Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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9 lewis m. ?rist, proprietor, j ^n Jnttepcniienf Jfamilg ftetospaper: Jfar % promotion of t|e ^olitiral, Sural, ^griraltural anil (Commercial Interests of tjje Sontj). TERMS--I2.50 A YEAR, IN ADVANCE. VOL. 28. YOEKVILLE, S. C., THTJESDAY, MAY 25, 1882. 3STO. 21. ^ ^elected facton. MARGARET, THE COVENANTER. "O, Margaret, bonnie Margaret," Half underneath her breath The mother whispered to her child, As they walked forth to death. On either side the doorway stood, With bare blades drawn the men of blood? A troop of soldiers sent to take The covenant martyrs to the stake. The sweet May airs blew over them As swung the portal wide; The sea, broad glistening in the sun, Ebbed to its lowest tide. Adown the village street they went, The people following with lameut. Though ever shrinking back abashed As in their faces sabres flashed. "O Margaret, darling Margaret," The mother sobbed once more, As the grim troopers, slackening rein, Halted upon the.shore. The leader put his sword in sheath, And muttered low between his teeth? "A long day's work," he turned his ey< Seaward; the tide began to rise. Then once more, would the twain recant, Pardon was proflerd both.. That, and to say "God save the king;" But they refused the oath. So, out across the wet sail sands, They dragged the mother with rough hand! And tiea her to the farthest stake; She only said: "For Christ's dear sake." "O Margaret, maiden Margaret," She saw the water lave Those feeble feet, those tottering limbs, Higher with each new wave. Slowly but surely, breath on breath, Advanced the pitiless stream of death ; Up to the waist, the breast, the chin, And still the tide came flowing in. Rude jests, the soldiers, back and forth, Banded about her charms ; "She will be glad, anon, to s*ek The shelter of our arms." She only saw with straiuiug eyes Far out a something float and rise, Tossed like a sea-mew, helpless, white, Then sink forever from her sight. "O, Margaret, bonnie Margaret," Arose a piercing cry From out the crowd; "oh, bonnie bairn, Give in, and dinna die !" An echoing wail the multitude Sent up about her, but she stood Gazing as if they had not been, And still the tide camo rushing in. The Laird of Lag, with baffled rage Swore, as he paced the sands, That he would wait uo more, and bade The soldiers bind her hand. They led her out; and ankle deep The'eager sea was quick to creep. With rope they bound her to the stake; She gently said, "For Christ's dear sake." r- Then Margaret, martyr Margaret, With voice serene and calm, "To Thee, oh God, I lift my soul!" Sane in trinmDhant nsalm Up rose the fioo^ unceasingly; Such glory shone upon the sea As Scottish eyes had never seen ; Agd still the tide came rolling in ! a D. B., in Demorest's Monthly. Jdi ?rigiual ftfltg. Written for the Yorkville Enquirer. DEATH IN THE CUP. ? BY J. WITHERSPOON ERVIN. I knew Mrs. Laroche tolerably well?not at all intimately?only sufficiently to enable me - to form a judgment as to her character. It was a trying tiling for me to meet her under the circumstances, for the sight of a woman overcome by distress and dissolved in tears, was peculiarly painful and embarrassing to me. I expected to find her completly overwhelmed by suffering ; for, so far as 1 had been able to judge she was a gentle, modest, retiring and sensitive woman, altogether unfitted to bear such a trial as had befallen her. My light tap at the door was promptly answered by an invitation to enter, and opening the door that stood.ajar I was in her presence. Shall I venture to describe her ? Even in the extremely inauspicious circumstances she was a woman of wonderful beauty. I expected to find her dissolved in tears and disfigured by distress ; but to my surprise she was calm and self-collected. A noble and well poised head, regular and symmetrical features, that would have charmed one even in a statue, where so much is due to contour and so little to expression, met my eyes at the first glance. She was of the pure blonde type, with a face remarkably soft and gentle in expression, wonderfully fair, and though somewhat more pale than was natural to her ; yet it was sufficiently suffused with health-giving color to hide, at ^ the first glance, any suspicion of the fearful anxieties to which she was a prey. Her hair was of the color of fine beaten gold, smoothly dressed and curling naturally where it escaped from under the simple band that encircled her head as a crown, Her blue eyes were soft, geiuie iinu uuve-ime 111 CAyitrsaiuu, ?uu in them alone, while her face was so calm and composed, I read at times something of the anxiety and distress that were busy at her , heart. "I thank you," said she, rising and pointing me to a seat on the opposite sice of the window, near which she was sitting, "for your prompt attentioii to my request. I feared you might not come." "Men of my profession seldom neglect answering such a summons as yours, "returned I. "I am here promptly, but I cannot say gladly, for you might have chosen a much abler counselor than 1 am." "1 do not need craftiness for my defence," said she, calmly; "and if you are not an old lawyer, you have the reputation of being honest and true. But, Mr. ltichards," added she, in an omhnvrflacerl manner "I ilr? Tint, wish vnn to do me this service for nothing; and you must know, that to silence and condemn slan" derous tongues, I intend renouncing all my rights to the estate. You will have a poor client, but I have a few jewels of considerable ? value, that came to me from my mother, if you will accept these?'' "Stop, Madame, I pray you," said I, "I cannot come into this case as a mercenary." "But you must be paid for your services," expostulated she. "My services are of little worth I fear, and my highest award will be in feeling that I am to defend innocence from unjust accusation. If I am to defend you?" "You must?you must, for no one else will. Your brother lawyers have all declined to aid me since they know I intended to renounce my claim to the estate, and that their fee must ^ come from other slender resources that were all my own." "Let us not discuss this matter now," said I. It may sound strangely to you, but you will make me feel like a hireling instead of an advocate, if you insist on the matter of a fee, and besides that, a fee has already l>een offered me in your behalf, by a friend of yours." Her eyes tilled with tears?tears of gratitude; and I saw that she wished to question me, hut dared not trust her voice then. "Let us sj?eak of what is more important," said I, "and, first tell me if you are innocent of this crime charged against you ?" She turned suddenly and fixed her eyes upon me with an expression in them I could not altogether comprehend, while a deadly pallor overspread her face. "Good heavens!" cried she ut last with a supplicating gesture, while she ltecame ghastly pale?"must I answer a question like that! Do you doubt my innocence and yet think of becoming my advocate!" "I do not doubt you," returned I. "I take your case feeling it utterly impossible that you could even have dreamed of committing so atrocious a crime ; but I must learn from you all the facts of the case, and if there be any that seem to militate against your innocence we must not blind ourselves to the unfavorable inferences they suggest. We must look at them, as your adversaries will, in the most unfavorable light, and be prepared, so far as we may, to explain them. It is, I suppose, beyond all doubt that your husband came to his death by some active poison. We must assume that that fact will be clearly proven. Can you enable me to show how he was poisoned, whether accidentally or by the agency of some other person ?" "Oh I can tell you nothing?absolutely nothing ! This horrible affair is all a mystery to me and how can I explain it ?" "Well then tell me all the attendant facts, and possibly they may suggest a clue to an explanation." "I will as clearly as I can; but it all seems to me now like a horrible dream from which I may yet awake. We were seated at the breakfast table. lie was in haste to set out on his way to the railroad station, and the carriage to convey him was in waiting at the door of the porch. He had asked me to pour out his coffee, and as the servant, who had not brought in all the dishes, was absent from the table I rose from the table and brought the coffee pot from the hearth. Air. Laroche had in his haste taken up a cup and saucer, which le extended to me to be filled. I pourd out i cupful for him and after a short interval, illed a cup for myself. The coffee was stirred ap by my haste in handling the pot, and I loticed that the cup poured out for Air. Laroche was turbid with some grouuds floating )n the surface. It had settled before I pourkI out the cup for myself; and I insisted on exchanging cups with him ; but he declined, laying, that it was well enough. Before he lad even tasted it, the horses in the carriage, 'rora some cause, became fractious and began o rear and plunge, and Air. Laroche setting lown his cup, stepped out on the adjoining >orch to speak to the driver. In that moment ! took his cup, which was not well settled, md put my own in its place. He was back at he table in a few seconds, eat half a biscuit md hurriedly drank his cup of coffee. He lad scarcely done so when he became deadly ale and cried out?"The coffee?the coffee, Ida ! Hid you?is this the cup I left at my late ?" "No, Air. Laroche," said I, "it was tnsettled and I exchanged cups with you. Is .nything wrong with it V" "It was a terrible look he gave me. I know ie could never have feared or suspected me, ut his face was ghastly and full of fear. He ried out, 'I am a dead man, Ada,' and sank ack into his arm-chair, from which he had artly risen, with a groan of agony. I sumloned the servants to assist in removing him 0 his chamber, sending immediately for a ouple of physicians, who were at his bedside 1 a few minutes." "Have you ever," asked I, "admitted to any olea eVi'lf vnn m<1 ft t.llft PYfliatlfTft of til? WOO VIIUV JVW V..V 0 lips ?" "Yes ; I told everything to Dr. Houser, exctly lis it occurred." It was a most unfortunate admission, I bought, but I did not give her unnecessary ain by saying so. "You are satisfied the poison was contained 1 the cup of coffee he drank V" asked I. "Another question," said I, at the same .me feeling my whole nature recoil from the ecessity of making an enquiry which must >uch her domestic life and feminine nature in ) tender and sensitive a point?"was there /er any occasion of serious disagreement or itrangement between you and Mr. Laroche, nee your marriage ?" There was a long and painful silence. Mrs. aroche's head was bowed, and her features ere convulsed with agony, while bitter tears >wed down her cheeks. She was too much loved to speak, but in answer to my question le bowed a terrible and chilling assent whilst ;r tears llowed faster than before. I sat astounded at the fatal web that cirnnstances had woven around my unhappy ient, even taking her own candid statement ! facts. From what an abyss, deepening and iwning at her feet, was I called upon to save jr! I felt overwhelmed at the magnitude of ie difficulties in my path, which I saw no way : surmounting. A sob from Mrs. Laroche awoke me from y reverie. Her tears were still flowing fast, A ~l-~ " v^ulrini* n m-oof ntfArf tn irnfhtir 11 Mil' \\ IlliirvKiy a ginii VIU'IU iv (juvuvi .lmness to add something that might qualify id give a favorable coloring to her painful adission, wrung from her by my last question, at was still burning in her thoughts, and, ter a conflict with herself, she sobbed out as i addition to her admission? "But I would have given my life a hundred mes to have saved him." "I fully believe you, madame, and all that I n do will be gladly done to save you. I shall bor to defend your life, far more earnestly an I would to save my own." "Life! that is nothing to me now," said e, in a tone that, lawyer as I was, almost arted mv tears. "My truth?mv innocence all." "Be cheerful," answered I, in a tone of nfidence I was far from feeling, for I conlered the case a desperate one. "I think? iv I am sure, we can establish your innocence fore the world." "Only do that"?cried she, clasping her HHIS ill an impassion eu wny? mnjr save juc oin a blotted name and I care nothing, less an nothing, for the weary burden that men 11 life. I long to lay it down and rest in the ave." From that interview with my client I went iwn with a heavy heart. Every fact in the case, particularly those Iduced by herself, I knew would tell strongly ;ainst her, and yet I felt in my soul that she i s innocent of the terrible crime. The ankness of her straight-forward statements, e candor with which she disclosed damagg facts that could have been known only rough her voluntary admissions, was a guarity of that. The catastrophe was, most evi ntly, as inexplicable to herself as others, and e was as puzzled as myself at the mystery in hich it was shrouded. One who was really lilty would have attempted to offer some sotion of the ditliculty, and would certainly ive abstained from any admission that had a ndency to direct suspicion to himself. There [is in her unvarnished statement nothing of e shrewdness and care which guilt employs throw suspicion off the track. Vet, taking e admitted facts, who but Mrs. Earache rself could have administered the fatal drug? hat theory could be devised that would exlerate her from suspicion V 1 had already learned that there was left in e cup from which Earache had drank, a lantity of arsenic sufficient to have drugged ,o or three others to death, so no doubt could ist as to his death having been caused in at manner. ? Who could have dropjH'd it in the cup V | Mrs. Laroche, according to her statement, j which no one would think of rejecting, had ! escaped the death which had fallen to the lot of I her husband, by a wonderful providence. SupI pose she had not made an exchange of cups, ! and had herself become the victim, on whom j would the suspicion have fallen V It was a frequent question and one that I shuddred to consider. The day of the trial at length cam.1, but with all my efforts I had not been able to unravel the mystery. A strong impression had been made against Mrs. Laroche, which I knew I would find it next to impossible to remove. The aristocratic set into which she had married, but which had declined receiving her among themselves, very sincerely believed her guilty. It was what very naturally might have been expected, they argued, from one of her class. There were, however, many of another class in life, to whom she was well known, who utterly refused to entertain the thought of her guilt. They undertook her cause with enthu'1 f/\ bfulrn fhoir livOQ aiitaui, iiuu ncic icauj tu ownv, vuwx upon her innocence. I sought an interview with the physicians who had attended Laroche upon his death bed. Old Dr. Houser had been summoned I from the side of the dying man by news of the serious illness of a sister who lived in a distant community and had not yet returned. Dr. Bliss, the consulting physician, could add nothing to what I had already learned.. I was left to fight the case alone, while the relatives of the deceased man retained for the assistance of the prosecuting solicitor two of the shrewdest and ablest lawyers on the circuit. Notwithstanding the array against her, my client was calm and composed. Not even her hand trembled when she was called to raise it at the bar to plead ; nor did her tongue hesitate or falter when clearly and distinctly she answered, "Not Guilty" to the bill of indictment. She had nerved herself up to something of almost superhuman endurance to battle, not for her life that was staked upon the issue of the trial, but for the good name* that was so bitterly assailed. I began to tremble for her, for I had learned that morning, not from herself, but from a kind-hearted and considerate matron, that she was in too delicate and critical a condition to undergo so dread an ordeal as that to which she was exposed, without a fearful risk to another life than her own. I saw that her presence and manner had made a most favorable impression on the presiding judge, as well as on the jury, and I knew that, so far as he was concerned, he would exert every proper influence in securing to the prisoner a fair trial, with a humane and merciful construction of the facts in the case. It was with a grand flourish that the prosecution proved her admission, that, during the brief absence of Laroche from the breakfast table, she Lad replaced his cup by her own. When the answer had been drawn from Dr. J ii- 4 I5.I1SS, "Willi UriilllctllC CilCW tuc jJiuocvm/iiif, attorney raised his hands in liorror and surprise, looked around at my client, then at the jury, and as if overcome by the full proof of an enormous crime, folded his arms and stood, glaring around him with liorror. "Your Honor, I have nothing more to ask ; nothing," said he, in a suppressed tone, and he sank into his seat and covered his face with his hands as if to shut out some fearful sight. The audience seemed awed and impressed by this capital bit of acting. I was on my feet in a moment and could not repress a smile at the stage trick of my opponent. "Dr. llliss how did you happen to learn the fact that the cups at the table were exchanged by Mrs. Laroche V "Was it not from her own voluntary and unsolicited statement ?" asked I. "It was an altogether voluntary statement on'lier part," answered the witness. "Did you ever before," continued I, "communicate to the prosecuting attorney the substance of her statement ?" "I believe I did, and in the same terms, in which I luCve just given it from this stand." "Did he manifest any great emotion of horror at that time, Doctor, or did he receive your statement with calmness and composure V" "He listened to it quite calmly I thought sir," was the reply. "Well, then, do you not think, he has given us here quite a choice bit of fine acting, to make an impression 011 his audience V" The witness looked down and smiled. He saw my question was not one which required an answer from him, but rather from the jury and audience. I motioned to him that he might retire and he left the stand. I had no witness to put up except my client herself. I had concluded that it would be too severe a trial to one in her condition and that I clio nlrl hvinor fnrwsml Tin new fnefc in the case. I determined, therefore, to offer no testimony, since I really had none that would avail and was well satisfied since this management would secure me the closing argument in defence of my client. I was waiting to see what further testimony the prosecution would offer, and gave no indication of the course I intended to pursue. The prosecuting lawyers were consulting together and I was patiently waiting their action, when I felt a tug at my elbow, and looking around saw Doctor Houser, who had just i forced his way to my side, putting and blowing with the effort. He was a red-faced, impulsive, energetic man, and had just entered the Court room, having reached home but a few minutes before. He was evidently laboring under some strong excitement. "You haven't closed your case yet, ltichards, have you ?" asked he, in an excited whisper. "Xo ; I have not called my witnesses yet. 11 am waiting on the prosecution," answered 1. j "They have not closed their testimony yet, 1 j l?elieve." "Well, for mercy's sake, whenever I am I called have Mrs. Laroche withdrawn from the court-room." "That won't do, doctor ; this is a trial for life, and it would be quite irregular to hear j testimony in the absence of the prisoner. She | will liave to remain." "Hut can't you waive her right to be present ?" suggested lie, eagerly. J "Yes ; but L cannot waive the right of the [ prosecution to insist upon her confronting the j testimony. They can keep her at the stake as j long as they choose." "At all events make the effort to remove I her," said he, in a peremptory manner. "I I won't answer for the consequences to one in j her condition, if what J have to disclose reachI es her ears in this sudden maimer. Make a I motion?011 any pretext, you please?to have i her withdrawn from the room for live or ten j minutes. I tell you my testimony will endani ger her life. Make your motion. Make your motion 011 grounds of her condition. I will back you professionally. Just at this moment the leader of the prosecution having been made aware of I)r. JIouser's presence in the room, summoned him to take the stand, and cutoff the continuation of our discussion. I was unconvinced and undecided. "Do as I tell you, Richards," said he, hurriedly, as he heard his name called. "Mrs. Laroclie's life will he endangered if you don't," and he was hurried away to the stand without my being able to ascertain the nature of the testimony lie had to give. During the direct examination, it disclosed nothing new. I felt there was still something behind, which the questions of the prosecution failed to elicit, and when the witness was turned over to me, in regard to the facts which my questions might call out, I might, by some awkward enquiry, draw from him some fact that might destroy the case of my client. An old lawyer of many years' experience, who felt a sympathy for me in my management of this difficult case, was shrewd enough to see that the witness had some important disclosure to make, and from the anxious and troubled glances that Houser cast towards the prisoner, he was led to infer that his testimony would A o r>i o rer\ bnr OiiOQ u.aiiic??t; uvi vuou "Have a care, Richards," whispered lie to me. "Don't you see from old Houser's countenance, that you ai^* about touching off a mine ? Take care, or his testimony will blow your case sky high." I was perplexed; for Houser gave me an entreating look, and glanced significantly toward my client, as if to impress upon me the importance of attending to the warning he had given me. Influenced by his look of anxiety, I requested permission of the Court to allow Mrs. Laroche to withdraw from the crowded room for a brief space, alleging her delicate health and the severe trial to which she had now for many hours been subjected. To my surprise, the prosecution immediately objected and insisted that she should not be suffered to evade the consequences to which her crime had subjected her, one of which was the confronting of the witnesses introduced to fasten the guilt upon her. Before I could rise to utter a word in rejoinder, my client had risen to her feet in the prisoner's dock and in a low, sweet voice, which was nevertheless heard throughout the chamber, waived the indulgence for which I had asked, and proclaimed not only her willingness, but a strong desire to hear all that could be alleged. Guilt never spoke in such a tone as hers. There was so much modesty and quiet selfpossession in her tone and manner, so much fortitude in the midst of circumstances that would have tried the nerves of a strong man, that an evident and lively sympathy was excited in her behalf. Dr. Houser's face wore a troubled and pained look, and as I was now deprived of all pretext for urging my request, it was withdrawn and I went on with the cross-examination. "You say, Doctor," asked I, "there was arsenic in the cup submitted to your inspec tion oy Mrs. j^arocne "Quite enough, sir, still remaining to have destroyed the lives of two or three strong men." "And Mrs. Laroche admitted to you that she passed tins cup to her husband's plate and took his in exchange because the ,cup first served him was turbid ?" "That was her statement, sir, and I thought it showed a consideration and kindness of heart quite in keeping with her character, as I had seen it." "Iler statement, then, did not excite your suspicions of any criminal motive on the pail of this unfortunate lady ?" "Oh, not at all!" answered Dr. Ilouser ; she is not a woman who could possibly perpetrate such a crime as that. Inexplicable as the whole affair was, the thought of her guilt never entered my mind." The prosecution looked blank and disconcerted, and I was as much-surprised as overjoyed at the tenor of his testimony. I was somewhat perplexed, too, to conceive what he had to add to his testimony that would prove so trying to my client. However dreadful it might lie, I was sure it was something that would fully exonerate her from all suspicion. "Well, Doctor, believing in Mrs. Laroche's innocence," continued I, "what conjecture have you formed as to the manner in which the poison came into the cup ?" "I object to that question," interposed the leader of the prosecution, rising to his feet. "We wish no conjectures from the witness ; we can form them for ourselves to any extent and of every variety. We insist that the witness be confined to a statement of facts, and let the counsel for the defence have the whole field of conjecture to himself." "The counsel for the prosecution," said I, have already taken possession of that field, and this whole case is based upon a conjecture that violates the spirit that pervades the law and assumes innocence until guilt is proved. xne Witness is <i piuiessiUiiui mail aim a bucmist. We simply ask him to say if lie can in any way account for the presence of this deadly poison found in the cup. The question in that sha]>e is certainly admissible. The judge ruled in my favor and I awaited the answer of Dr. Ilouser who stood silent for a while and hesitating. "It is a sad affair and there is no conjecture about it," said he, looking down, with a troubled face?"and I had hoped never to be obliged to tell what I know about it ; but, under such a necessity as this, 1 am bound to reveal the truth painful as it is. "When. I reached the house I found Mr. Laroche suffering the keenest agony from the poison he had swallowed. I knew it was a case of poisoning and suspected arsenic as the agent as soon as I had an opportunity to note the symptoms. Then, also, Mrs. Laroche brought the cup from which he had drunk, in which the drug showed for itself. There were at least three or four grains remaining at the bottom. She explained the affair, so far as she was able, as you have already heard from this stand. Laroche was soon delirious and unconscious. At my request Dr. Bliss was immediately called in. I saw the case must have a fatal termination and wished some brother physician to share with me in the responsibility. We exhausted all the resources of our profession to prolong the patient's life and mitigate his sufferings. I remained at his bedside until death ensued, which was at a p i? flm nffnt-nnnn T II-W IIJ1IIII It??) [fitdt 1IVC Hi cut/ ULiftiJivvii* ^> Bliss was called away and I remained with the I patient the last two hoursalone, with the exception of one or two unprofessional visitors who called to ask his condition. About an hour before he died the delirium subsided and he became sufficiently*rational to converse, when lie requested all but myself to leave the apartment, and I was alone with him for a few minutes." "And what occurred then, doctor ?" asked I, for the witness paused and looking down, continued silent. ' I heard a most painful story?a confession it was?from the lips of the dying man," continued Doctor Ilouser, which I promised never to repeat except in a contingency such as this trial has occasioned. lie fully exonerated Mrs. Laroche from any wilful or conscious agency in his death. I regret I shall have to tell the whole story as lie imparted it to me. He had been unfaithful to his wife who had accidentally become acquainted with his infidelity. He determined to remove her and 9 procured the poison, which, on that fatal day he dropped into her cup as she turned from the table to take the coffee pot from the hearth. His own cup was filled by her and set at his plate with his own hands. You have already been told how and why the cups were changed. Mrs. Laroche's kindness and attention to her husband's comfort was the means of preserving her life. He had prepared the poison for her, but a terrible retributive providence caused him to drink of bis own devices." During the time Dr. Houser was giving his testimony as to the confession of the dying man, Mrs. Laroche sat like one bewildered and scarcely able to take in the import of his language. His meaning seemed to come to her slowly and by degrees. She seemed only to gather the full meaning of his words, when he paused, overcome by the painful recital. "Great Heavens !" cried she, rising to her feet, and clasping her hands in a wild and frenzied manner, "this terrible story cannot be true ! He would not have killed me when he knew how willing I would have died for him. God of Heaven! it is not true 1 it is not true ! It is all a horrible dream ! Wake me! Wake me !?wake me ! or I die !" "I feared it would be the death of her," said Dr. Houser, as he made his way through the excited throng to the side of Mrs. Laroche, who had fallen and lay shivering and moaning in the prisoner's dock, like one from whom life was departing. The human judge, whose sympathies were painfully excited, gave orders that she should at once be removed to comfortable quarters in some private house where she might be at once consigned to the care of female friends, and upon returning to consciousness, have nothing around her to remind her of the fiery ordeal through which she had passed. It was now too clear a case to admit of discussion. Dr. Houser was vainly and wantonly recalled, and underwent a re-direct examination by the prosecution, but I declined following them in examining the witness, who but repeated his plain, unvarnished story. They had been employed by the next of kin to the deceased, ostensibly to see that justice was done, but in truth, with the base motive of making a victim of her who stood between them and the rich estate that excited their covetousness. I closed the case late that afternoon, entering upon no defence of my client?for the testimony had amply vindicated '* * v-.-i. ?:? 4-1.~ ? 0,l +1..J+ ner inir luintj?uut capudiu^ mc umu would have made her a victim, even after her innocence was established beyond all question or cavil. They had ostracised her first from their exclusive circle, and, at last, sought to slay her under the forms of law. The jury brought in a verdict of acquittal without leaving their box. Then there went up a shout that shook the building, and was with difficulty repressed. Fat, stalwart, old Joe Stacy, towering above the crowd by his shoulders and conspicuous for his immense bulk, threw back his head and huzzahed so loudly and sc lustily after all others had been reduced to order and quiet, that he was caught, flagrante delicto, by a constable, dispatched by the judge for his arrest, seized by the elbow and brought to a sudden hush, midway between one of his longest and loudest huzzahs, which died through his nose with a nasal twang so ludicrous and comic, that it occasioned a peal of laughter through the court-room. He only escaped a heavy fine for his offence by the inability of the presiding judge to control his amusement sufficient[ ly to deal with his case with becoming gravity ana seriousness. "You proved that alibi splendidly by Dr. Ilouser, squire." said Joe, slapping me approvingly 011 the shoulder, as we went surging out from the room, on the adjournment of the Court "It wasn't an alibi, Joe." "Well, call it what you will, it was just as good as one, and answered just as well, if not better," said old Joe, in the joy of his heart. "But don't you forgit to come round this evening and draw that reposit out of the Savings Bank. It's counted out and tied up by itself in a scrap of yellow calico, all ready for you." Mrs. Laroche had a serious attack of illnesu, but the skill of Dr. Houseranda vigorous constitution brought her through unharmed. She was not permitted to carry out her design of renouncing her right and title to her decased husband's estate. Before many months there was another claimant, whose rights she was not authorized to dispose of i n this summary manner, a posthumous heir, who is now a handsome lad. Her good name was so amply vindicated by the result of the trial, that, at my earnest representation, she. retained the third of the estate to which she was legally entitled.. But she never re-entered the doors of the grand establishment at Magnolia Hill. There were too many unpleasant associations connected witli that place to render it a pleasant home for her. Old Jacob Wiis, for several weeks, kept in ignorance of the sore trials that had befallen his daughter. In the meantime, strange as that fact may seem, lie had amassed a fortune. His homestead was discovered to include a valuable gold mine, which he sold out for a considerable sum, and bought him a pleasan t cottage, not far from Magnolia Hill, where, to this day, he resides with his daughter and her son. Happy old Jacob ! thus to repose, in the evening of his days, in a pleasant home of his own, after so long an experience of the evils of poverty. Mrs. Laroche lias lost none of her rare beauty. Chastened by sorrow, she lives a secluded life, except in so far as works of mercy, love, and charity call her to mingle with those juound her. Even the stranger, however, sees written upon her brow, traces of that silent sorrow impressed there by a broken trust in human love, that, not knowing her priceless worth, would have crushed and thrown her aside. [the end.] ????mtmmM "Blood Atonement."?The Mormon doctrine of "blood atonement," is one of the strangest features of that extraordinary religion. The law, under which so many murders have been committed, reads thus: "There are sins which men commit for which the blood of Christ cannot atone ; but when the man's own blood is shed and the smoke thereof ascends as sweet incense to heaven, then they jure remitted." "If we love our neighbor as ourselves we ought to be willing to shed his blood for salvation's sake." If these odious rascals were only willing to shed their own blood as freely as that of those for whom they would thus admit to theprivilege of self-atonement, it would be well, for it would help to ?nivp t.iih much-vexed problem of how to get rid of them. But they are cowards as well as bullies and impostors, and always shed the blood of others rather than their own. The Blue of the Sky.?The blue of the sky and the blueish tinge of distant objects has been shown to be owing to fine bubbles of water in the air. The more delicate the walls of these hollow spheres the clearer and deeper is the blue ; as they condense, their hue shades off more to the gray and white, as seen finally in the clouds. Hence, in warm and dry regions the blue of the sky is more intense ; in cool and moist ones, less so, and on considerable elevations the heavens look almost black, and the stars are visible at midday. I IpMeOmtfiM fUading. REGISTRATION OF YOTERS--PLAIN TALK. In some of the counties there is an indisposition on the part of the whites to register, although it is well known that those who do not register cannot vote. It is difficult to believe that this indisposition will continue, if the provisions of the Registration law are explained and the advantages of it are made known. The local committees of the Democratic party can do no better service to the State than by visiting tardy voters and removing, as they can, their doubts and difficulties. The Registration law was passed in accordance with the mandate of the State Constitution directing the Legislature to provide from time to time for the registration of all electors. In Radical times the Democrats, year after year, demanded that a Registration law be enacted. The failure of the Radicals to enact such a law was one of the wrongs on which Democrats laid most stress. It was urged that the Radicals were opposed to registration because registration would prevent, in a large measure, both general repeating and voting by minors. The Radicals did not want a fair election, and they denied the people the protection against fraud which the Constitution had provided for. In enacting the Registration law the State Legislature did what the Constitution directed. The great advantage to be derived from the Registration law is that it identifies the voter and fixes his residence, so that it becomes difficult in the extreme for another person to vote in his name. The voter must exhibit his certificate of registration, or he cannot vote. In order that he may pass himself off as B, he must obtain B's certificate, and must vote in the precinct where B lives, in the place where B. is known and where an imposter is really sure to be detected. This will go far to purify 1/116 UHilUl-UUA. XI/ 13, ill iiiocu, aouuiviciiv ic?son for Registration. But the Democrats will gain in other ways. They will know, in advance, where the heaviest opposition vote must be cast, and they can adjust their canvassing to the strength of that opposition, putting in the hardest work where most converts are required. One objection that the white people have to Registration is that it is troublesome. It is ; but is it not worth the trouble V The ballot is our sole protection. Should the white people disfranchise themselves, by declining to register, the State, as far as votes go, will be at the mercy of the negroes. To the negroes the right to vote came without labor and without sacrifice. It was conferred upon them as a free gift. They had not worked for it or suffered for it. To the white man, on the other hand, the ballot is the badge and pledge of civil and religious liberty, for which his forefathers fought and agitated for centuries. It is the concrete result of the gropings after freedom which began long before King John's time. To all English-speaking peoples it is the token that the plea of the English barons, the civil wars, the revolutions of 1649 and 1688, the revolt of the American Colonies and the accomplishment of American independence were successive steps in the march to complete government by the voice of the whole people. It is icnonceivable that the white man should not prize the ballot. The negro will tramp a score of miles to vote or to register. Is the ballot less to the white man than the negro ? It is hard to believe it, because it is hard to believe that the symbol of personal liberty is of no concern to the men who were bora for it and who grew up to it, and to whom it belongs with the white skins which set them apart from other peoples of the earth. There is a notion that it is undignified to ask for a "pass" to vote. A "pass" is what the certificate of registration is called. Let it be called a "pass" if you will. Have the white men of South Carolina forgotten that they could not leave camp without a "pass" in Confederate days. There was no shame in that; the pass was evidence that they had a right to be absent. A tax receipt; in one sense, is a "pass." The commission issued to the officers of the State government are "passes," for the matter of that. They mean each, * _ D Xl_ ?iU a Kaamam l\no ana every one 01 mem, wui mo ucmu u<*o done something that the law has required him to do, or that he has been chosen for a particu; lar work. There is no humiliation in that. In truth a certificate of registration is something to be prized, not something to be sneered at. It is evidence that the bearer is a qualified voter, who understands the law, and, like j a good citizen obeys it, L Registration takes time, of course, and so does voting. But without voting South Carolina cannot have good government, and with! out registration there is no voting. The reg[ istration of voters is needed to check the fraudulent voting of the Radicals at our elections. It is for the good of the State and the ; good of the party. The white man who does not register, when he understands what registration is for and what it means, is a political anomaly. It can be made clear, with a little exertion on the part of the Democratic committees, that registration is a privilege, not a punishment?the surest way to make every white vote count and prevent it from being obliterated by the votes of negro repeaters.? Charleston Nem and Courier. HOW JESSE JAMBS WAS KILLED. The following are the particulars of the shooting of Jesse James the notorious outlaw, at St. Joseph, Mo. After having eaten breakfast Jesse James and Charles Ford went to the stable to curry the horses, and on returning to the room where Robert Ford was, Jesse said : "It's an awfullyhot day." He pulled off his coat and vest and tossed them on the bed. Then he said: "I guess I'll take off my pistols for fear somebody will see them if I walk in in the yard." He unbuckled, the belt in which he carried two forty-five-caliber revolvers?one a Smith & Wesson's and the other a Colt?and laid them on the bed with his coat and vest. He then picked up a dusting brush, with the intention of dusting some' pictures which hung on the wall.: In order to do this he got on a chair, his back being now turned to the brothers, who silently stepped between Jesse and his revolvers, and at a motion from Charley both drew their guns. Robert was the quicker of the two. In one Via iioH fha lnnnr weannn nn a level UiUUlUll 1IU J1C?V* V"V .. v.. with his eye, with the muzzle not more than four feet from the back of the outlaw's head. Even in that motion, quick as thought, there was something which did not escape the acute ears of the hunted man. He made a motion as if to turn his head to ascertain the cause of that suspicious sound, but too late. A nervous pressure on the trigger, a quick flash, a sharp report, and the well-directed ball crashed through the outlaw's skull. There was no outcry?just a swaying of the body, and it fell heavily back upon the carpeted floor, the ball having entered the base of the skull, and made its way out through the forehead over the left eye. It had been fired out of a Colt's "45" improved weapon, silver mounted and pearl handled, which had been presented by the dead to man his slayer only a few days before. Mrs. James was in the kitchen when the shooting was done, separated from the room in which the bloody tragedy occurred by the dining-room. She heard the shot and dropping her household duties ran into the front room. She saw her husband lying on his back, and his slayers each holding his revolver in his hand, making for the fence in the rear of the house. Robert had reached the inclosure and was in the act of scaling it, when she stepped to the door and called to him: "Robert, you have done this; come back." Robert answered : "I swear to God I did not." They then returned to where she stood. Mrs. James ran to the side of her husband and lifted up his head. Life was not yet extinct, and when she asked him if he were hurt, it seemed to her that he wanted to say something, .but could not. She tried to wash away the blood that was | coursing over his face from the hole in his forehead, but it seemed to her that the blood | came faster than she could wash it away, and I in her arms Jesse James died. UNSEEN INFLUENCE. Influence is one of the strong forces of this world. All persons have, in some period of their lives, been conscious of its magic power, and have yielded to it's teachings. Some seem to possess the will that is easily guided and directed by others. They seem to be guided, while in reality they guide. This unseen influence is the most powerful and its subjects are the most forcibly impressed. How much unseen influence is connected with association? How much the purer memories and associations of childhood affect our after life V One word, kept sacred from youth to manhood, will touch a hidden spring in the memory and bring to the lips the petition, "Lead us not into temptation." The word "mother, "around which cluster the sweetest, holiest memories, has fallen upon the ear of the youth, who is fast losing his honor and reputation, by the downward steps be has taken, ledlling directly from gambling and slight dissipation to hard drinking and ruin, and by its sweet influence has turned him from the broad path to the straight and narrow walks which finally lead to an honest name and a noble life. It has fallen upon the ear of the Statesman and caused him t.n sfljiroh the mores of time long nast and to behold again the sweet visions that hover around the morning of bis life. He hears the loving, gentle tone, as she called him "mother's boy," and told him he was all she had and she hoped his life would be pure and untarnished. The voice of conscience asks him if that loving prayer has been answered, and if, during the many years she had been at rest, her precepts have been his motto and his guide, and if he could look up into heaven and honestly say: "My life has been honest, and noble and true." These influences tend to our improvement, but there are others, dark and mysterious, that are just the reverse. There are evil temptations, evil thoughts, and evil actions, which creep in all unbidden and strive just as hard to root out the good and sow in the place wicked deeds. Yes, how powerful is the influence which these messengers of evil exert upon our destiny. Despite ourselves, they shape in some degree our beliefs, and, through these, our conduct. "We can not travel heavenward with the same speed as if these did not draw us back. Are we responsible that it is so? 'Tis hard to say. We know there is a difference in children. "From the same cradle-side, From the same mother's knee," one shall go forth to proclaim God's holy word, the other to be a dark page in the history of an otherwise happy family.?Industrialist. ? Sweet Minded Women.?So great is the influence of a sweet-minded woman on those around her, that it is almost boundless, It is to her that friends come in seasons of sorrow and sickness for help and comfort; one soothing touch of her kindly hand works wonders . in the feverish child; a few words let fall from her lips in the ear of a sorrowing sister does much to raise the load of grief that is bowing its victim down to the dust in anguish. The husband comes home, worn out with the pressure of business, and feeling irritable with the world in general; but when he enters the cosy sitting-room, and sees the blaze of the bright fire, and meets his wife's smiling face, he succumbs in a moment to the soothing influences which act as the balm of Gilead to his wounded spirits, that are wearied with combatiug the stern realities of life. The rough schoolboy flies into a rage from the taunts of his companions to find solace in his mother's smile; the little one, full of grief with its own large trouble, finds a haven of rest on its mother's breast; and so one might go on with instance after instance of the influence that a sweet-minded woman has in the social life with which she is connected. Beauty is an insignificant power when compared with hers. Dimensions of Heaven.?-The following XJ > calculation, based on a text of Revelation, is M both curious and interesting. It is copied from w the Charlottesville Jeffersonian, and will sug gest thoughts for thos"e who think : M "Revelation, XXI Chapter, lGth verse: 1 'And he measured the city with a reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and breadth and height are equal.' "Twelve thousand furlongs?7,920,000 feet, which being cubed is 943,088,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 cubic feet, and half of which we will reserve ior the throne of God and the court of Heaven, half of the balance for streets, and the remainder divided by 4,096, the cubical feet in a room sixteen feet square and sixteen feet high, will be 30,843,750,000,000 rooms. "We will now suppose the world always did and always will contain 900,000,000 of inhabitants, and a generation will last thirty-three and a third years?2,700,000,000,000 persons. Then suppose there were 11,230 such worlds equal to this in number of inhabitants and duration of years?then there would be a room 16 feet long, 16 feet wide and 16 feet high, for each person, and yet there would be room." Exchange. Attachment to Newspapers.?The very strong attachment of subscribers to a wellconducted newspaper is fully confirmed by publishers. "Stop my paper I" words of dread to beginners in business, lose their terror after a pai>er has been established for a term of years. So long as a paper pursues a just, honorable and judicious course, meeting the wants of its customers in all respects, the ties of friendship between the subscribers and the paper are as hard to break by an outside third party as the link which binds old friends in business or social life. Occasional defects and errors in a newspaper are overlooked by those who have become attached to it through its perusal for years. They sometimes become dissatisfied with it on account of something which has slipped into its columns, and may stop taking it; but the absence of the familiar sheet at their homes and offices for a few weeks becomes an insupportable privation, and they hasten to take it again and possibly apologize for having it stopped. No friendship on earth is more constant than that contracted by the ? - * 1 ?U5VU reader or a journal which mattes au iivihtoo and earnest effort to merit its continued support. Hence, a conscientiously conducted paper becomes a favorite in the family. Mistakes of Life.?Somebody has condensed the mistakes of life and arrived at the conclusion that there are fourteen of them. Most people would say if they told the truth, that there was no limit to the mistakes of life; that they were like the drops in the ocean or the sands of the shore in number, but it is well to be accurate. Here, then, are fourteen great mistakes: "It is a great mistake to set up our own standard of right and wrong and judge people accordingly; to measure the enjoyment of others by our own; to expect uniformity of opinion in this world; to look for judgment and experience in youth; to endeavor to mould all dispositions alike ; not to yield to immaterial trifles ; to look for perfection in our own actions; to worry ourselves and others with what cannot be remedied ; not to alleviate all that needs alleviation as far as lies in our power; net to make allowance for the infirmities of others; to consider everything impossible that we cannot perform; to believe only what our finite minds can grasp; to exi>ect to be able to understand everything." /The greatest of mistakes is to live only for time, when one moment may launch us into eternity. History of the Smallpox.?Smallpox arose in the very darkest period of mediaeval times. It first invaded England iu the ninth century; it was common in Arabia in the tenth ; the crusaders carried it through all southern Europe; it reached Norway in the fourteenth century; in 1617 it was carried to St. Domingo by the Spaniards along with slavery, the inquisition, the rack, and a host of other blessings; three years later it crossed to Mexico and slew three millions; it invaded Iceland in 1707, and Greenland 1733, slaying a fourth part of the residents the former, and a lar?e proportion of those in the latter country; and despite all that medical skill has done and is doing to cast it from the earth it bids fair to retain its hold, in some measure as long as popular ignorance, destitution, negligence and carelessness, continue to combat the physicians and the dictates of common sense.