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The Seaforth News, 1932-07-07, Page 6PAGE SIX THE SEAFORTH NEWS. THURSDAY, JULY 7th, 1932. John Uri Lloyd QContinue'd from last week,) "Yes; I have testified to the fact 'that I also obtained the colour .reac- (tion of morphine, but that alkalohd will not ,give this strychnine reaction. tMotipih ne is .present, so is Strychnine.." "Have you tried this test with ev- ery plant, shrub, tree, leaf, root, bark, (fruit, that grows?" "No, sir!" "Have you tried it with all that grow in Strin'gtown. County?" "No, sir. "1 -lave you tried it with all that grow in and albout S'trinigtown vil- lage?" "No, sirs" "Have you applied this test to ev- ery form of herb, fruit, vegetable, ;grass, leaf that grows on the farm of the late Mr. Nordm'an?" 'No, sirs" "Or in his dooryerd?" "No, sirs" "'Can you, then, in the face of the fact that you have. not tested these myriads of other substances, swear that this is strychnine?" "On the strength of these authori- ties"—I pointed to my books—"and on my investigations, and on the fact that no other 'known bodies .produce the same reactions, S can." "You revived the strychnine ,crys- tals, it seams" -the pointed to the mi- croscopic slide. "Yes, sir!" 'Will no other substance produce such eseedleelike crystals " "I know of none to do so and then react as they do" "Would it not have 'been well to get from the contents of that stomach enough of the pure strychnine to (kill` a rabbit, and show its 'poisonous ac- tion stion in that way?" "I had not enough of the material" "You are willing" -and now the judge spoke very slowly and delib- erately—"you are willing, then, Sam- uel Drew, before Almighty God, knowing that on your words hangs the life of a 'human being, to swear that strychnine, only strychnine, no- thing but strychnine. could have pro- duced that reaction?" "I am." The eyes of the man of justice fell ups -n his bock, and' he made a note. I turned my eyes to the prisoner; he sneered in return, 'd sought' the face of Susie, but no expression other than sadness could be seen. Then the •at- torney said, "The witness may be ex- cused," and 'I turned my gaze upon the floor. After :the cross-examination which did not in any way break the force of the evidence the case was ready for the defence, the prosecution having proved: !First. Mr. >ordman and 'Red -Mead had quarrelled. iSecond.:Red.Head had bought stry- chnine of the village druggist, Third. Mr, Nordman shad been sud- denly stricken by a severe pain in his stomach, accompanied by paroxysmal muscular contractions. 'Fourth. 'Strychnine was present in the contents of the stomach. IBM night was on us again, and Court now adjourned, The next day was 'consumed in evidence for the de- fence, then came the rebuttal by the prosecution, which right was waived. The fourth morning found the au- dience in place; had photograplhs.'been taken, 'the same faces would' have beenseen in the same ,places, safer as the persons directly interested in the case were concerned.'I do not like to reflect over the address •of the at- torney for the 'de'fence, who, follpw- ing.the opening speech .of the prosecu- tion, and realising'th'at the evidence was against him, turned all 'his elo- quence in the direction of emotional humanity. He depicted the unfortun- ate 'position of 'the 'homeless, 'helpless young man before us. Ile ,pictured my c•onspictloes place in life; he drew the sympathies of that audience to' the prisoner, and upon me he "directed their ill -Will and rscowls.,;Hatred flash- ed 'from an eye as he took 'that 'little porcelain dish • in 'his hand, and said. "That man • ,comes here from the North, 'Inc touches a liquid with a, bit of stuff, and it turns blue, 'violet -Italie, for an instant. He asks you, men of. S'trin•gtown County, to 'hang a •resi- dent of Stringto'wn 'County because th'is'blue 'colour comes in a dish. Ken- tuckians, did ever (Ken'tu'cky • 'court witness such a ;farce ? When .a man plunges a knife into another, a witness may swear to the fact, for that is evi- dence of fact. When a witness swears that he saw the flash of the gun or pistol, and saw the victim 'fall, that is Competent testimony; ' but when a man .comes 'from afar and 'touches a dish with a glass .tad, and asks you .td hang a Kentuckian because a spot of porcelain turns purple, that is audac- ious ,presumption, and is neither evid- ence nor testimony. : Kentuckians, S swear by all that is holy, ,that if you become a party to this monstrous crime, a .few dollars' hereafter will hire a horde of hungry chemists from the North to show a colour in a dish to whoever cares wrongly to gain an in- heritance or wishes to hang an enemy. There will scarcely be .time to keep the gallows oiled, so, rapid .will be the hangings in Kentucky.. No right man will rest in this grave wibh a whole stomach, 'for ,these ghouls will .find chemists to swear that all who die are poisoned," Turning to Inc; he shook his finger in my face. "'There sits a man who should love his village and his 'State, but who comes back to us to !hang the companion of his youth. He and the prisoner were boys together, they sat in the sameschoolhouse, played in the same schoolyard, lived in the same village. One is a man, the other a chemist! but'I say in all earnestness, that`I would rather he the innocent Kentuckian who hangs—the man, my friends—than the renegade who •hangs him!" The attack was vicious, and 1 realised that this words could 'move men to violence had no violence been previousiy contemplated, ,Why did Judge Elford allow this personal at- tack, some persons may ask? 'It was not his place to prevent the defence from breaking my testimony by any method possible, and .when the at- torney was through :I realised that, re- gardless of the verdict, I was dis- graced in the land of my old home, and I felt, too, that men present were ready, perhaps by violence, to take` the part of Red -Head, should the jury de- cide that be •must hang. But the closing argument of the prosecution modified conditions sbme- what, and the charge of the judge to the jury was so clear and .comprehen sive asto leave no •cause of complaint by either party. "The evidence is circumstantial, but it is necessarily so in cases such as this, for those who poison others are never seen to do .the act. They are like thugs who lie concealed in the night and deal a ratan a blow from behind. And yet," be added, "not only must the jury be convinced beyond a doubt that the prisoner bought the strychnine, but that strychnine was lit the stomach, and that the prisoner ad- ministered it. If such has been proven by the testimony offered, the prisoner is as much subject to the severest penalty of the law as though he had fired a bullet into the victim." Much more did this learned man say to those who held the life of the prisoner in their .hands; coolly, im- partially, clearly, was the charge -gi- ven, Alter the judge concluded that afterno'on the jury retired, and then we sat awaiting 'their a•eturn,—sat un- til the evening's shadows were inearly, on us. No 'longer an object of attention, I changed my ;place to one .of less con- spicuity. ,I 'drew my chair back into a corner made .by the -witness box and the prisoner's' raised platform, and from that position Ifound that 11' could. observe the entire rooin, and be less exposed to peering eyes, 'To my left sat the judge, to my ,right, in the se - q oud raw' •of spectators, sat Susie and l Cupe, and directly in .front o'f me ,the prisoner. By hes side stood the s'heriff with exposed pistols ready for a touch, and 'beyond these two, :nearly in line with them, sat o'ld' man Ibol- comb amid his men from the moun- tains, 'When I looked- at died -II -lead, 'I could see the sheriff and Hblcomb, for they :were all in 'line and covered by the sante r:field of: vision; Buzzing voices broke now upon the ear, 'for during the recess 'the tongues of the men of Stringtown.'and of;Stringtown County were lo'osed. 1 'fan'cied, too, that many coats that had been button- ed previously were how .open, but this' may 'have !been fancy. :Bow would these mei! -take the verdict Of the jury in case it was. against the prisoner? W!aat would be their programme? I looked at Hol- comb; comb; 'he made no movement, nor yet did any of his 'clan. Red -Heard sat im- passive; .Susie's eyes were downcast, Cupe seemed' to be asleep; Judge .El fckd rested •his'ihead on 'bis hand, and tapped the desk gen't'ly -with a pencil; the armed sheriff stood upright and still:; 'Then at last came a •message to the "judge, who sent (back an order, and soon the jury :fined slowly into the room and stood in line .whine the fore- man presented a folded paper: "We do hereby ]find the prisoner guilty of murder in the !first degree." Then. Judge Elford rose„ and as he did so I caught his glance, and so did others, for the swept his eyes about the room, resting them now •and then on a 'face: Fin'al'ly they turned to the prisoner. 'Stand 'up; prisoner," and Red -Head arose. ;Slowly, 'distinctly, the judge pro- noun'ced' the sentence of death. Had 1 been the murderer the message could not have affe'eted nor shocked'., me more. 'Not a muscle did' •RedaHead move, not a tremor in 'his frame, not an evidence of fear or shame did he exhibit. ,A.nd when the words were spoken, "I do hereby sentence you to be hanged by 'the 'neck until you are dead, :and may 'God have mercy on your soul!" he gave no show of emo- tion: But I saws him -glance 'toward old Holcomb, who' then awkwardly arose, a picturesque figue, and amid silence as intense as that in which Cupe fig- ured in .this same room many years before, he politely asked df the judge: "Is thar no hope fer the 'boy, Jed'ge Kin all old friend from the moun'ns do nuthin' fer 'the lad?" "Nothing." -''r ••-; "Ef I'll go clown ter whar he stan's an' take .his place—will yo' let .the boy go ]free?" "I cannot," "Et's a life yo' wants, yo' matt ,ov raw, a'li•fe far a life, but et seems ter Inc that et' ain't fair ter take a young one fer thet ov the old man- who lived his'n away. I'm old, IJedge, an' the bey's young; take me'n let him live et out." "I 'cannot," 'He's the last •ev his 'fam'ly, Jedge, an' I'm the last ov mine, 'Thar ain't no hopes ,fer me, 'but the boy hes pros- pects." The judge shook his head.' Holding o'ut his loft hand and point- ing his long .finger at the upright pris- oner, whom he faced, the -old man slowly said: "He an' his'n killed every 1-I'olcomb 'hut 'me, an' me an' mine killed every 'moun'n Nordntan but him, Thar's a feud betwixt him an' me, an' et must be fought ter the •end. fer the honor ov the two 'fam'lies' what's dead." Then carte a movement so quick that I, who had both 'Holcomb and the prisoner in line, hardly caught its import before the deed was done. The right hand of the old man suddenly drew a pistol from some unseen poc- ket, and with one sweep of Lhe arni discharged it full into the chest of Red -Head, who, with eye close fixed on the speaker, as that movement was begun, caught one of the weapons from out the 'belt • ,of the _ sheriff. Younger, quicker and more expert, his: hand was not less sure; the two flashes lighted the roorn as if hut one, the two rtp•orts were s'imultaneous, .A drop of blood sprang into view, just in the centre' of the forehead ,of the old man, who dropped lifeless in- to the arms of his companions. The prisoner 'bto'od .upright; h,is ''fac,e turn- ed white, ins lips,. tno'ved slowly, and as by a'mighty effort he said: "The feud is over, Holcomb." He strug- gled to stand, an'cll murmured: "I didn't,•pinon Uncle Nordni ti; I shoots like a man; et's a lie, a' say," :Then he sank 'slowly into hib seat, raised his head by one last effort .and 'mut- tered: "113mry me besidearc'little Sissie in the mou'ns, and bury the doll with me. '11 hain't no other friends but Susie and the doll:" T, who ,'sat near hint, heard ever y word and s'aw every movement he made, ;That flash came from a weap- on which did not rest, that ,bulle't went straight touts mark in the dusk of evening from a moving pistol;; and than. I thought ,o'f the five holes in a circle around a centre shot` Made on ;a mark in the 'Str'ingtown school yard in the years that had ,passed.. •QIIAPTER„ LXII'I, A Strange Love -Story. /Neither the next day nor yet ,the day following did I return' to the lIni- versity. I had arranged• for an absen- ce of two weeks, and of this three days remained, 'Fortunate is itthat this was • so, for I was not in condi-' tion to attend 'to fitly class •cl'uties. The tragic 'ending of that trial unnerved' rte. •In the ;privacy o'f in'y home' 1 re-' pented' over and ,again of my .course in the matter o'fthis expert testi- ninny; not that 'I had 'any question concerning its Scientific accuracy and truth'fuiness, but because 'II apiprecf ated\th•at I had gone out of my way to . assume a responsibility II could easily have declined. 'The penitence I did inv'ol'ved 00 change of chara'cter, and .probably,h•ad I to do the work over again I 'would have made no change .of .conduct, The .vicious per- sonal a'ttac'k of that lawyer for the defence ran ever through! my ears, the, pleadings of Susie in -my laborat- ory the night of the storm, ;and the generous entreaty of Judge Elford in the privacy of his home—in 'which' he asked God to strike him lifeless rather than that he should he forced to make a death 'charge on 'the expert testis mony of a chemist—would not be quieted. To this may he added the effect produced by the dramatic' cli- max of the trial'and the last ward's of Red -!Head, .spoken when, for the',first time, the only time, his skin was white. d .visited no one in String - town, II 'saw no, and yet, I repeat, not yet was' it remorse that poesesed me. !Tike .second day of any seclusion passed, and tate that afternoon came a d'ou'ble surprise. !Old 'Cupe appear- ed bearing a letter to my mother, who retired from the room to read it, leav- ing :Cope standing near where 5 was seated. I exchanged a ,pleasantry with the negro, to which he replied in his usual polite manner. (Then he added: "Ma'se (Samuel, yo'll'scuse de ole man ef he ax a quisti•on?" "Surely, Cupe." "Et seems t' de fool nigger es ef Red -Mead might halt been alibe, had he gone . back t' . de moun'fns 'bout. ten yeahs ago? "Yes, 'Cupe." "An' he would ,hab ` gone but fo' Susie.".. "Probably." "An' ef 'yo' had not 'come back t' tole de'truff 'bout de piton, recke'n de jidge might hal let him gone Scott free?" "Possibly." "De fool sign what yo' alight hab ,fergot 'bout said dal' Red -Head 'ud die sudden an' tat 'Susie an' yo' 'ud be de cause ob et. 'Fool sign, nigger sign, yo' know." "Yes: ' "But et's monstrous cu'yous how et jes happened t' conte true—" At this point my mother: returned and dismissed the negro, who did not have a chance to finish his "quistion'," but he had said enough to illustrate that he -still watched the record of the evil, omen. "Sammy," .began my mother, "1 hope to -morrow. in ,part to repair the wrong'I did when .I forbade you meet- ing Miss Susie i,fauley.' 'Miss .Susie Manley?" I asked in surprise. „Yes, my son." "Explain yourself, - mother." "The girl known as Susie, the adop- ted daughter of the dissolute Corn Bug, was in reality the child o'f his half-brother, Ir. Manley, who met her mother • at a Northern watering - place. He kept the natter secret, but in some manner Judge Elford learned of it, and at once -visited that part of New York State to investigate the subject. 'He found that Mr. Mau - ley became involved in a love affair with this woman and married her in secret very soon alter the death of his first wife -so soon that publicity would have 'been a reflection on him- self and a humiliation to his children. For this reason perhalps,absolute se- crecy wag' •obser.ved- by hint. The judge states that he acted cruelly, even to leading 'her' to' believe she was not married, and brutally driving her. froth his door, ,but That was years ago, and o .good to the living can conte of uncovering those ;incidents. The sinful man went down to sudden death 'without having done the child justice, Judge 'Elford found, the re- cord in +New York .'State clear and perfect, and on his written satement, an'd a legal process as well, the girl. has come into her own_ good name and her share of the 'father's fortune. This I did not tell you s'ooner,:know- ing that you were worried. over the case in which you were to be a wit- ness. !But that ,professional subject is now, off your mind, and ,'future only concern's you." "Mother, I thank you for' telling me this, but d asked no' Court record to. give me' the privilege o'f loving Susie, mor could I love her better had she. a hundred birth ,certificates from the Court and fro'ni ,Society. You are too '.late, however, in voicing your good intentions, for the girl loved .alt - other;: he is dead, and I testified against .hint. She will never forgive me -never! that I well. know." "Susie will dine with us to -marrow.; she has a'c'cepted.my invitation. Cupe, brought the note. (This is a surprise' that I had in store for you, but for good reasons; I did not. speak' of it before receiving her accep'tance of my invitation." "Susie coming here to cline with us; are 'you sure of it, nooth"er?". "Read her answer." "And yet, 'mother, I cannot believe she will be pl'eas'ed to have fine pre- sent. iI fear the result of our Meet- ing may be painful:' to. -;b'o'th of'us." "My child, you do not understand women. ''They are not aliw'ay's what they,. seems .to be, 104, do they always: know themselves. !Possibly Susie did not love Red -!Head' as 'you thought; she did, and even if it -is true, she will now turn to another." dlid not reply, for I was perplex- ed. illy anther wwas not 'a match- maker, and :P 'felt that she wished only to undo a wrong that ;she 'h'ad previously .cone the gird ,end myself. 'But the d'id not know' atld that I "knew, Had` she done so, she would:. .never have arranged a meeting. The girl who ca'nie''bo my laboratory, in a win- ter night and begged me in behalf of Red-IH'ead ' to 'remain. away 'from Stringtowu, who stood indignant. be'-: fcere me when 'I declined ao do so, who 'threw into my face the words, "God help you, man of science!" and then' 'left me 'late at night in that ,storm to seek the old mane in the mountains, could haveno l'a've' for rte. This my mother dud nut know, or Che would never have sought to bring us together 'beneath her roof. At the expected hour fhe next day Susie came. 'Self possessed as she had always been, no evidence of grief or traces oe sorrow were on her face. We talked of other lands and of current events. My nether left the room. But still no word did .we utter 'concerning the tragedy through which we had so recently 'assed, -o-r of the incidents in which we had taken part 'during the years that were gone. 'But I thought of all these things, and I think she d'id too, although no mention •was'm'ade of aught that lay nearest my heart. When the hour for her departure. arrived, I turned with her into the wyy that led back through the pasture to- ward her .home. On the distant fence sat Cupe awaiting his charge, and when he saw us he shuffled on ahead, leaving us far behind walking togeth- er in the meadow, At Mast we s'too'd again in the shade just adhere we stood once before on the crooked' narrow path that led through the' valley; in the very spot where I had handed her the flower that afternoon long ago. Did she think. of that 'day? I -cannot say, but I know that,I did, and im- pulsively as I' had 'done before, I ca'ugh't her hand, '"Susie, when we last met in this valley I stood before you as I do now, pleadingly, but you 'begged me as 'a personal favor to ask my mother's permission to finish a sen'tenc'e that I longed to speak,' and this request, in a moment of weakness, if :foolishly granted. I as'lced her conseat,, as I. promised you to do. Yesterday she spoke again, and iI am now free to say all. For I too have waited, long." , I seized both her hands, pressed them between my own ,palm's and told my story. She looked into the grassy path and replied: "I accepted the invitation to your iionie to -day because I wished you to tell me this that I plight an- swer.'. It is iiow too late. It isnow too late!' "S'u'sie,. if it is too fate, you have been the cans'e,''iact I:'I loved you then and I love you now. Is a maxi's love so .light a thing?" "hlr. Drew, I am no coquette, and I have not sacrificed my womanhood byleading-you to express your love for Ire- in older to reject it. I= have •lied,, you to say `what 'You have said in°or-' der to free you .from a hopeless at tach'ment. This distress I once saved: myself by asking you to wait, as I knew• you must wait if you sought your mother's' .permission to speak. li,. gale myself this : chance for I wanted' to say" Yes; ,I !hoped that it might be, possible for rte' to say yes, as you have wished lie bo. But to -day, with- out any hope whatever, Iae,peat itis now too late.". ('To be continued), PROFESSIONAL CARD'S Medical DR. H. H U GIII. RO'SIS, Physician and Surgeon. Late of London Hos- pital, London, England: Special attention to diseases of the eye, ea', nose and throat Office and resi- dence behind Dominion Bank; Office Phone No, 5; Residence Phone 1014. DR.. F. J. _BURROWS, Seaforth. Office and residence, 'Goderich' street, east of the United' C'hurc'h. 'Coronet' • for the County of Huron. Telephone No. 46, DR. C. MIAI(]ISIA'Y.-C. Mackey. honor graduate of Trinity University and gold medallist of Trinity Medaeli$ -College; member of the 'College sed Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. DIR, F. J. R. 310!PJSTEIR--!Eye, EM Nose and Th'r'oat, Graduate in Medi- cine, University of Toronto 1897. Late Assistant New York Ophthal- mic and Aural Institute, Moorefield's Eye, and Golden Square throat hoipri- ta'ls, London, 'England. At Comm- ercial Hotel, 'Seaforth,' 3rd Monday in each !month, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. DR. W. C. SI11R0lA'T.—Graduate cd: Faculty of Medicine, University Of Western Ontario, London. Member of College of Physicians and Sur- geon's of Ontario, Office in rear of Aberhart's drug store, Seafioeth. Phone 90. Hours 1.30-4 p.m., 7.30 -9 p.m, Other hours by app'ointment, Dental DR. J. A. MUN'N, Successor to Dr. R. R. Ross, graduate of North- western University, Chicago, I1l. Li- centiate Royal College of Dental Sur- geons, Toronto. Office over Sille' hardware, Main St., Seaforth, Phone 151. DR. F. J. BIECH'ELY, graduate Royal College of Dental Surgeons, Toronto. Office over W. R. Smith's grocery, Main St., Seaforth. Phoma, office I85W, residence 185J. Auctioneer. iGiEORIGE ELLIOTT, Licensed Auctioneer for the County of Huron, Arrangements can be made for Sale Date at The Seaforth News. Charges 'moderate and satisfaction guranteed. WATSON AND REID'S REAL ESTATE AND INSURANCE AGENCY (St ccssors to James Watson) MAIIN ST., SEAFORTH, ONT. All kinds of Insurance risks effect- ed at lowest rates in First -Claw Companies. THE McKILLOP Mutual Fire Insurance Cot FARM AND IISOLATE'D TOWN PIRJOIFE'RTY, 0 deT L Y, IINSURED 'Officers - John Bennewies, 'Brod_ Eagan, .President; Jas.:Connolly, God- erich, Vice -'Pres,; D. F. ' MCGregor, Seaforth No, 4, 'Sec.-Treas. Directors --Geo. R. McCartney, Sea - forth No. 3; Alex, Broadioot, Sea- ebrth No. 3; •James Evans, !Seaford. No. 5; IRobt. -Ferris, Blyth' No. I; As.* S'hold'ice, Watton. Nor 4; John Pepper, Brucefield; Wiliiam 'Kn'ox,' Londes— borough. Agents -Jas. Watt,'Bilyth. No. 1; .W. E. 'Hinclvley, :Seafort'h,• J. A. Murray, Seaforth 'No. 3; W. J. Yeo, 'Clinton No. ,3; R. G. J'armtuth, Bornholm, !Auditors — Jas. \Kerr, ;Seaforth; Thos. Moylan, Seaforth No.. 5. 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