The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-08-21

"Oh!" cried Helen.
81 forgot the clergyman; was q
and man, insulted,
and knocked the officer down
But his myrmidons over
me. l was tried at the
central criminal court on two
charges. First, the crown Gas they
call the attorney that draws the in
charged me with forging
the note of hand; and then with
not forging it. but passing it. well
knowing that somebody else. had
forged it. Well, Undercliff, the ex-
pert, swore positively that the
forged note was not written by me;
and the crown, as they call it, was
defeated on that charge; but being
proved a liar in a court of justice
did not abash my accuser; the Sec
ond charge was pressed with equal
confidence. The note, you are to
understand, was forged, that adj
mits of no doubt; and l passed It,;
the question was whether had
passed it knowing it to be forged.
How was that to be determined ?
And here it was that my own fa-
miliar friend, in whom l trusted,
destroyed me. OF course, a. soon
as was put in prison, I wrote and
sent to Arthur Wardlaw. Would
you believe 1T? He would not come
to me. He would not even write,
Then, as the time drew near.
feared he was a traitor. I treated
him like one. I told my solicitor to
drag him into court as my witness,
and make him tell the truth. The
sclerk went down accordingly, and
found he kept his door always
locked; but the clerk outwitted him
and served him. with the subpena
in his bedroom, before he could
crawl under the bed. But he baffled
us at last; he never appeared In
the witness box; and when my
counsel asked the court to imprison
him, his father swore he could not
come; he was dying. and all out OF
sympathy with me. Fine sympathy
that closed the lips and concealed
the truth; one syllable OF which
would have saved his friend and
benefactor from a calamity worse
than death. Is the truth poison
that to tell it makes sick mar
die? Is the truth hell, that dying
man refuses to speak 1t! How car
man die better than speaking the
truth? How can he die worse thar
withholding it? / believe his sick
ness and death were lies like him
self. For want of one word from
Arthur Wardlaw to explain that
had every reason to expect a note
of hand from him, the jury con
demned me. They were II homes
but shallow men--invited to go in
side another mans bosom, ant
guess what was there. The!
guessed that knew and under
stood a thing which to this hour
neither know nor understand, b.
Cod"
He paused a moment, then re
sumed:
II believe they founded their con
| officer. There was a req
officer. officer. There was rea
son for you! Why. forgers an,
their confederates are reptiles. ant
have no fight in them. Experience
proves this. But these IL men di'
not go by experience; they guesse'
like babies, and, after much hesita
ton, condemned me; but recon
mended me to mercy. Mercy
What mercy did l deserve? Eithe
l was innocent, or hanging was to-
good for me. No: in their heart
they doubted my guilt; and thei
doubt took that timid form instea
of acquitting me. / was amazed q
the verdict, and asked leave to tel
the judge why Arthur Wardlaw ha
defied the court and absented hin
self as my witness. Had the judg
listened for one minute, he woul
have seen 4 was innocent. But ne
I was in England, where the mout
Of the accused is stopped, If he
fool enough to employ counsel. TIL
judge stopped my mouth, as you
father just now tried to stop 1t
and they branded me as a felon.
up to that moment my life wa
honorable and worthy. Since tina
moment ! have never wronged
human creature. Men pass frol
virtue TO vice. from vice to crime
this is the ladder soul goes down
but you are invited to believe ths
L jumped from innocence into
filthy felony, and then jumped bac
again none the worse. and was
gardener that fought for his en-
ployer. and lover that controlle
his passion. II is iie-a lie this
ought not to take In a child. B,
prejudice degrades a man belo
the level of a child. I'll say n
more; my patience Is exhausted
wrongs and insults. l am as hone
a man as ever breathed; and tn
place where We stand is mine. for
made it. Leave 1t and me this m
ment. Go to England and leave n
where the animals. more reaso