Year: 1861




curiosity. He spoke with forced effort at
camness, which at once perceived. The more
l looked at him, the more | become strongly
nervous aud uneasy, wondering why he should
be so anxious to get rid of the case, and have
AmnoIt convicted. | knew that be frequent
ed that evil house, and that he had done much
towards tempting Charley to dissipation |
knew that he was in the honse OF the night on
which the prisoner was robbed-for Charley
had told me so when visited him in his cell.
| had then asked the unfortunate youth if he
was sure Warren was bis friend. Oh he was
sure of it. He should have hunted him up on
the night of the robbery only they told him
Warren had gone


by and by, the foreman proposed that we
should each take up piece OF paper and write
down our opinion, and then compare notes |
went to my hat, which | had placed upon a
table with a humber of others and took out
sheet of paper, | had got half way back to
the table when found had made a mistake.
had got part of a letter from another mans
hat. l was about to turn back when the name
Of the writer of the letter arrested my atten-
tion. | looked more closely, and read =
Stephen Grant" Next | caught this sen
tence:


" Aud now, dear Charles, if not for your
own, yet for your mothers sake, let me hope
yOn will do better"


] started as though shot had struck me-
| held ia my hand the other half Of the sheet
which had been used to fire the burned house!
| went to the table aud found it was WarrenS
hat looked to see if had been observed
and | had not. | put the paper back, and
then took piece from my own hat, which was
OF the same pattern as the other, aud by its
side.


| returned to the table and sat down War
rcn was by my side. He had written his opin
ion, and took kniIe from his pocket to cut it
from Il large sheet


" Let me take your knife a moment, if you
please" | Sad to him.


Without hesitation he did so. / took it
Il leas CAarles AmJoifs knitc-thc large blade
1cas gone. With ali tie power | possessed,
| restrained my deep emotion, and having cut
my paper, | handed back the kn fe.


Why should he have that knife so boldly
about him. | afterwards learnc l. He had
not worn those pautaloons before since the
night of the fire aud now he used the knife
probably without the least remembrance of the
loss it had sustained during very peculiar
piece Of work, TO the execution OF which it was
made subervlent.


We talked for some ten minutes, and found
that eleven of the jury were bent on rendering
a verdict Of guilty though most Of them were
IN favor OF Recommending re the prisoner to mercy.
MOulGon Warren was decided He had no
mercy at all.


Presently started up, and pretending to be
faint, / SAID / must 90 oIt for IA few moments.


kicked at The door aud the deputy sheriff
canes He heard my plea and let me out. As
Soou as we had gained Il safe distance, | told
hlm all. He was aStonlshed aud went away.
When he came back he brought the district
attorney, the district judge, and sheriff. | told
him again what | had seen-I assured him
that | knew that t was no mere SUSPICION
And | explained, too, Warren's manner in the
jury room, and his former connections with the
prisoner and his known character.


The officers went away, and at the end Of
ten minutes they returned with n constable
added to their number, and this constable had
a freshly written instrument in his hand. The
sheriff bade me point out the hat to them as
soon as we entered the room


The door of the room opened, and pointed
them to the hat. The sheriff took it and ask,
ed whose it was Warren leaped to his feet
and seized 1t, but was held back


Word was instantly sent to the Judge that
the jury could not agree They were dscharg
ed, aud then Moulton Warren was searched.
The knife found upon him, and his behavior
at once exposed bis guilt. The presence Of
that letter was accounted for by him in "a dozen
different ways, within an hour,


new jury was empanelIed, and Charles
Amoot was acquitted Shortly afterwards
Warren was tried. | was plainly proved that
the woman who kept the house was to be burned
up in it as he cUntryed to lock her into her room
shortly after setting the house on fire She
had incurred his dSpleasure in various ways,
and tins was his revenge. Not only she, but
TWO of her girls had suspected him from the
FIRST but they dare not complain for fear he
would not be convicted, and would be sure to
murder them.


The hardened villain confessed his guilt,
after he had peen condemned aud then it was
that he tol! how he happened to be so care
less in regard to the paper and the knife. 1t
was he who had robbed Ambold, and when he
took the cid letter from bis hat to use 1t for a
torch in starting the fire, he did not notice
what 1t was aud even when that partly burned
half had been exhibited in court, he had entire
Iy forgotten that he had torn off the other
half u, d put it back in his hat, as he must have
done The letter had been found in Ambolt's
pocket,book. aud he had kept i because in it
the youth was warned against his iahuence.


He confessed that he held slight idea of
calling the writer TO an account when it shonld
become convenient. With regard to the knife,
1t was as | before stated He took that also
from Ambolt'S pocket, ana put it in his own
and on the night of the fire, he used it to pry
up the sash, aud when he had broken it he put
it back in his pocket and forgot it.


Thus was Charley saved-and saved from
more than gnominioas death, too. He was