The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 276: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. 273 jolly old hass in all my life. What do you want? Haven’t I told you I seed him? haven’t I told you he trod serunch on my blessed stomach? haven’t I told you he had the knife? Bother you, can’t you make yourself comfortable, and go to sleep like a Christian, and let other Christians do so as well?” The counsel saw that nothing whatever was to be made of Troubled Tom, and thought that the best part of valor was dis- cretion, so he sat down, amid the stifled laughter of every one in court. The further progress of the trial consisted in the production of papers found upon the person of Sternholde, which were of such a nature as proved they must have belonged to the young traveler at the inn. They related to the history of Colonel Rou- selli, and contained the written instructions of the old Monsieur Rouselli, in order to enable bis young relative to trace out the abode of Mabel. Thus a train of circumstantial evidence against him was pro- duced, which was as perfect as any case depending upon cir- cumstantial evidence cquld he, and every one felt, when the counsel for the defense rose, that he would, indeed, have a diffi- cult task to perform, if he thought he could do away with the strong impression of Sternholde’s guilt, which was in the minds of the jury. Tae whole conduct of the prisoner was incompatible with an idea of innocence, and it would be a matter of impossibility to strain the circumstances that had been sworn to, into a pre- sumption otherwise than unfavorable to him. Bat still, difficult as was the task, counsel was bound to essay it, and, accordingly, with an assumption of confidence and cheerfulness which only deceives the most ignorant specta- tors of legal proceedings, the already much discomfited counsel for the defense rose to speak in favor of Sternholde, the mur- derer. Perhaps curiosity to know what he would say as much influ- enced present to preserve the deathlike stillness that they did, as any other feeling; for upon the real question, as regarded the guilt or innocence of the prisoner, no unprejudiced mind entertained a doubt. The learned person seemed fully aware of the bad impression he had created by the utter failure of the cross-examination to which he had subjected the witnesses for the prosecution, and his first efforts were evidently devoted to the task of doing away as much as be could with that unfavorable impression. ‘*My lord and gentlemen of the jury,” he commenced, “i cannot but be aware that there are great difficulties in the way of an advocate, who rises to defend an individual so painfully situated as is the prisoner now at the bar. I am fully aware, gen- tlemen, how strong a circumstantial case has been made out against the man who awaits, at your bands, that decision which shall restore himself to the world, or withdraw him forever from it by means of a dreadful and a violent death. But, gentlemen of the jury, it has been held as a principle by our most correct jegal authorities, that the more conclusive a case of circumstan- comicbooks. com