Beadle's Dime Novels No. 38: The Wrong Man — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

[THE TRIAL. 85 chagrin at being set aside. After several hours, however, the jurymen were selected and sworn. Every thing was con- in the usual manner. The first witness placed on the was Nathan Dodge. Looking supernaturally solemn pressive, Mr. Scroggs said : . Dodge, you have just sworn to tell the truth, the truth, and nothing but the truth. Let me abjure you, in the name of this great Commonwealth, not to forget the requirements of the momentous oath you have taken. Let no prejudice for or against the prisoner, accord- ing to the circumstances detailed, lead you to say what ain't so. I have now to request that you will tell, in a brief, con- cise, pointed manner, without making a long story of it, all you know about this matter.” “ Waal, then,” commenced the loquacious peddler, squirting 1 & mouthful of tobacco-juice in the coat-pocket of the shoe- maker, who was standing near him, “ to cut the matter short, I was returning to the village on the evening in question, when I meets Ned Overton, a-horseback, riding toward the bluffs—” “ Not too fast; wait till I transcribe the interrogatory and its reply,” interrupted Scroggs, really doing what he pre posed. “ Proceed,” he added, a moment later. “When, as I said, I meets Ned Overton. Me and Ned being on not very good terms, from a little muss we had the Other day in the woods, we didn’t speak. You see the way the muss come about was this. Ned Overton fired at a deer and missed it—” : “ Never mind about that. Confine yourself to the circum- stances under deliberation, #f you please.” “Me and Ned, then, not being on good terms, we didn’t stop to talk. The fact of it is, he turned into the woods to keep clear of me; but he come back into the road agin so soon, that I had a good sight of him. It was a bright moon- light night, and I seen him.” a “You could swear, then, that it was Edward Overton, the hunter, and no one else ?” . “Td stake my life on it,” said the peddler. “As you are positive in regard to that fact,” said Mr comliclooks.com