The Washington times., 1911-01-01
TERROR X

he stared fixedly in front of him. He
clInched his fist, determined TO utter his
| secret. II will speak, l will speak.
will speak, he insisted to himself.
His counsel sat down at last. The
courtroom was silent as a tomb. With
instructive politeness, Barton bent for
ward and thanked him. He had not
heard a word Of the plea which had
The judge turned toward the prisoner
| and sternly asked:
Have you anything to say in your
own defense?" Barton stood up, with
! terrible effort, so haggard and pale that
! an officer stepped forward lest he should
| faint. He swept the man aside and in
a strong voice, which evidently i'm
pressed the jury by its sincerity, he re-
piled:
May it please the court, am inno-
cent and l can prove it." He breathed
| heavily and stopped for second, gazing
straight ahead of him with stark-staring
| eyes. He opened his lips. Those who
stood nearest to him thought they heard
him mutter IT will" He lifted his head
and spread out his fingers as II to blot
| out some menacing vision. Then he
shouted with explosive suddenness:
"At 1920 o'clock, the time when the
man, was sitting in the house of my
| friend, NJ. Ledoux. IA Rue du General
Appert."
Exhausted by his supreme effort, over
come by his victory over the unknown 1
dominated his will, he sank down into
his seat and sobbed with joy. A half
dozen court attendants sprang to MS
assistance. Such was the uproar that
only by threatening to clear the court
room was the Judge enabled to restore
order. When the shrieking crowd had
subsided, he said:
Barton, don't try to deceive us at
time like this. Consider the effect or
NNzy,
false
,'T have considered. have told the
truth. swear it. l ask that m friend
LedouX be called"
Your honor" spoke Barton's lawyer:
"I ask that the witness be summoned
Immediately
so be it answered the judge. 81 or
der the witness named by the prisoner
at the har to be brought into this court
within che hour. Officer, you will go to
"A Rue du General Appert and bring M.
Ledoux with you. The trial is postponed
for ole hour"
Barton's declaration had stupefied ev-
eryone. His partisans in the court room
were jubilant. His opponents, unable to
denv the importance of such an alibi, re-
fused to believe him. The jury. was
stunned. They had been SO impressed
by the prosecuting attorneys summing
lIp that they had paid but little atten-
tion to the weak defense offered by Bar
toms counsel. If the alibi could be
proved, the charge OF murder against
the~prisoner must fall.
Barton's attorney leaned over -and
asked: "Why didn't you tell me this
sooner?"
Barton replied truthfully and yet un-
convincingly: Because ! could not"
For an hour the court room and the
corridor presented a scene of eAtraordi-
nary animation. The trial, which had
dragged along in the morning without
incident, had been suddenly transformed
into a sensation. At the sound of a
gong the crowd in the hall fiocked back
into the court room. A handful of men
and women who had been refused ad-
mittance. in the morning had wormed
their way in, despite the guards at the
doors The doors. The crier again
pounded the table in front of him with
his gaveI and the judge solemnly re-
entered. In dead silence NJ. Ledoux
was called to the stand.