The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1912-04-19

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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. / 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 manslaughter, the circumstantial
evidence against them having been
so strong. In the days of witchcraft
the unfortunate women accused of
being witches were often urged by
relatives to confess as being the only
way of escape open to them. Ann
Foster, at Salem, in 1899, 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 weak mind.
Towards confession may possibly be
| due to some such influence"
81 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. l 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 L"
| The lawyer shook his head.
| She won't take it. I 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 u.s." exclaimed
Alicia, Indignantly. Mr.. Jeffries sui.
fers terribly. 1 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 won't
let me mention his sons name. 1 feel
We ought to do something. Try and
persuade him to let me see this girl
and-you are his friend as we'll as his
legal adviser"
Judge Brewster bowed.
Your husband is a very old friend
Mrs. Jeffries. I can't disregard his
wishes entirely"
There was a knock at the door OF
the private Office.
Come in" called the judge.
The door opened and the head
clerk entered, ushering in Howard
Jeffries, Sr. The banker, still aristo
cratic and dignifed, but looking tired
and careworn, advanced into the room
and shook hands with the judge. who
greeted him with a cordial smile
There was no response on the bank
er's face. Querulously he demanded:
Brewster, what's that woman doing
out there again?' It's not the first
time I've met her in this Office"
Alicia looked up eagerly. rs she
out there now?" she cried
What right has she to come here
What's her object?" went on the
banker irritatedly.
The lawyer shrugged his shoulders
The same old thing" he replied
"She wants me to take her case"
The banker frowned.
Didn't you tell her it was impos
sible?"
THAT makes no difference,
laughed the Judge. She comes just
the same. I've sent her away a dozeE
times. What am l TO do if she in
sists on coming? We can't have hel
arrested. She doesn't break the furni
ture or beat the Office boy. She sim
ply sits and waits"
Have you told her that l object t.
her coming here?" demanded tht
banker, haughtily.
Il have replied the judge, calmly
but she has overTuled your objec
| ton" With a covert smile he add
ed, You know We can't use force"
Mr.. Jeffries shrugged his shoulder:
impatiently.
You can certainly use moral force,
he said
What do you mean by mora
foree?" demanded the lawyer.
Mr.. Jeffries threw up his hands a;
if utterly disguised with the whole
business. Almost angrily he an
swered:
Moral force is moral force.
mean persuasion, of course. Coco
God, why can't people understand
these things as do?"
4 The judge said nothing, but turned
to examine some papers on his desk
He hardly liked the inference that he
could not see things as plainly a.
other DaODie hut what waS tho ,,ss