Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1912-02-22
The House of the
Pines


mel o any signs OF Sweerwater. 1
could understand her absence. but not
his. and it was in a confusion Of feel
ing which was fast getting the upper
hand of me that l turned my atten-
ton to Mr.. Moffat and the plea he vas
about to make for his youthful client
l felt q sudden slow and creeping
chill seize ana shake me. as 1 hav
heard people say they experienced
when uttering the common expression.
"Some one is walking over my grave"
when l 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 silences and the often forbidding
attitude Of my young client by any
theory ave the obvious one-the nat
ural desire OF a brother to hide his
only remaining sisters connection with
a tragedy of whose details he vas ig-
norant and concerning which he had
formed a theory derogatory to her po-
ton as a young and we'll bred woman.
Fear for q loved one even III one
whom you will probably hear describ-
ed as a dissipated man, OF selfish tend
! oo1;oo 1-1 hitbov+0 ,, rhro+harl- ~,,oI-
tiles is a great miracle worker. No
sacrifice seems impossible which serves
as a guard for one so situated and so
threatened"
! Here MI. 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-
ficting interests represented by that
furtively passed tote and the visit OF
two girls instead OF one to the Whis-
pering Pines. 1t vas very convincing.
! At the proper moment Mr.. Moffat said:
"Gentlemen 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? Mr.. Fox will
tell you-three strong and u%nassail-
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-
p%ortunity for crime given by the &C.
knowledged presence of the defendant
IN or near the scene of death.
But are these points SO vital as they
seem? Let US consider them and see.
My client has denied that he dropped
anything into his sisters casker, 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 fow-
ers into this very place, any n 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 nave
come from the clubhouse wine vault,
while a reasonable doubt remains OF
his having been the hand which car
ried it there? No. Where there is a
reasonable doubt no high minded jury
will convict, and ! claim that my client
has made it plain that there Is such Il
reasonable doubt.
MY distinguished opponent would
have you believe that the defendant
did not fly at the moment declared.
but that he waited t fulfill the foul
deed, which Is The only serious matter
in dispute in his so nearly destroyed
case. l hear as though he were now
speaking the attack which he will
make upon my client when ne comes
to review this matter with you. Let
me see If | cannot make you hear
those words too" And, with a daring
smile at his discounted adversary,
Alonzo Moffat launched forth into the
following sarcasm:
ARTHUR Cumberland. coming up the
k1CCuou SLdlTSs ueAfS VOlCSS "ueIe NC
had expected total silence. sees light
where he had left total darkness. BE
has two bottles in his hands or in his
large coat pockets. If they are in his
hands he sets them down and steals
forward to listen. BE 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.
lieve, the other. Curiosity-or is it
some nobler feeling?-causes him to
draw nearer and neare to the room in
which they have taken up their stand.
He can hear their words now, and
what are the words he hears? Words
that would thrill the most impervious
heart. call for the interference Of the
most Indifferent. But be is made OF
ice, welded together with steel. BE
sees (for no place saw one from which
he can watch and see-namely. the
dark dancing hall-would satisfy any
man Of such gigantic curiosity AIDE
laide fall at Carmels feet in recogni.
k;op ~ fh0 uraot copr{fOo che has