The San Francisco call., 1909-11-19

seated in the next room was the HTSt
woman who had ever been accused OF
murder in Placer county. The thought
of murder was revolving one, but as
was interested both sociologically and
psychologicaIIy asked the sheriff if
l might take a peek at her. He took
me into the room and what was my
surprise to find instead of a hardened
woman of middle age beautiful young
girl just in the bud of womanhoOd-a
girl with face as piquant and pretty
as a wood bird in the flower days of
spring, with sea green eyes and
wealth of hair gIistening with the
gold of Gods sunshine.
| After formal introduction, which
she received with welcoming smile
and a cordial handshake, she turned to
make known her mother. white
haired old woman, bent and wrinkled
with the ravages of sorrow. Such
burden of Hfe's bitterness as weighted
her weary old eyes!
| For a moment the situation promised
to be embarrassing, but the sheriff.
who understands all things, relieved it
by explaining that Miss BelI' was his
first guest on that particular ground.
adding the ambiguous remark that he
trusted it would not be for very long
time
This the mother received in the in
tended spirit and exclaimed as she
wiped away the gathering tears. God
grant that your hopes come true
The girl smiled an inscrutable smile
and turning to me as the sheriff lett
the room said. Il wouldn't care so
much if it wasn't for mamma" Then
she asked me to sit down.
1 accepted her invitation and before
1 could summon courage to ask the.
question which my interest prompted
she leaned across the table near which
she sat and asked. You're just dying
to know why [ did it. aren't your"
1 nodded.
Well only two people know and one
of them is dead" This conclusive
statement was delivered in voice low
and sweet, but as Indifferent to the
situation as if she had been discussing
the latest styles.
Encouraged by her attitude, for 1
had hesitated at. delving into this trag-
edy reeking with hearts blood, 1 ven
tured, Il don't understand how you
could kill him if you loved him."
Love him?' she exclaimed, showing
her first exhibition of feeling Il loved
him too much. That was where the
trouble began. He was my heart, my
! life. I gave him every cent 1 earned
for four long years" She began to cry
Her mother, who had remained silent,
pulled her chair close to mine, and
said: YES, Alma always was a good girl
until she met Joe AFmes. She turned
over every bit of her wages TO me.
but since the first night she met him
she finished with an expressive shake
of her head
..well. the deed is DONE" the girl
said. but not unkindly-
81 never liked him. continued the
mother. Il only saw him twice"
..why, mamma replied Alma, "he
was at the house more than that"
The mother started to contradict, but
the girl arose and began to walk up
and down the room. as she broke in
excitedly:
II guess / remember everything he
ever did, every word he ever spoke to
me, from the night that he first. came
to the house with my brother, when he
took me driving, up to the very last.
Her voice broke, and without any fur
ther encouragement from me she pulled
a chair up to mine and crossing her
knees and resting her chin in her
| hands, she told me all about him.
She had known him for four years,
and not all her life, as has been writ
ten since 1t had been a case of love
at first sight, and after that no one
| had meant anything to her in life but
| Joe Armes. Seemingly he returned her
love. and he would make promises TO
her of an early marriage, but always
putting the event further in the dis
| tance until one night last May he told
| her he had no intention of marrying g
her. She thought at first that he was
teasing her, but she finally came to
| realize that he meant what he said.
For three months she had been help
! ing his mother with the housework, and
on the evening of June 13 of this year
she was told to leave the place. After
/ this she went out to the cabin where Joe
! Arnfes lived and asked him to have a
| talk with her. He went outside with
her. and she told him she was going TO
| kill him. He only laughed at her, call
ing her vile name Ten minutes
after he was dead. She told me that
| she had intended to kill herself. but
| that as long as he was alive she wanted
| to live. and as she hurried away from
/ his body she heard him groan, and
| with the hope that he was still living
she ran away and lay down under some
! poison oak bushes few yards away.
I asked her if he had been alive il
she had intended to shoot him again
! She answered, NO.
Not having the courage to look upon
the dreadful thing she had done, she
remained lying there in the night try
ing to gather strength to kill herself.
! She said that the world seemed so far
! away and the time flew so rapidly to
her dazed mind that it was as if she
had been lying there but few min
i utes when she was apprehended, when
i in point of fact il was way into the
j next day. She stopped at this point to
| wipe away her tears. and 1t was then
/ I noticed that her eyes were world
tired with the shadows of approach
ing maternity. Motherhood. that
crowning joy of woman's life, was
| ,,o,,i,,er to her as a wreath of shame