The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1910-03-24

tHeu tetuIueO Wild aim 70 q corpse.
you are excused"
The prosecuting attorney then begaI
his argument.
Judge Hughes followed for Jack
But his e%loquence was futile. Only
two OF his points made anything OF al
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 thai
the AK was Il very old n of German
manufacture, the duplicate of which
could not be found for miles around
Certainly no one had ever seen the ak
in Jacks possession.
The prosecuting attorney quietly
called attention to the relative insig.
niticance 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 jus,
half an hour when they fled In and
the foreman handed in the verdict
Guilty Of murder in the first degree
1t was the shortest murder trial evei
held in the state.
The defense's motion for a new trial
was not granted. Accordingly Jack
was taken to the state penitentiary.
The governor. a rather rigid man. saw
no e%xtenuating circumstances in the
case, and the first week in October was
set as the time for the execution. st
Jacks fate was sealed. Two months
and he would suffer an i%gnominious
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 tG
spend the rest of the autumn Glare
wrote one letter to Jack-a long. long
one. What was in it nobody but them.
selves I'VE knew.
Time flew. On the twenty-eighth day
lowing telegram:
Come at once. Big news. BILL.
Bright and early the mex 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 I'd 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 it. miss? An do We
recollect it didn't hev no handle? /
wonder wot become of it," He laugh
ed siyiy. Il 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 Phils
death I've cussed an swore at that
tree. Time an ag'in I've gone out
thar to chop the crftter down. an time
an ag'in l couldn't. Suthin' allus
seemed to hold me back. Pm mighty
glad nov that suthin' did"
Bill showed Glare his find" Fiji
teen minutes later the overjoyed young
rode down to the village. Sc
cured, a camera: then. returning to the
forest. took a picture of the tree, or.
rather. of II particular part of it.
That afternoon she stood in the pres
ence of his excellency the governor of
the state.
"Gorernor. she began quietly. next
week is the time set for John Law
rence's execution. I'm here to ask
you for Il pardon"
You don't ask much" his excellency
answered dryly.
Governor" she continued. smiling.
you are familiar with the details OF
Mr.. Hastings death. | ask you to
keep III mind now -four points especial
ly-therp was Il thunderstorm raging
at the time. he was standing under IL
tree. the tree was struck by lightning.
and he WAS strrck with an AK.
His eNceilen-- looked bored. Go on.
SHE opened her satchel and tool out
the photograph plate IL the ak
There. sir. is the AK. As you see. it's
a very file steel one OF hi odd Sh;llbe
and size. and it y0n ook down III tins
corner yon'll find it was made in Ger
Ai"ii - M tSo az WI a Nv dA.
then. is thirty-lli,e years old. The tree
is IL number OF years older. Now. this
plate shows the part OF the tree HAT
WAS STRUCK: by lightning the forks. 81,
called. or the point where the upper
part of the trunk divides into two
limbs. The lightning struck the forks,
and they spill open. Look closely at
the plate aud you'll see Il depression
in the wood where the lightning
struck. ii depression OF the exact shape
OF this ax. And right here is the eN
PLANTATION Of tile mystery of Philip Has
tings death. This ax was stuck into
the tree between twenty and twenty
five years ago by some woadman. He
might nave done 1t for several reasons
to mark the tree. to put the AK in a
safe and convenient place. or it might
nave been merely an net OF careless
ness. BE that as 1t may. woodmen often
do such things. The ak was thrust
into this tree. the handle %loosening and