Beadle's Half-Dime Library No. 109 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

———— ao — eo a er eon -_<-— eee ee or ss ee _-- -_- -- -- - ~ - - — a om “Very well. You are the very one that I | greatness and superiority over the more com- want. ou must come to the trial, this after- | mon race of humans. “ Boss” was he of the noon, and swear as you have told me. You | town, by common consent, and therefore he shall be well paid for your trouble, and freed of was entitled to the loftiest attention the people complicity in the affair, too. Will you come, | could bestow upon him. At least, so he im- my lad?” agined, and give in your ireag amy t O ‘Faith, an’ I will,” the bootblack replied. As be sat in his box, he noticed one thing which caused him considerable uneasiness. In the court-room were at least fifty persons whom he had never seen before, and a suspicion dawned upon his mind that he might not have | In the meantime, Clancy Adair was not idle. | He had mounted his horse and galloped away | into tue mountain—far up into the rocky fast- nesses, Where human foot might have never | trod, yet where, despite this supposition, a little group of rough cabins stood among the tall, | spectral pines. | Men were lounging around on the outside of these cabins—men of more uncouth dress than the surroundings would seem to warrant. More | mon were digging with pick and shovel ina little rivulet that gurgled down through the acrial defile, and the whole of these men wore masks. Apparently Clancy Adair was no stranger in the mountain camp, as his approach did not > seem to create any stir—the men simply looked up, nodded, and he passed on, until he drew rein ! a: before one of the principal cabins, and dis- | ment rights. It is an auspicious occasion, my mounted, | benign galoots, when it becomes our duty as A little, wry-looking old man came and took his fellow-men and brothers, to try a mortal fer horse, and he entered. Inside, all was different. | ther foul crime o’ murder. I don’t propose ter The cabin glittered and shone with the splen- | say much—I am usually a man o’ few words, cor of a palace. Everywhere wasthe rarest old | We will heer ther proer ee an’ ther defense, furniture, the softest carpets, and the most | an’ then, a jury shall be chosen to decide ther magnificent pictures, set off with hundreds of | matter.” " smaller ornaments of great beauty. Seemingly Honorable Clancy Adair then arose. the Honorable Clancy had stumbled into a fairy “The prisoner at the bar was arrested by alace, as compared with the exterior surround- | Constable Holloway, who, in company with ings, but he appeared not surprised, but took a | Jailer McAdams and myself, found him at the seat. scene of the murder. n the prosecution, I A man who was seated at a table, reading, | have to bear testimony that the prisoner isa threw down his paper, and looked up, interro- | stranger in town, and has been suspected of gatively. | being a thief from the Kastern cities. It is the “Well what’s up, now?” he demanded, strok- | supposition that he met the deceased, and be- cause, But it was too late to cry over spilt milk now. Some ten or twelve of the Ardhanaele were present, and he meant that they should swear away the life of Carroll Holly, even if other measures failed. swagger, and opened the case, ‘““My friends and feller-citizens,” he said, pounding the bench with his fist, to attract at- tention—‘* my beholders and pilgrims, one and all, it gives me pleasure to appear here before — ee _ ing his beard, which was long, and brown in , lieving her to possess money, murdered her for color. | it. Fortunately he was seen in the commission ‘A good deal. I want ten witnesses to be at | of the crime, by one William Stafford, who was hand in Rough Shod, willing to aid me, if I de- ! coming into town. Mr. Stafford will please sire!” the mayor replied, briefly. He then pro- | rise, be sworn, and give in his testimony, ina ceeded in his conversation in a lower tone, and | straightforward manner.” _ the chief of the Archangels listened and nodded | The disguised Barry Meredith arose, and was assent, occasionally. sworn by Phineas Porter. — At last the mayor arose to go. Edith failed to recognize him in his aeey dis- ‘* You shall have a band of the Archangels at guise, but the gleam of his eyes caused her a your disposal,” the chief said, following him to | gre of uneasiness. the door. ‘ Look ye out that ye don’t get them | “My name is William Stafford,” he said, into a fight, for our numbers are not so strong | glancing around. ‘‘ By profession I am a pros- that we can afford to lose a man.” cting miner, and the morning after the mur- “No need to fear. The friends of Carroll | der, I set foot in this town for the first time. I Holly are not so many that they will make any / had been out all night, traveling to reach this effort to fight for him,” Adair replied. town, when I accidentally became 1 witness to He then mounted his horse and rode away to- | the crime. From a distance | saw the prisoner ward Rough Shod, inwardly chuckling over the | shoot the girl with a pistol, and saw him go and coming success of his schemes against his feudal | stand over her. I hastened to town, and in- foe. formed the mayor, who went and arrested him. I recognize the prisoner at the bar as one and The court-room in Rough Shod, or rather the | the same person who murdered the girl!” room in which all the trials—which by the way | A murmur of incredulity ran through the were few—were held, was a vacant store upon | crowd as the man took a seat, which finally the main street. A few plank seats had been | turned into a partial hiss. collected within the building, for the accommo- Evident it was that the heft of the crowd did dation of the prisoners, witnesses and jury, and | not put much faith in the testimony of William the audience were usually left to provide for | Stafford. themselves. So seldom was it that any offender ‘‘Have you any further evidence to offer was held to answer for a misdemeanor, that the | against the prisoner?’ Porter demanded, turn- place was unacquainted with such a crowd as ing upon the mayor. game to witness the trial of Carroll Holly for ‘None, at present,” was the reply. the murder of Minnie Yates. ‘*Very well. I will then endeavor to prove Long before the hour of the trial came there ; that the prisoner is not the one who murdered was a noticeable increase in the population of | Miss Yates, but is the victim of a most devilish the town—the little court-room was packed in | conspiracy!” every available corner, and a great crowd surg- ed outside, in the long gulch street. Men had come in swarms from the surround- ing mountain districts—from Leadville, Ten Mile and Webster; such an attendance had never been known in the annals of Rough Shod —such an interest in the case of a stranger was one of the things marvelous. Phineas Porter had conducted Edith to the court in time to get her a seat; Constable Hollo- way and McAdams led in the prisoner, a little later; last of all came Honorable Clancy Adair, CHAPTER IX. OVERWHELMING ODDS—SENTENCED. “T am afraid you will be unable to prove hat, to the satisfaction of the jury!” Honorable lancy Adair said, with ill-concealed triumph. “‘ Miss Edith Yates appears to be your only wit- ness, and she did not witness the murder. Mr. Stafford did.” é ‘‘ We have only his oath for it,” Phineas Por- ter replied, coolly. ‘One man’s oath is as good as another’s, unless be can be proven a habitual accompanied by his disguised son, and a super- | and confirmed Liar. As for witnesses, [ have annua pettitc ger etoiod Hoonks. more than Miss Yates’s testimony to tender the A gem, literally speaking, was this Hoonks, | j in behalf of the prisoner. Miss Yates, you ur will please rise and be sworn.” The formula was duly enacted; then Edith gave in her testimony. “T knew nothing of the murder until I was told of it by Clancy Adair. I awoke in the morning to find my sister not in bed with me, and when I discovered her absence, I was very much alarmed.” At this juncture, Hoonks, the pettifogger, beg- or at least, so he esteemed himself. He was one of those vain mortals with a great amount of <elf-conceit, and very little brains, who in a civilized community is ever made the butt of inuch abuse and ridicule. But in Rough Shod’s Little city he was considered a great legal light —a among men. . Honorable Claney took his seat in the judge’s vox with the air of a man who realized his , Deadwood Dick as Detective. | | | played his hand sufficiently strong, if perchance | these strangers were friendly to the prisoner’s Hoonks, the people’s attorney, arose with a - ! he demanded, indignantly. you, in the behalf of justice and civil govern- | me ee ee ee ree te ee 11 eae ee = eee _ . - +e ee oe d to cross-question her, but could not alter e testimony, us was evidently his intention, Edith then went on to state how she had re ceived a note from Barry Meredith; the rela- tion Meredith bore them as an enemy; her sué- picions that he was the murderer, and her conviction that Carroll Holly was innocent of the crime. ‘Your testimony is mostly supposition, miss, and does not weigh,” ge Adair said, with provoking sarcasm. ‘‘ Sir defendant’sattorney, we will hear your further testimony.” “Correct!” Porter said, with unruffled calm- ness. ‘‘James Flynn, it you are present, you may take the stand.” immy was present, sure enough, and came tumbling in from the audience, in a manner more lively than dignified. He was sworn by Prosecuting Attorney Hoonks, and then took the stand. ‘Mr. Flynn?’ Hoonks began, sarcastically, ‘‘what moight it plaze yer honer ter know for- ninst this case.’’ ‘* ot the divil is that your business?” Jimmy “Shure whin Mr, Porter gets up an’ askes me questions in a civil style, Vil be after answerin’ ’em to him, but sorry a one ’ll I answer ter ther likes av an on- decent spalpeen like yerself.” Hoonks shrunk back amid a laugh from the crowd, for he was no prime favorite in the town-—and Phineas Porter arose. ‘*Master Jimmy,” he said, ‘‘we should be grateful to hear your evidence in this painfal case.’ “See that, now!” Jimmy exclaimed, tri umphantly. ‘‘ Tha detective be afther the cut av a gintleman, while the other son of a spal- xen be a cousin to the snakes St. Patrick ounced out av ould Lreland, shure, an’ sorry a bit did they come back, Testimony is it ye’re afther wantin’? Shure it’s mesilf then, that be afther havin’ a stock av the same. ‘*The young leddy is ontirely right. Tha prisoner at tha bar be innocent o’ ther crime as was Mrs, McCarty’s pig av rootin’ up tha potaty paten. Mr. Carroll Holly niver did tha job, an’ ef yez’ll listen, shure I'll tell yez all I know. ‘‘T be blackin’ the boots o’ a sweet-scented pilgrim, won day, wlin he asked me if 1 was wantin’ av another job. Shure, | told him thet I was as long as it was honest, an’ so he hired me to take a letther to Miss Edith Yates at the candy-shop. I tuk it an’she sent won back, and shure she told me to be after cursin’ him, ontirely. Tha man, whosigned his name to tha paper, Barry Meredith, he laffed whin I told him about it, an’ he thin hired me to take anither note to Miss Minnie Yates, in tha reer av tha candy-sbop, without Miss Edith knowin’ av it, T asked him if it was all square, an’ he sed it was—thet it was a love affair, and he only was after gettin’ a bug in the ear av his swateheart.” ** Did you see the contents of this letter, Master Flynn?’ Porter asked. * Sure an’ I saw ivery line av it, and read it in the bargain,” Jimmy replied, with a broad grin. ‘‘It was after tellin’ her how he had wronged the likes av her in the past, an’ how he had repented an’ cum back to marry her but her sister wouldn’t have him around, an she (Minnie) would be after comin’ out to meet him in the gulch, after dark, he would have a minister ready, and they’d be afther gittin’ married by moonlight.” ‘Very well; what did you do after you took the note, master Flynn?” ‘‘Sbhure I kept a watch on tha eye av tha spalpeen as sint it. He wint to tha mayor’s house, tha next day, an’ whin he came out, he was disguised so that his own mother wouldn't ’av’ know’d ’im. Shure, an’ he couldn't daeeeve me, an’ belavin’ he was up to sum diviltry, I kept watch av bim. He wint into tha gulch that night, an’ I follered him, bedad. Jist as ] war catchin’ up with him, I heerd a voice call ‘Barry! Barry!’ an’ see’d him Yan a pistol an' shoot into tha darkness, Thin | heerd a scream, an’a fall. I tracked him further, an’ see’d him go stand beside the body. Thin after sayin’ sumthin’ I couldn’t heer, he cum back to town, an’ told tha mayor to send out hands to search for the murderer.” ‘* This wae story is a most deliberate false- hood, and I order his arrest!” Clancy Adair cried, in a passion. ‘You just wait till I get through with him!” Phineas Porter replied, coolly. ‘*Master Flynn, is this assassin in town yet?” ‘‘ Shure, an’ there he sets, a-callin’ av himself William Stafford!” Jimmy replied, pointing to the strange witness. ‘‘ Arrest the man at once,” Porter ordered, turning to the constable. ‘‘If he is Barry Mer- on HCO <S (E| OOK) mM