Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-09-25

since he had no sons for her to be-
witch. Then a court was convened to
try her.
There were a judge. a jury. lawyers
witnesses-indeed. all the officials and
others pertaining to a court just as
courts are organized today. And be-
fore this court Katherine MacAIlister
was tried on the accusation in accord
ance with the specifications laid down
in the affidavit mentioned and was
convicted of being a witch. Before
sentence was passed upon her the
judge asked her If she had anything
to say in her defense.
my home. your worship. is in Bon
ME Scotland. where all maids are mer-
ry and all young men are brave. My
father was a laird. and my mother was
the daughter of a chief. My father
was killed in battle. and my mother
died of a broken heart. The good God
who brought such trials on them and
me gave me a cheerful heart to bear
it all. since | must live. After my IA
Their and mother were taken. away
from me my Uncle Roderick shut me
up in a room In the castle and one
night put me in a coach and brought
me to a ship. where he left me. What
he did all this unkindness for l dinna
ken. But since the good God intend
ed that | should live through all the
troubles in Bonnie Scotland I dinna
think he'll let you burn me for a
WITCH"
This speech excited the sympathy Of
all, and had it not been that Katherine
had beer duly convicted the judge
might have had mercy on her. But he
did what he conceived to be his duty,
sentencing her to be burned at the
stake the next day.
Richard Coverleigh, one of the young
men whom Katherine had bewftched,
heard her speech and, since the Puri-
tans were prone to consider that they
were appointed to special purposes by
Providence, believed In his heart that
he was commissioned to save the las
sic he loved in his heart. He was a
younger son of a British earl and had
been sent to America that he might
not disgrace his family by poverty, all
the estate being entailed to his older
brother. But he was more fitted for
deeds of knight errantry than the com
monplace duties of the peaceful settlers
of a new country, though he had done
some service in fighting hostile Indians.
Katherine was confined In one of the
two rooms of Deacon Padelford's cab
in, which served for dining room and
kitchen. The fireplace was one of the
olden type, very broad, and the Chin
ney very large. Behind the cabin was
a grove, and one of the trees grew so
near it that its branches overhung the
abode. Near midnight, when Katherine
was sleeping serenely, undisturbed by
the terrible ordeal in store for her on
the morrow. she was suddenly awak-
ened by a hand being clapped over her
mouth.
BE STILL" whispered a mans voice
in her ear. II nave come to save you"
She could not have cried out If she
would. The hand was soon removed,
and the voice continued: -
Arise aud put on
/ will find under the chimney a rope
with a loop. Put the loop under your
arms, and when | feel by the rope that
you are on it | will pull you up into
a tree that overhangs the cabin"
"Who are youg" whispered Rather
inc.
"Ric Coverleigh."
Katherine felt for his hand and
pressed it; then be left her, climbed
the rope hand over hand and waited.
standing on the chimney top. When
Katherine had dressed. making no
noise In doing so. she put the loop
over her shoulders. and Coverleigh, feel
ing that it was caught, pulled her up
to him, and. she catching to a limb of
the tree above, he helped her up OF it.
In a few minutes both had descended
the tree and stood upon the ground.
Richard Coverleigh, being fond of the
water, had built himself a small boat
with a single sail. and any contribution
he made to the wealth of the settle
ment was by fishing. He had In this
way gathered some f4O. which he
would doubtless have spent had there
been anything to spend it for. With
this mon In his doublet he took Kath-
crime to his boat and with muf1ed oars
pulled out to where he caught a breeze;
then, raising his sail, he entered upon
the broad ocean.
Fortunately the weather was pleas
ant and the wind favorable for a sail
to Boston. not far distant. Ric did
not know what he would do when he
reached Boston. He relied on the Lord
to guide him. He was about entering
the harbor in the morning when a ship
bound for England approached. He
hailed her and asked to be taken
aboard. offering the captain all the
money he had to carry him and his
shipmate with him. The offer was
accepted. Ric ran alongside the ship.