The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-07-21

Z
Some one Is walking over my grave
when | heard these words, delivered
In the slow and but slightly raised
tones with which Mr.. Moffat invari
ably began his address:
May it please the court and gentle
men Of the jury. my learned friend
Of the prosecution has shown great dis
erection in that. so far as appears from
the trend Of his examinations. he is
planning no attempt to explain the
many siIences and the often forbidding
attitude Of my young client By any
theory save the obvious one-the nat
ural desire OF brother to hide bis
only remaining sisters connection with
a tragedy of whose details he was ig-
norant and concerning which he had
formed theory derogatory to her po-
uon as young and well bred woman.
Fear for a loved one. even In one
whom you Will probably hear describ-
ed as a dissipated man, of selfish tend
encies and hitherto unbrotheriy quail
tiles is great miracle worker. No
sacrifice seems impossible which serves
as a guard for one SO situated and so
threatened"
Here Mr.. Moffat recapitulated those
events, but always from the stand
point of the defendant, a standpoint
which necessarily brought before the
jury the many excellent reasons which
his client had for supposing this crime
to have resulted solely from the con-
f1icting interests represented by that
furtively passed note and the visit Of
two girls instead Of one to the Whis-
pering Pines. 1t was very convincing
At the proper moment Mr.. Moffat said:
"Genuemen OF the jury, you have
seen the point after point Of the pros
ecution's case demolished before your
eyes By testimony which no one has
had the temerity to attempt to con-
trovert What Is left? MI Fox will
tell you-three strong and unassail
able facts: The ring found in the
murdered woman's casket. the rem
nants Of the telltale. bottle discovered
in the Cumberland stable and the op-
portunity for crime given by the &C.
knowledged presence Of the defendant
on or near the scene of death.
But are these points SO vital IS they
seem? Let US consider them and see
Ny client has denied that be dropped
anything into his sisters casket, much
less the ring missing from that sisters
finger. Dare you, then. convict On this
point when. according to count, ten
other persons were seen to drop flow-
ers into this very place, any one OF
which might have carried this object
with It?
And the bit of broken bottle found
In or near the defendants own stable!
Is he to be convicted on the similarity
it offers to the one known to have
come from the clubhouse wine vault,
while a reasonable doubt remains Of
bis having been the hand which car
ried it there? No. Where there Is
reasonable doubt no high minded Jury
will convict, and claim that my client
has made it plain that there is such a
reasonable doubt.
MY distinguished opponent would
did not fly at the moment declared,
but that he waited to fulfill the foul
deed which Is the only serious matter
fn dispute In his so nearly destroyed
case. l hear as though he were now
speaking the attack which be win
make upon my client when be comes
to review this matter with you. Let
me see If cannot make you hear
those words too" And, with daring
smile at his discounted adversary.
Alonzo Mofrat launched forth into the
following sarcasm:
Arthur Cumberland. coming up the
kitchen stairs. hears voices where he
had expected total silence, sees light
where he had left total darkness. He
has two bottles in his hands or In his
large coat pockets. Ii they are in his
hands he sets them down and steals
forward to listen. He Has recognized
the voices. They are those Of his two
sisters. one Of whom had ordered him
to hitch up the cutter for her to es-
cape, as he had every reason to be-
Heve. the other. Curiosity-or Is It
some nobler feeling ?-causes him to
draw nearer and nearer to the room in
which they have taken up their stand
He can hear their words now, and
what are the words he hears7 Words
that would thrill the most imperv1ous
heart, call for the interference Of the
most Indifferent. But be is made Of
ice. welded together with steel. He
sees (for no place save one from which
he can watch and see-namely, the
dark dancing hall-would satisfy any
man Of such gigantic curiosity, AIDE
1aide fall at CarmePs feet in recogni-
ton Of the great sacrifice she has
made for her. But he does not move:
he falls at no ones feet; he recognizes
no nobility, responds to no higher ap-
peal. Stony and unmoved, he crouches
there and watches and watches. still
curious or still feeding his hate on
the sufferings Of the elder. the for
bearance of the younger.
"And on what does he look? You
have already heard. but consider it.
Adelaide. despairing of happiness. de
cides on death for herself or sister.
Both loving one man. one Of the two
must give way to the other. Carmel
has done her part; she must now do