The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1911-03-17

NINA HnO not guilty. lue mystery VI
the case was sufficient to enlist ones
deepest interest.
The result Of all this was that fell
in love with my client. She was fully
ten years my senior, a widow. and llv-
ing on the slenderest income. None of
these considerations was in itself suf-
J fcient to prevent my loving her or mar
rying her, but to feel that my happi-
ness was dependent upon a union with
a self confessed forger was sufficient
to drive me to insanity.
The theory of justice is that an ac-
cused person is either innocent or
guilty-that he must be proved guilty
to be punished. Nevertheless COM
promise, which enters into all other
matters of life, enters into law as we'll.
The jury was obliged to bring in a
verdict of guilty, but recommended the
culprit to mercy. The consequence
was that in sentencing her the Judge
! gave her the lightest sentence. posi-
BILE within the law. He condemned
her to serve a term of six months in
the state penitentiary.
That a woman l had come to love
should spend n minute behind bars
was not only abhorrent to me, but it
unbalanced my equanimity. I at once
moved for a new trial, then when
alone with my client confessed my
love for her.
She was strangely moved by my con
fession. 1t seemed to give her both
happiness and misery. When I asked
her as to her feelings toward me she
broke down. weeping p%rofusely, but
gave no answer. When she had quiet
ed she begged me to let the sentence
of the court stand. She would serve
her term and the suspense would be
ended.
l would not agree to this. I OBJ
tanned a new trial, which could not be
brought to pass for several months,
but the judge was willing to accept
bail, and l furnished the necessary
amount myself, SO that my clients
liberty until the case was finally closed
was not in question.
One morning the president of the
bank on which the forged check had
been drawn sem for me. l went at
once to, see him. He took me into his
=. private Office and said to me:
"This case of yours in the matter of
the state against Mrs. Rebecca Irwin
is a very singular one. . Do you know
that your client is not guilty?'
81 believe it, but 1 can't prove it.
And this fact is driving me mad"
"You don't need TO Prove it. We
have the proof here in the bank"
"What do you mean"
"Listen. From the first we have had
a detective working on the case. When
Mrs. Irwin confessed l told him that
there was no further use for his serv-
ices. He replied that the cast would
prove to be q mystery and that he had
got hold of a clew which might lead
to it's solution. OF course 1 told him
to go ahead. He claimed that Mrs.
Irwin's confession, turning suspicion
from the real culprit, would aid him
the detective) greatly in prosecuting
his Investigations.
"Well, he has just made q report.
1t is this: One of our clerks named
Dixon. a youngster of twenty, is the
forger. He has been intimate with
Julian Irwin. aged sixteen, the son Of
the self accused woman"
"What!" l interrupted. "She never
told me she had a son."
Young Irwin was II day scrfbbling
on some blank checks. Dixon got hold
of one Of those checks, the body Of
which was filled in. the name of the
drawer of the check and the person to
whom it was made payable alone be-
ing wanting. Dixon filled in the name
!. and made the Endorsement and a long
while afterward asked Irwin as a ia.
vor to draw the money.
"When Irwin, though innocent, found
himself implicated in. the matter he
went to his mother and told her the
circumstances. An attorney was con-
suited, who told the mother and son
that If Dixon was prosecuted Irwin
must stand trial for forgery, with the
probability of conviction, for Dixon
would doubtless try to throw the
WuOl0 lcSpOAoAUAAACy OA SAS IVY AV A0Ns
made his tool"
|. II see it all. But go on"
ITO hush the matter up. thus saving
her son from q blighted life, his moth.
er confessed herself q forger."
"God bless her!" I exclaimed. 'she
tried to conceal her nobility from me.
but failed"
.The experts e all at sea-" re-
marked the president.
"Mine were not. They pronounced
the, writing in the body different from
that Of the signatures"
nv client has not vet been informed
of this o~,..::nverr ?' I asked presently.
mo. You are the only person thus
far, besides myself, to know It"
Getting from him the address OF
young Irwin. I called a carriage and
drove to where he was employed and
told him l wished him to go with me
to his mother. He did so. and an
nOunced to both that there was no ne
oncct%,, for. f,ufhor mvsforv since the