The Ocala evening star., 1911-06-14
IT WILL TAKE YOUR CASE"

II WILL TAKE YOUR CASE
.ngs, forgot the claims Of my dear.
dead mother and even those OF my
own future. Such passion and such
devotion merited consideration from
the man who had called them forth.
would not slight the claims or my
dead mother but i would give this
Young girl chance for her life. Let
others ferret out the fact that she had
visited the clubhouse with her sister;
I would not proclaim 1t. 1t was enough
for me to proclaim my innocence.
| was in this frame of mind when
Charles Clifton called and was allowed
to see me- | had sent for him in one
of nv discouraged moods. He was my
friend, but he was also my legal advis-
er. and it was as such had summon
ed him, and it was as such he had now
come Cordial as our relations hau
been, noted no instructive outstretch-
ing Of his hand and so did not reach
out mine / was the first to speak
II am an innocent man so far as the
attack made upon Miss Cumberland
goes. I had no hand In her murder. II
murder 1t is found out to be. My story
which YOU have read in the papers ana
which / felt forced to give out, possi-
bly to nv own shame and that OF an
other whom i would fain have saved,
is an absolutely true one. l did not
arrive at the Whispering Pines until
after Miss Cumberland was dead. To
this | am ready to swear, and II Is
upon this fact you must rely In any
defense you may hereafter be called
upon to make in my regard.
But | saw that | had made no i'm
preston on his convictions. He re-
garded me as 4 guilty man ana, what
was more to the point no doubt. as
one for whom no plea could be made
or any rational defense undertaken.
You don't believe me" ! went on,
/ still without any great bitterness. Il
/ am not surprised at it after what the
man Clarke has said Of seeing me with
NV hands on her throat. But. Charles.
! TO YOU I will confess that l did this
out of a wild desire to see II those
marks were really the marks OF stran-
Cling fingers You shall believe me
YOU must" | insisted as | perceived
i his hard gaze remain unsoftened. Il
don't ask 1t of the rest or the worlu.
But YOU, If you are to act as my coun-
sci. must take this denial from me as
gospel truth. She was dead before
touched her Had the police spy whose
testimony is likely to hang me climbed
the tree a moment sooner than he dio
he would have seen that Are you
ready TO take my caseT
Clifton is fair fellow, and | kne"
IL he once accepted the fact l thus
urged upon him he would work fol
me with all the skill and ability my
desperate situation demanded. | wa:
conscious of a great leap OF heart a:
the set expression of his features re
laxed and he responded almost warm
ly:
81 will take your case. Ranelagn
: God help me to make 1t good agains
all Odds
was conscious of few hopes, bu
some of the oppression under whic
! ] labored lifted at those words. | ha
assured one man OF my innocence. IL
+ was ready to speak before | was
Then you had not been long on IN
scene Of crime when the police arriN
ed?'
Il had been in the room but fe'
minutes / do not know how long
was searching the house"
The police say that fully twent
minutes elapsed between the time the
received Miss Cumberland's appea! Il
help and their arrival at the clubhous
II you were there that long
Il cannot say. Moments are hour
at such a crisis. T.
/. Ny emotions were too much for N
and l confusedly stopped. he W;
surveying me with the old distrus
In a moment l saw why.
You are not open with me-" I
protested. why should moments
hours TO you previous 10 the instal
= when you stripped those pillows fro
= the COuch?"
This was poser. | had laid N
- self open 10 suspicion by one though
less admission. and. what was wors
II was but the beginning in all pro
ability OF many other possible N
takes. l had never taken the trout
to measure my words. and. the W Do
truth being impossible. ! ne'c<saTl
rs must make sip now and then.
had better be warned II this ! d
not wish him TO undertake my eau
blindfolded He must understand
difficulties while believing in my inI
cence Then if he chose 10 draw la
- we'll and good. ! should have 10 IA
the situation alone.
I'D Charles" said a soon aS ! cot
ii perfectly control my S:e",h. you !
quite just in your remark. am I
and cannot be perfectly oren "
N. you. | shall tell you no lies. but
yond that | cannot promise ] ,
Continued on Fourth Fage)