Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1911-11-23

all, bu6 WIS Dy 10 means sure Q6T-
self that Underwood had committed
suicide. Howard had confessed, so
why should she jeopardize her good
name uselessly?
NO" repeated the Judge, shaking
his head, there's something strange
in the whole affair. l don't believe
Howard had any hand in it"
But he confessed" exclaimed
Alicia.
The judge shook his head.
That's nothing" he said. There
have been many instances of untrue
confessions. A famous affair Of the
kind was the Boorn case in Vermont.
Two brothers confessed having killed
their brother-in-law and described
how they destroyed the body, yet
some time afterward the murdered
man turned up alive and well. The
object of the confession, Of course,
was to turn the verdict from murder
to m~anslaughter, the circumstantial
evidence against them having been
so strong. In the days Of witchcraft
the unfortunate women accused Of
being witches we're often urged by
relatives to confess as being the only
way of escape open to them. Ann
Foster, at Salem, in 1892, confessed
that she was a witch. She said the
devil appeared to her In the shape Of
a bird, and that she attended a meet
ing OF witches at Salem village. She
was not insane, but the horror OF
the accusation brought against her
had been too much for a weak mind.
Towards confession may possibly be
due to some such influence"
Il hope for his poor fathers sake"
said Alicia, that you may be right
and that he may be proved innocent,
but everything is overwhelmingly
against him. | think you are the only
one in New York to express such a
doubt"
Don't forget his wife," remarked
the Judge, dryly.
NO." she replied. 81 really feel
sorry for the girl myself. Will you
give her some money If T."
The lawyer shook his head.
"She won't take 1t. ! tried it. She
wants me to defend her husband
tried to bride her to go to some other
lawyer, but it wouldn't work"
We'll, something ought to be done
to stop her annoying us!"' exclaimed
Alicia, Indignantly. MIR. Jeffries suf'
fers terribly. l can hear him pacing
up and down the library till three or
four in the morning. Poor man, he
suffers so keenly and he won't let any
one sympathize with him. He Wont
let me mention his sons name. | fee
we ought to do something. Try and
persuade him to let me see this cir
and-you are his friend as well as his
legal adviser"
Judge Brewster bowed.
Your husband Is a very old friend
Mrs. Jeffries. l can't disregard his
wishes entirely"
There was a knock at the door o
the private Office.
Come in" called the Judge.
The door opened and the heat
clerk entered, ushering in Howard
Jeffries, Sr. The banker, still aristo
cratic and dignifed, but looking tire'
and careworn, advanced into the room
and shook hands with the Judge, VIII,
greeted him with a cordial smile
There was no response on the bank
er's face. ENORMOUSLY he demanded;
Brewster, what's that woman dom
out there again? It's not the frs
time I've met her in this Office"
Alicia looked up eagerly. "Is sh
out there now% she cried.
What right has she to come here
What's her object?" went on tn
banker irritatedly.
The lawyer shrugged his shoulder
> "The same old thing" he replied
"She wants me to take her case"
The banker frowned.
Didn't you tell her 1t vas impo
sible?"
THAT makes no difference
laughed the Judge. "She comes ju'
D the same. I've sent her away a doze
! times. What am l to do if she Il
!, sists on coming? We can't have hi
! arrested. She doesn't break the furr
o ture or beat the office boy. She sir
ply sits and waits"
Have you told her that l object
. her coming here?" demanded Il
& banker, haughtily.
: II have" replied the Judge, calml
but she has overruled your obje
ton" With a covert smile he ad
ed, you know we can't use force"
Mr.. Jeffries shrugged his shoulde
impatiently.
you can certainly use moral force
y he said.
y what do you mean by NOR
i, force?" demanded the lawyer.
ID Mr.. Jeffries threw up his hands
y if utterly disguised with the who
n business. Almost angrily he q
~ swered:
i'd Moral force is moral force.
IN mean persuasion, of course. Go
n. God, why can't people understaI
is these things as l do?"
Is The judge said nothing, but turn
in to examine some papers on his de-
Is He hardly liked the inference that
Sc could not see things as plainly
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