American Fork citizen. [volume] (American Fork, Utah) 1912-1979, 1922-10-07

mise we are inquiringT
II know something. know a lot.
But I've never figured 1t was anybody's
business but my own. SO haven't told
II. But i remember"
what. Mrs. Rodaine7"
"The day Sissie Larsen was sup
posed to leave town--that was the day
he got killed"
do you remember the dateT
"No--I don't remember that"
"Would It be In your bookf"
"No-no--lt wouldn't be In my book. !
I looked"
"But you rememberr I,
"Just like as IL 1t was yesterday
"And what you saw--did II give you
any idea"
~ know what saw"
sand did II lead to any conciusionY'
eyes"
What, may l askg'
THAT somebody had been MUIR
deredw
| "Who--and by whom?"
Crazy Laura munched at her tooth.
less gums for moment and looked
again toward her husband Then, her
watery, almost colorless eyes search
ing, she began survey Of the big
room, looking inteDtly from one figure
to another. On and on-finally to
reach the spot where stood Robert
Fairchild and Harry, and there they
stopped. lean finger, knotted by
rheumatism, darkened by sun and
wind, stretched out.
"Yes. ] know who did II. and know
who got killed II was 'Sissle' Larsen
he was murdered. The man who
did II was a fellow named Thornton
Fairchild who owned the mine--lf l
amt mistaken. he was the father Of
this young man"
~ objectw Farrell. the attorney,
was on his feet and struggling forward,
tanning his horn-rimmed glasses into
pocket as he did so. "Thls has
ceased to be an inquest; II has re-
solved itself into some sort of an in
QUESTION"
~ fail to see why The coroner
had stepped down and was facing him.
"Why? why--you're inquirlng into
death that happened more than
twenty years ago-and you're baslng
that inquiry upon the word Of a WON
an who is not legally able to give ties
, timony In any kind OF court or on
. any kind Of case! Have you any
further evidence upon the lines tina,
she Is going to givef"
1 "Not directly"
D "Then demand that all the testi
mony which this woman has given b,
Q stricken out and the jury Instructed
{ to disregard It,"
!. The official smiled.
+ ~ think otherwise. The jury Is en-
, titled to all the evidence that has an
bearing on the case"
o "But this woman Is crazy"
, HAS she ever been adjudged so, o
, committed to any asylum for the II
sanef"
: "No-shnt nevertheless, there are
. hundred persons In this courtroom
= who win testify to the fact that she
: mentally unbalanced and not tit pc
son TO fasten crime upon any man
head by her testimony. And referrir
:, even to yourself, Coroner, have yt
!. within the last twenty-five years.
- fact, since short time after the BIZ,
Of her son. called her anything else b
y Crazy Laura? Has anyone else in til
town called her any other manner Ma
- appeal to your"
. "What you say may be true. II nj
not. ! don't know. only am sure
one thing-that a person Is sane
:" the eyes Of the law until adjudg
:, otherwise. Therefore, her evidence
- this time Is perfectly legal and Pre-
err"
!. at won't be as soon a. ! can bri
:. an action before q lunacy court q
A cause her examinatiea b. board
nlienlsts."
= '-That's something for the future.
that case things might be diferel
But / can only follow the law, wi
T. the members of the jury Instructed.
q. course, to accept the evidence
10 what they deem II Is worth. You "
d proceed. Mrs. Rodaine. What did y
q see that caused you to come to Il
10 concluslon"
b. Cant you even stick to the rul
h. and ethics Of testimony" II was I
q. final plea Of the defeated Farrell. I
10 coroner eyed him slowly.
lie 'Alr. Farrell" came his answer,
Id must confess to deviation from n
ular court procedure In this inqui
Or II Is customary In an inquest OF Il
character; certain departures from
usual rules must be made that
sy truth and the whole truth be learn'
y Proceed, Mrs Rodaine, what was
at you sawf"
Transfixed. Mortified. Fairch
he watched the mumbllng, munchi
mouth. the staring eyes and stray
white hair, the bony, crooked han
he as they weaved before her. FRI
ne those toothless jaws story was abe
to come. true or untrue, a story Il