
"Well, eff didn't care whether hit
envy body err not, heow dew yew make it
oeut that did care, an was tryin' to
kill Squire Edwards boy?"
The court assemblage smiled so audibly
over this keen return to an awkward
question that the sheriff raped for order.
"Now, Wilkie, il you were simply try
ing to scare of your visitors, why did
you aim at such a height that IL your di-
rection had been right you must have hit
the man in the upper part of the body3
Why didn't you fire into the airP'
81 want shootin' stars that night, /
guess"
mo, you we're shooting to kill" and
the lawyer leered savagely.
"That's fer these gentlemen tew say"
responded Wilkie, turning to the jury,
calmly. 81 claim not"
So they fenced on, without visible re-
suit, until the examination ended. A
few redirect questions and Wilkie
stepped down and resumed his seat near
his counsel.
Spencer, had but one or two other wit
nesses to produce and rested his case.
The state used few on rebuttal, and the
case had then reached the stage Of argu-
ment by counsel. Half day was given
to this, and the judges charge. The
prosecuting attorney allowed his assist
ant to open, Spencer following and the
chief counsel for the state closing.
Rollin Spencer knew that much de-
pended on the impression he was able to
make on the jury. He had studied those
twelve men closely during the trial, and
felt that the best way to approach them
/ vras NOT nv a nipht of loud OratOFy. but