The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-11-11

Carr opened his eyes and spoke aloud
LOT the first time since he was stricken
the week before.
knew they would" he said with an
ellort. out quite distinctly, to the great
amazement Of the doctor and the nurse.
me widow Payson and John We're not
surprised. They understood the in
scrutable way Of the man.
Inc machinery Of the law never
Worked so fast as in the case of the
after he surrendered himself to the
sherlff his case was called for hear
ing. The court room was crowded, for
the Courier had announced the trial
DAY and hour. No one was there in the
nope of finding fresh sensations. but
70 near the story of the fight from the
lips of the victor himself.
Inside the railing sat the entire bar
OF the city. Judge Oswald Bright came
over from the capital and occupied a
seat on the bench beside the court. His
sat with Mary Midthorne at
the defendants table. Horace Blagden
and his wife had seats so close to Eric
that they could lean forward and whfs-
yer IN ms ear, an oft repeated act
which sent a thrill. Of appreciation
through the big audience. and had a
moral though utterly wasted effect on
the jury.
The p~reliminaries We're brief. Mr..
States Attorney Collins read the affi-
davlt on information and belief and
called his only witness-the sheriff of
the county. who merely testified that
the prisoner at the bar was the man
mentioned in the instrument and that
be had openly confessed to the lawn
of Chetwynd Blagden. The state rest
ed. The audience leaned back with an
audible breath of relief.
Inc defense very naturally moved to
quash the indictment. on the ground
uhat the corpus deficit had not been
established. but formally withdrew the
motion a moment later. as a part OF the
program. to permit Eric Midthorne to
tell his story on the stand. The audi
ence listened with breathless interest
to the recital, dividing it's attention be-
tween the young mar in the box and
me grey haired parents of Chetwynd
watching with eager eyes for
some sign of animosity on their part.
II the peonle expected or hoped for a
demonstration they were disappointad
Ihe Blagdens sat very still and erect
their pinched backs to the multitude,
thelr heads twisted slightly toward the
Wltness. from whose face their gaze
was not once removed during the un-
INTERRUPTED recital AT it's conclusion
they turned expectantly toward the
states attorney.
Horace Blagden's figure straiehtened
oerceptlbly. A moment later his own
49, >sbiiSu LIZ dIoSe SlOWIV-
at n other time we would have said
pompously-and slipped into the Wit
ness box, A stir swept through the
crowd: Here was a sensation. after all.
racing the Judge. the great man of
totk the oath. his right hand
uplifted. 1t did not tremble. He then
testified to the reputation of tho do
fendant for truth and veracitv. and to
his standing in the community. That
all. He gave it clearly, unfalter-
ingly. lie was not asked if he were the
father Of the deceased. 1t was as the
first citizen Of Corinth that he testified
could have been excused for smil-
ing at the theatric DISPLAY Of self re
~ard that overshadou-ad the real inten-
ton of the man. The great man of
Corlnth was speaking. No one could
nave asked for more than that.
Horace Blaeden did not mean +o
Mace himself in a false position. He
intensely sincere in his desire 70
obstinate all doubts in the minds of the
townspeople as to his attitude toward
his nephew. No more convincing wav
could have presented itself. he argued.
this opportunity to publicly re-
peat the sentiment embodied in his
earlier newspaper expression. Adam
Carr. when he heard of the act. uttered
an opinion that no one else dared to
voice:
"Old Horace simply can't help 1t. It's
born in him. When he dies, by the
grace, he'll lie in state. And. no mat
ter how dead he is. he'll know he's ly-
ing in state"
The judge instructed the Jury to find
for the defendant. and Eric was dis
charged from custody almost before
you could have counted -.
The whole affair was SO palpablv
predestined that 1T savoured Of tray-
esty. and vet there was a seriousness
about it all that could not be mistaken.
low iteo1F did n on,-~ t.
consideration. So far as the real legal
aspects of the case were concerned, all
precedents were violated. But no one
cared about that. Not a single soul in
all Corinth desired the punishment of
Eric Midthorne. Corinth. therefore. was
the law.
Eric's trial was much the same as a
wedding or a funeral-a matter of a
few very important minute and then
everybody going about his w bust
ness as if it hadn't occurred. The we'd
ding means q great deal to the fellow
who is getting married. and the funeral
is of the utmost Importance to the chap
who is being buried. but the world does
not care a scrap what happens to either
Of them after it is all over. Most Of us
get married and all of US die. People
come and see US do both. If the oppor-
tunity presents itself, and go away
thoroughly satisfied that it is the end
Of the matter so far as they are con-
cerned.
Corinth would have stepped up and
Eric on his acquittal if it
could have don so with propriety. But
there had been ample time for reflec-
ton. The magnanimous Blagdens were
to be considered. How would it appear
to them if everyone rushed up to shake
with the destroyer OF their only
son? Dreadful! So Corinth. or as much
of it as could be crowded into the
considerably effaced itself
as soon as the verdict was given.
While h crowd was leaving the
h judge or the bench
calmly turned to the clerk and said:
Call h next case, Mr.. Clerk"
The regular panel remained in the
Jury box: the sheriff went over to the
telephone and called up h gaol; and
half an o later a dissolute sailor
from the water front was on trial for
a pound OF tobacco, and the
states attorney was working his head
off, SO to speak, to secure the maximum
One has to make an example
- e,,N1- chow vo, a -