The Bienville Democrat. [volume] (Arcadia, Bienville Parish, La.) 1912-1980, 1921-10-13

pris'ner and his guards will plcase SET
right over thar" pointing to his left. :
"The hon'rable ledge, which same is
me, will please set right thar" indi-
eating spot at the base of the gnarled
walnut. 1.-The rest" he finished. "wilI
set anywhar they d-n pleases. Set
down, men,
His orders were obeyed. Dale found
himself sitting on the ground between
two pairs of mountaineers and facing
a line of twelve mountaineers-the so
called jury. TO his left was the self
appointed Judge, and to his right
lounged score or more Of men whose
attention was then being turned TO-
ward a jug of fiery new whisky that
had never been near to a revenue
stamp or anything else that was hon.
est. The jug travelled rapidly from
one hairy mouth to another.
Old Ball passed the jug to men,
Der Of the Jury" and announced:
"Well, dammit, co'te's open now"
"Kitty, kitty, kitty" tainted Walt
Turner. "Pore little kitty!'
The mockery began. 1t was ridlcu'
. lous, and yet it was grim Adam
!, Balls father himself furnished most
10 of the evidence; also he acted as
$ prosecuting attorney. OF course there
/, was no counsel for the defense, ana
d II wouldn't have helped If Dale had
d had a proverbial Philadelphia lawyer
t on the grounds; all the proof and eIo'
ouence and pleading in the world never
\. would have changed, in the slightest de-
$, gree, the sentence that had been cut and
i, dried for Bill Dale. The mock trial
ii was being held solely because the
re Balls and Torreys felt that by hold
re ing it they were insulting the majesty
NJ of the law and making their ven
es gpance sweeter. 1t became worse than
III a travesty.
y Night fell during the wordy anc
le profane harangue Of the Ball leader
IN and II was ordered that fire be built
n at once, At once fire was built, or!
he brushwood being used and in its ret
ns and Pickering glare the faces OF tn
its hillmen looked doubly dark and doubl!
wicked. Then the Judge begged
tn chew Of tobacco and deliberately KEEP
as the whole twist, and told the jury t
be- 20 out and bring back verdict with
d" out losing time.
ar' The twelve mountaineers rose III
ow steadily and went to the creek, an
MS there one Of them uncovered anothe
en- ing Of fiery new whisky that was allie
Ups to a revenue stamp. They dram
IND heavily and returned to the waln'
the tree court without mentioning II
ou trial.
The foreman was Torrey, and
ich particularly bad one. His swarti
VAL face. with its high Cherokee chez
and homes and its thin-lipped mouth w
lint ultra.cruel, ultra-vicious He enter
the the circle Of red and Pickering hrellg
the slowly, smiling evilly, and the 9th
owe eleven crowded up close behind hi
' a He cleared his throat, spat betwe
at two fingers at the fire. and turned
the Judge.
lrel, "Gentlemen o the jury" grow
axe. the ruling Ball, 'have ye reached
verdict?"
en-. 1--WE have, yore honor" very prom
hind " answered. the Torrey who was 10
cry man. "And we ha' found the pris'l
from guilty O the wust kind o coldblood
here premeditated mudder In the fust
and gree, yore honor"
nds! Old Ball leveled a knotty forenn
as a toward Bin Dale.
"Fo' the, KILN o my son Ada
the he pronounced sentence, you s
pped hang by the neck ontel dead, iron
worse limb o this here warnut tree, by {
,zens MES, at sunrise in the mornin'.'
their Although he had well known "
their the sentence would be, Dale went
owed denly ashen. Tben he took q
Tur. grin on himself and began to reaso
He could not hope, he decided
Pore the Morelands and the Littlef'
would find him before the sun
NUT They would miss him, Of course,
U for they would suspect foul play ana
for him: but finding him In that '
anst," erness-lt was impossible. 1t bee
I plain to him that he would nav
began save himself If he were saved.
solid believed his best chance lay IN
part proving that he was anything .
faces coward; the worst mountameer
Adam knew. admired a brave man.