The Monroe journal. [volume] (Monroe, N.C.) 189?-1965, 1910-08-30
then returned with him to the corpse. :


But his eloquence was futile. Only
two Of his points made anything Of an
impression-the fact that no footprints
had been discovered under the tree
Other than those Of Miss Fleming and
the dead man and the further fact that
the az was a very old one Of German
manufacture. the duplicate Of which
could not be found for miles around.
Certainly no one had ever seen the ar
in Jacks possession.
The prosecuting attorney quietly
called attention 10 the relative insig-
nificance Of the defense's two points.
Then the court gave the charge TO the
jury. The twelve good men and true
retired. They had been gone just
half an hour when they filed in and
the foreman handed in the verdict.
Guilty of murder in the first degree.
II was the shortest murder trial ever
held in the state.
The defense's motion for new trial
was not granted. Accordingly Jack
was taken 10 the state penitentiary.
The governor. rather rigid man. saw
no extenuatins circumstances in the
case. and the first week in October was
set as the time for the execution. So
Jacks fate was sealed. Two months.
and he would suffer an igncminious
death on the gallows.
A cloud OF gloom settled over the
village, where Jack had always been
a general favorite. Judge Hughes and
his niece went TO a watering place to
spend the rest of the autumn. Clare
wrote one letter to Jack-a long. long
one. What was in it nobody but them
selves ever knew.
Time few. On the twenty-eighth day
Of September Clare received the fol-
lowing telegram:
Come at once. Big news. BILL.
Bright and early the next morning
she galloped up Black mountain. As
usual Bill was chopping wood.
you mus scuse me, miss" he apol-
ogized. but as you an me wuz the
only ones wot didn't b'lieve him guilty
thought Id hev We come an share
the glor'us news. But We mus be
quick about it, as you'll hev to see
the guv'nor."
He went into the cabin and brought
out the Ak which had been found on
the ground beside the body. Its a
quar- one, amt 1t, miss? An do We
recollect II didn't hev no handle? i
wonder wot become Of it," He laugh
ed slyly. II guess Jack must ha'
buried it. But, do you know, miss, |
suspicion that this here ak be half
as old as am? Come, wanter show
you the tree. Ever since poor Pills
death I've cussed an swore at that
tree. Time an ag'in I've gone out
thar to chop the critter down. an time
an ag'in couldn't. Suthin' allus
seemed TO hold me back. I'm mighty
glad now that suthin' did,"
Bill showed Clare his find" Eff
teen minutes later the oyerjoyed young
woman rode down to the village. Sc
cured camera; then. returning TO the
forest, took picture Of the tree. or,
rather, OF one particular part OF It,
That afternoon she stood in the pres.
ence of his excellency the governor Of
the state.
Governor" she began quietly. next
week Is the time set for John Law
rence's execution. I'm here TO ask
you for a pardon"
you don't ask much" his excellency
answered dryly.
Governor" she continued, smiling,
you are familiar with the details Of
Mr. Hastings death. l ask you to
keep in mind now four points especial
ly-there was thunderstorm raging
at the time. he was standing under a
tree, the tree was struck by lightning.
and he was struck with an AK"
His excellency looked bored go on"
She opened her satchel and took out
the photograph plate and the AK.
There, sir, is the AK. As you see, it's
a very fine steel one Of an odd shape
and size, and if you look down in this
corner you'll find it was made in Ger
many as long ago as 1860. The ax,
then, is thirty-nine years old. The tree
is a number Of years older Now, this
plate shows the part Of the tree that
was struck by lightning-the forks so
called. or the point where the upper
part of the trunk divides into two
limbs. The lightning struck the forks,
and they split open. Look closely at
the plate and you'll see depression
in the wood where the lightning
struck. depression of the exact shape
Of this AK. And right here is the ex-
PLANTATION Of the mystery Of Philip Has
tlngs' death. This AK was stuck into
the tree between twenty and twenty
FIVE years ago by some woodman. lie
might have done it for several reasons
to mark the tree, to put the ak In a
safe and convenient place, or it might
have been merely an act Of careless
ness. BE that as 1t may, woodIen often
do such things. The ak was thrust
into this tree, the handle loosening and
coming of. The man who did it must
have forgotten 1t or gone away unex-
pectedly, as 1t was left In the tree.
How do know that this happened be-