The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1936-09-04
CHAPTER IX-Continued

the same seats as If they would sur
round and defend the prisoner-and
her witness. Suddenly you saw faces.
Mothers and Bees; and two who
had been in the papers: his first wife,
with her daughter beside her. How did
they feel, a few feet away from
Myrtle? Did they want her killed too?
Here was another face-an old face,
a fine face. A little old woman who
had lived lot, and never let life beat
her. Winnie, she was. Agnes never
had seen so much as a likeness of her,
but there was no missing her. When
she looked at Martin O'Mara, she knew
Winnie was his grandmother.
Agnes sank down upon the witness
chair, and waited for Winnie's grand
sons first questions.
They were simple enough. What was
her name? Where did she live?
How old was she? Had she
gone to Chicago on a certain day..
Did she meet any one in Chicago?
Then what did they do? After
she had looked at the empty apart
ment and Mr. Braddon had left her,
what did she do?
"Now tell the jury in your own words
what you did and what you saw and
what you, yourself, heard after the
door of the apartment, upon which Mr..
Colver knocked, was opened"
Il saw" said Agnes, "a girl-a young
woman had never seen before. That
girl there" She looked at the prisoner,
Myrtle Lorrie. "She was in negligee
over underclothes and stockings. She
was very excited and disheveled. She
looked as If a good deal had just hap
pened to her."
II object" Mr.. Nordell, for the State,
was on his feet.
Sustained" said the judge "You
must confine your statement to what
you observed and heard; you must not
give your inferences," he said kindly
enough to Agnes.
II KNOW" she said. II forgot. l
can say 1 saw bruises and hurts on
her. did. can say she was shaky.
She was. She was holding to the door
Who're your she asked; but didn't
wait for me to answer. She grabbed
me and pulled me into the room. She
said: oh, God, I'm glad to see you
glad to see your
"She pulled me down into a big, soft
chair beside her. Mr.. Colver, the
agent, went to look for smelling-salts
for her. heard him call from
down the hall: Mr.. Lorrie!s Mr. Lorso
rie? He came back, and he could
hardly speak. Finally he said to me:
you know what we've walked in on?
A killing! There's murder here.
She shot him! had Mrs. Lorrie
in my arms, then. was holding her.
She was lying limp across me-"
Agnes had no idea how she looked
as she related this. She was not think
ing Of herself on the witness-stand;
she was seeing herself back in that
room. But the judge, the jury and
people crowding the benches were star
ing at her as she sat in the big witness
chair, young and slight and fair, and
so completely unaffected and forgetful
of herself, indeed, and so honest-look-
ing.
Cathal, standing before her, stepped
back little as though he dared not
trust himself closer to the delight of
her. What a start she was making
beyond what he had expected! He
could not possibly have planned this.
"Then did you do anything?" he
asked her very quietly.
Her blue eyes on his shortened their
focus from the far-away room which
Agnes had been seeing. For an in
slant, only, her retinas were aware of
him; then she went back again.
Eyes. / tried to rouse her. l asked
her: Did you do it? She couldn't
reply at first. She didn't seem to I'M
derstand me. 1 kept shaking her.
Maybe did, she finally said. Maybe
did, said: Maybe? Don't you
know? She didn't seem to know"
II Object!" Nordell protested.
Sustained" said the judge.
I'm sorry" said Agnes. "But she
didn't"
II object!"
Sustained" said the judge, and told
Agnes more sternly: "You must not
give your opinions or differences"
II won't again." said Agnes. "Or I'll
try not to. The phone rang pretty
soon, then. heard Mrs. Lorrie say:
oh, God, Bert Then / guess he
talked to her. 1 mean," she caught
herself, "Mrs Lorrie waited and lis
tened as if some one was talking to
her. Then she said: Bert, something's
happened. Charley died todayp
Then Mr.. COlver used the phone to
call the police; and I, Mr.. O'Mara,
called you"
She stopped, aghast at herself and
before Martin O'Mara. This was not
at all as she has reviewed and pre-
pared her evidence with him; she had
said things she had never dreamed
of uttering, and omitted score of
items she had promised to repeat.
But he had no reproach for her.