Middletown transcript., 1915-03-27

Blacks efforts, a charge like tLis fs
found posted up in the public ways.
the ruin of the Ostranders Is deter
mined upon. and nothing we can do
can stop It."
In five minutes more she had said
good-by to Miss Weeks and was on
her way to the courthouse. AS she
approached 1t she was still further
alarmed by finding this square full Of
people, standing in groups or walk
ing impatiently up and down with
their eyes fixed on the courthouse
doors. Within, there was the uneasy
hum, the anxious look, the subdued
movement which marks an universal
suspense. Announcement had been
made that the jury had reached their
verdict, and counsel were resuming
their places and the judge his seat.
YAose who had eyes only for the
latter-and these were many-noticed
a change in him. He looked older by
years than when he delivered his
charge. Not the prisoner himself
gave greater evidence of the effect
which this hour of waiting had had
upon a heart whose covered griefs
were, consciously or unconsciously, re-
vealing themselves to the public eye
He did not wish this man sentenced
This was shown by his charge-the
most one-sided one he had given in
all his career.
Silence, that awful precursor OF
doom, lay in all its weight upon every
ear and heart, as the clerk. advancing
with the cry, Order in the court" put
his momentous question:
Gentlemen Of the jury, are you
ready with your verdict?"
A hush!-then, the clear voice of
the foreman:
I'VE are"
How do you find? Guilty or not
guilty?"
Another hesitation. Did the fore
man feel the threat lurking in the air
about him? If SO, he failed to show
it in his tones as he uttered the words
which released the prisoner:
mot guilty"
A growl from the crowd, almost like
that of a beast stirring in its lair,
then a quick cessation of all hubbub
as every one turned to the judge to
whose one-sided charge they attrib-
uted this release.
Deborah experienced in her quiet
corner no alleviation Of the fear which
had brought her into this forbidding
spot and held her breathless through
these formalities.
For the end was not yet. Through
all the turmoil of noisy departure and
the drifting out into the square OF a
vast, dissatisfied throng, she had
caught the fash of bit of paper chow
introduced into this moving mass OF
people no one ever knew passing
from hand to hand, toward the soil.
tary figure Of the judge, its delay as
it reached the open space between the
last row of seats and the judges
bench and its final delivery by some
officious hand, who thrust 1t upon his
notice just as he was rising to leave
Deborah saw his finger tear its way
through the envelope and his eyes fall
frowningly on the paper he drew out
Then the peoples counsel and the
counsel for the defense and such
clerks and hangers-On as still fingered
In the upper room experienced a de
cided sensation.
The Judge, who a moment before
had lowered above them all in mel
ancholy but impressive dignity, shrunh
with one gasp into feebleness and
sank back stricken. If not uncon
scious, into his chair.
1t happened suddenly and showed
her the same figure she had seen once
before-a man with faculties sus
pended, but not impaired, facing then
all with open gaze but absolutely deaf
for the moment to his own condition
and to the world about.
But, horrible as this was, what she
, saw going on behind him was infinite
: ly worse. A man had caught up thu
bit of paper Judge Ostrander had le
fall from his hand and was opening
his lips to read 1t to the curious people
surrounding him.
She tried to stop him. She forced
. cry to her lips which should havt
rung through the room, but which
died away on the air unheard. Tht
terror which had paralyzed her limb
J had choked her voice.
But her ears remained true. Low al
he spoke, no trumpet-call could hav'
made its meaning clearer to Deboral
. Scoville than did these words:
! We know why you favor criminals
Twelve years is a long time. but not lonl
enough to make wise men forget.