The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-02-18
FICTION
Hole mr''Wall Barrett

rnent that he was taking over the case
for the defense; but the moment his burly
figure appeared, staggering toward a chair.
hum and then whisper and then a voice
passed through the crowd. His honor re-
moved his glasses and frowned. The clerk
raped for order.
From that moment every one waited ey-
cry one was expectant. The prosecutor was
uneasy; the district attorney drank many
glasses of water; the jurors set their teeth
as if they were resolving their collective
minds that they would not be budged from
their duty even by a John Barrett. They
scowled and nudged one another with as
surrances of Immortality; they smiled
upon the district attorney; they frowned
upon Harry McCurtney and John Barrett
The proceedings passed quickly. The dis
trict attorney made very eloquent speech,
painting in colors of crimson and black
the damnable crime of this treacherous
boy who could poison his uncle while the
murdered man was drinking his nephew's
long life and happiness.
The jury SHOOK it's collective head and
scowled again on John Barrett, as if they
dared him to come on and fight now
But all the time Hole-in-the- Wall Bar
rett sat teetering slowly back and forth
in lis armchair, staring blankly from face
to face and picking his teeth. AS has
been said before, he was not only a viii
lain, but very vugiar man.
The prosecutors case was in. There was
only the plea of John Barrett to be heard
The judge frowned his defiance on Barrett;
the district attorney did likewise; the jury
deepened its scowls; the fair mourners COW
cred their faces and waited.
Barrett rose in the nosi natser-of fac.
manner, with the most unmoved cace. and
crossed to the table on which stood the
damning exhibit, the vial of poison. He
finished picking his teeth, but :.tinued to
c..cw the toothpick. Indeed h. was a
very vulgar man
Your honor and Gentlemen Of the jury"
he said, "the prosecution has proved con-
clusively that certain drops from this bot
tie were poured b. the defendant into a
glass of whisky, Which was drunk by Viii
liam McCurtney, who thereafter died"
It was like the fall of the first sods on
the coffin. The defense was throwing down
iN9 Cal Ns. AhSNditHCy idioSu Htdd, -
greenish-yelow invading the pallor of
his poetic face. Something extremely UNI
poetic in his eyes
1.-The court has been informed by vari-
Gus experts that the contents of this bot
tie are deadly poison. If they are, un-
questionably the defendant is guilty of muir
der, most damnable murder
1t was a strange exordium. The crowd
frowned with wonder and waited for the
appeal which must Understanding pc
RODS, moving eloquence. But it must be
always remembered that our villain was
most vulgar man.
He raised the little vail.
''The proof of the pudding he said, sis
in the eating"
Ap1 he drank the liquid in the vial--ns
drained it slowly to the last drop. Then
he turned and extended an arm of COM
mand over the jury, which had arisen to
the last man, staring upon him with paid
faces and open mouths.
"Now set that man freev he Numbered,
and strobe from the court room.
The man was set free. The jury was out
one and one-half minutes before it reached
its verdict. And the first one to get to
the acquitted man, who sat as if stunned,
with wandering eyes, was Elizabeth Bar
rett. Love will find way, even through
a court room jam.
A note was brought to McCurtney; they
read it together.
Bring Elizabeth to my house, McCurt-
ney," ran the note. 81 have something to
say to you both"
L. IL