The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1909-07-16

Melvin Leisure stood with white
face. clenched hands and gritted teeth
while Lucille threw herself at her
fathers feet and weepingly begged
and implored him to mitigate the
harsh sentence But he cast her
| rudely from him with curse, and,
turning to Leisure win murder In his
eyes, said:
"'You dogl Yor want my daugh-
ter-you! Why, shot your father
down in cold blood because he differed
with me politically. Do you think
III do less for you for trying to rob
me of my daughter
$50 1t was you who killed my
father returned Leisure in voice
beneath the quiet of which lay the
tense fxedness Of stern, unbending
resolve. Then, Col. Farrar, tell you
that will have your daughter and
will avenge my father. Are you mine
till death, Lueile?'
"I am yours till DEATH said the
girl as she went over and paced her
arm proudly about his neck.
Very little was seen Of Leisure
in town after that and 1t was whis.
pered that he was staying out on his
, farm and keeping out of the irate
coloners way.
y About two weeks after his unsuc-
, cessful interview with Farrar, which
q was noised abroad as such things
=. are in a. small town, Lucille Farrar
q disappeared, and the tongues began to
N wag in earnest When for a week
10, she had not turned up the towns PEG
q. pie, who had little love for Farrar al
best, were ready to believe anything
~ His threat against his daughter was
n known and the holder ones did no
10 hesitate to whisper that he had pu
10 it into execution. These hints tool
IN form by degrees and at last witness
ch came forward who told Of passing tn
he colonefs house, situated on the edg
ITS Of town, late at night, and of hearin
no low means and pleadings.
NV "At last suspicion took such flerc
th root that the sheriff headed an IL
vestigating party. Col. Jim was ava
he and they had free run Of the prem
of Uses.
he THE search led to cave In tn
ain side of the hill. once used as celia
| but long since abandoned. Thel
ON they found torn pieces Of dress.
for bloody Ratchet and some tangled loci
yed of black hair drenched with bloc
BILE The dress and the hair were east
ual identified as belonging to Lucille Fa
He rar, the Ratchet as the property
'tly the colonel
be When charged with the crime b
The knees tottered and he nearly fainte
no He made no direct denial but moan
cile and cried like a child. During t
he'd trial that followed he seemed stunn
and oblivious to what was going c
ppi- Il will admit that the courts
was to-day would be loath to accept
rrar inadequate corpus deficit, but Q
and blood was hot in those times and
ure, seems to me we hanged more tn
With we do now. Service was had on l.
own sure and he testified to the facts OF I
erty quarrel and the threat Upon Il
oted evidence and the prisoners failure
deny they found their verdict Of gui
for and fixed upon the death penalty.
. he LAS the day of execution approa
his ed Col Farrar continued in a St
give of almost total insensibility.
cted when the sheriff came to read
. death warrant he reused and rails
reri' his hand to heaven, said:
ould Before my maker / swear tina
the am guiltless of my child's death
~ They led him TO the scaffold (
nds. on the way he passed Melvin Less
dare who was watching the scene likt
r of bird fascinated by snake. Col
rar requested the sheriff to stop.