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Vol. XXIX.
Roman Kirke,
By in Robins.
[Continued from last week.]
At length the day of the trial
came. When my lather and my¬
self reached the court house, great
crowd, had collect“d, and while
there was other court business to
attend to, nothing else was much
talked ot among the people, except
this case of murder. I shall never
forget the look on Roman’s face
when they brought him in the court
room, a pruoner. His strong man-
hood seemed to stand out separate
and individual; there was no air of
bravado.no haughtiness of carriage,
but simply the pleatant, honest and
strightforward confident look of
an innocent man who fears no evil.
All eyes were turned to him, and
many comments made, none un¬
favorable that 1 could hear. He
caught my eye and bowed smiling.
After many long and apparently
useless preliminaries, the case was
opened: we had no witnesses and
could produce no evidence. Ro¬
man was allowed to make a state¬
ment which was in substance what
he had told me the first day I was
with him in jail. The prosecuting
attorney asked him several ques¬
tions, which seemed to me to be
very irregular.
“Are you acquainted with Miss
Ellen McRay?” 11 Yes”
“Have you not met her several
times clandestingly ?” “Yes”
••Did you ever have any trouble
with Mr. Anderson on her ac-
count ?” * i No”
“When did you first become ac-
quainted with Mr. Anderson?”
4 4 I was not acquainted with him.”
“Did Miss Ellen McRay write
this letter?” producing the the let¬
ter Roman had shown me, and
which had been taken from his
person when arrested.
“Yes, I suppose so.”
The prosecuting attorney here
asked to be allowed to read the
letter, and after much controversy
oil both sides it was read and al-
lowed as evidence, Roman was
told to sit down. The first witness
called was Ellen.
“Miss McRay,” asked the prose¬
cutor, “when was the last time you
met the prisoner previous to this
murder?”
“I do not remember the date,
probably a month before he left for
school the last time.”
“Did you not meet him the day
the murder wos committed?”
* 4 No”
“Have you written to him while
he was away?”
. 4 Yes”
“How often? »1
•'Once”
“Did you x^rite this letter?”
“Yes”
‘‘Wcic via engaged lo mujiy
1 he prisoner?”
“Yes” .
4 4 Does this letter contain a truth¬
ful condition of your affairs at the
time of writing it?”
“Yes
“Did you see the prisoner at all
after he returned from school? » J
% % Not until he was arrested.”
4 % You can sit down.”
My name was now called and I
stepped forward.
4 4 Mr. Robbins the prisoner is
your brother?”
*. My adopted brother.”
*« Do you know- anything of this
The Toccoa
Toccoa, 22 , 1902.
affair ?”
“Nothing but what has been
brought out by other witnesses-”
“Did you know Mr. Anderson?”
4 l 1 had met him”
“Have you ever had any trouble
with him ? 1 >
“No”
“Do you know of any trouble
between the deceased and the
prisoner?”
Heavens and Eerth ! this ques¬
tion struck me dumb, I could not
answer, my senses seemed to be
leaving me, I remembered the at¬
tempt of Anderson to shoot Ro¬
man, what should I say? I hesita¬
ted and finally stammered.
“I believe they they loved the
samo girl.”
“Did you ever see or do you now
of anything between these men,
Mr. Robins, that made you think
the life of either was in danger
from the other?”
By degrees the whole scene on
the hill was drawn from me, and
finally in confusion and anger, 1
took my seat.
“May it please your honor,”
said the prosecutor, “we have one
more witness, after this we will
close.” Mr. Sam’l Adams was
called
4 4 Mr. Adams, on the morning of
the murder do you rember to have
seen the prisoner any where ?’*
4 4 Yes. I saw him cross the valley
and ascend the hill to the point
where the body of the murdered
man was found.”
“Did he carry a weapon of any
kind?”
4 4 Yes, a gun.”
“Did you hear any report of a
gun:
4 4 No”
“Did you see him after this?’
4 4 Yes, I saw him come back
down the hill, cross the valley, and
go up the hill on the other side.”
“How long was this before the
body was found?”
4 4 About half hour.”
“Who found the body?”
4 4 I did.”
“Was it warm or cold when you
found it?”
“Warm.”
t. How did it appear the man had
been killed?”
“He had been shoot with a gun.”
I noticed all through the trial
that our attorney acted as if he
was dumfounded ; he seemed to be
hopeless, and when I spoke to him,
he told me there was not the least
shadow of chance. There was no
more witnesses. A few minutes
later Ellen McRay went over and
spoke to him. I wag looking
straight into her fact while she
seemed to be listening toNomething
he was saying, the color had gone
and she was white ond ghastly.
While I was looking she bent down
again to hear something he was
saying to her, u moment later she
raised hcJ arms to heaven, uttered
a piercing scream and fell limp and
lifeless lo the floor. A great com-
motion followed this scene; s h e
was carried ints an adjoining room
and several ladies present went
with her. Quiet was again restor¬
ed. After a sho.t delay caused by
some techincal points of law the
Judge began to charge the jury.
“Gentlemen of the jury” he be-
gan.
“Stop, stop!” cried some
from the door of the room in which
Eljan had been carried. All eyes
were turned in that direction. El¬
len stood in the doorway support¬
ed by two ladies pale, drawn and
“Good Will to All Men.’
haggard, her hair had become
loosened and hung in tangled mases
about her face. Some one went
up to the Judge and whispered to
him a few minutes. He rapped for
order and at once the quietness of
the grave seemed to fill the room.
“Gentlemen,, he said, “this has
been a case of more than usual in¬
terest to me, more especially as
this young mantis known to me
personally, and the very fact that
the defense has been unable to pro¬
duce a single witness, has thrown
a subtle mystery into these pro¬
ceedings, which I am sure you must
all feel is very unusual and peculiar.
I am just informed that we are to
have a very important relation,and
while I know it is out of the usual
line, still, the seriousness of this
case I am satisfied will warrent.ine
in taking this unusual step ; j shall
again open this case and call a
witness for the defense. “Miss
McRay please come forward.”
Poor girl, she moved up to the
Clerk’s desk leaning on the arm of
Roman s attorney, a lady support¬
ing her on either side : she was
duly sworn.
“Miss McRay” said the Judge
in a gentle tone, “Tell us what
you know of this affair.”
“Roman did not kill Mr. Ander¬
son.” She spoke timidly, holding
her head down.
4 4 How do you know Miss Ellen ?”
‘*1 was present when he was
killed.”
The most profovnd silence pre-
vaded the room, all necks were
craned forward to see the beautiful
face and catch her words,sympathy
for her was seemingly borne on the
air.
“Who did it Miss Ellen?” asked
Roman’s attorney.
Sheftlooked at him in a frighten
ed way, the tears standing in her
eyes in large drops, her face again
bant forward, she did not speak.
“Please answered the question,
Miss Eller.,” said the Tudge quietly.
She again raised her face and
looked at the Judge, then turning
she lookedjat the attorney, placing
her hands before her face she burst
into a passion of weeping.
“My father, Oh, my God, it was
my father!” she moaned.
Several minutes elapsed before
she could control her feelings.
“Please relate to us, Miss Ellen,
exactly how this happened,” asked
the attorney.
Her self control seemed to come
back to her; looking straight at
the Tudge her fair face showing the
pain of the fire through which she
was passing she said :
“I went to the top of the hill to
meet Roman; I had written him to
come and I knew he would come;
I had only been there a few min¬
utes when Mr. Anderson came
and stood besides me; he had a gun
in his hadds. A few minutes after
tiiis my father came also, he seem
ed angry about a something. and uc-
cused Mr. ^Anderson ot being an
escaped crimnai, and took a letter
from his pocket which he handed
him. Mr. Anderson did not reply
but struck my father, they then be¬
gan to fight, the gun was leaning
against a eree, Mr. Anderson took
it up and struck my father on the
head, he fell insensible and I
thought he was dead. I ran to the
house end got soma water and re¬
turned as quickl) as I could, when
I got back my father just returning
to conciousness. I bathed his face
and head where it was cut; a few
minutes later he got up on his feet
Successor to Toccoa Times and Toccoa Nevs.
and looked around in a bewildered
way, the next moment he snatched
up the gun which was lying on the
ground and putting it in Mr. An¬
derson’s face and fired; Oh, my
God! his whole face was blown
away. I fled to the house in horror ;
I have seen that face ever since, 1
shall see it all my life. God help
my father, he is dying,ho has never
recovered from that blow on his
head.”
She sank to the floor as 9he spoke,
and was carried back into the room
from which she had come.
At once a commotion began
among the people, and but for the
prompt ac.tion of the Judge I think
they would have cheered.
The Judge again commenced to
charge the jury, and when they re¬
turned from their room after a few
moments consultation, Roman was
free. We soon got Ellen into our
carriage, and an hour later we were
at her home.
Ms. McRay was not arrested, his
condition was such he could not be
moved, and a week latter he died.
Ellen’s mother had died when
she was a child, and now she was
the last of the family. Roman
and her were married a week after
her father’s death.
The end.
Heaven.
George H. Hepworth's Sunday Sermon
iu the New York Herald.
Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neith¬
er have entered into the heart of man, the
things which God hath prepared for them
that love him.—II. Corinthians, ii., 9,
From each successive elevation
which we laboriously reach we get
a wider horizon. In Jthe valley
where we made our start we could
see but little and that not quiet
distinctly, but as we climb higher
we not only get a wider view, but
more light.
A strange thing happened to us.
What we thought true when we
were in the lowlands we found to
be untrue when we climbed high
enough to see more, and to see i f
more clearly. We discovered that
on certain subjects our opinions
were constantly changing, The
truth did not change, and never
will, but our opinion of what the
truth is underwent a change with
the accession of every group of
new facts.
The earth, for example, was per¬
fectly flat, and it was the center of
the universe. What science we
possessed proved this conclusively,
and he was made of queer stuff
who could entertain a doubt on
that subject. But the years passed,
a wider knowledge broke in upon
11s, and we were compelled to sur¬
render our beliefs and take on new
ones. The earth not only became
round, but it swung away from the
center of the universe and became
an insignificant orb in an obscuse
corner.
f
But in nothing have we made
such advances or thrown aside so
many cherished convictions as in
the matter of religion. Especially
is this tr x ue of our conception of the
future life. It would be as impos
sible to accept the motions of our
fathers on this subject as to wear
the ciothes of our childhood. We
have a belief which is more ration¬
al than theirs and more in accord¬
ance with the universal law. Their
idea of heaven was more like a
fairy tale than a historic fact. They
found but little comfort in it, tor
at death there was a break in the
home circle which could not be
mended until the faraway day of
No. 29
resurrection had come and gone.
Between heaven and earth thdte
was no highway of communica¬
tion, and the future was a long and
pitiful blank, without a ray of joy¬
ous or cheering sunshine. As one
said to ine who represented the old
faith : “My child and I have part¬
ed. The relation of parent and
daughter has been severed. As a
redeemed ungel she will not know
me." I could not wonder that his
heart was wellnigh broken, for she
was his ail, and he would have
freely given his life for her. His
tears came, his breast heaved with
anguish, and, though he was as
noble a Christain as ever breathed,
he was without consolationjand had
to be content with that kind of
resignation which closely resembles
despair. Our farthers believed
that and their churchyards were
the gloomiest spots on earth, acres
ot green with hopes, but arid and
parched.
We have a larger view than that.
We plant flowers on graves. Our
faith is bright as the landscape at
noonday, add if there is a shadow
it is made by a passing cloud and
does not linger. We have a new
Scripture, or a Scripture with new
light thrown uponjit. Death is no
longer a dread spector, but a solem
event which ushers the unforgetting
soul into the nearer presence of a
Father who has prepared a borne
for us, and will bring us and our
loved ones together again. We
have dispelled the gloom connected
with thoughts of death . We say
good night with a tear, but with a
certainty of saying good morning
with a smile.
In all our creed nothing has
changed so much or blessed us with
as much good cheer as our con¬
ception of heaven. It is not the
place of harps and songs, for the
sturdy souls which pass life’s
boundary shall be sturdy still, the
heroic shall find opportunity for
heroism, and the work of God,done
by His faithful servants, shall still
go on as it went on here. We shall
have life more abundantly, active,
.virile, noble life. Heaven is the
•on»ecrated toiler’s home, and the
un'gnished task of today shall be
taken up to-morrow. Death may
call us before the hours of labors
are over, but eternity will furnish
us with hours enough to pursue our
work until it is completed
So it makes little difference
whether we are here are there. We
are ourselves wherever we are, our
holy ambitions are|not quenched,
the flame of love is not extinguish
ed Jand memory still holds dear
those who were dear tout on earth.
So we put aside the childish things
of the past and put on the gar¬
ments of a lofty and immortal man¬
hood. Heaven will bring us and
our loved ones together once more
and in that blessed life which glids
our declining years as the setting
sun glids the clouds of the west we
shall gradually realize those things
which the heart of man cannot
conceive. Love God, and there is
no danger either here or elsewhere.
Be true, faithful, loyal, and yon
will hear welcoming voices when
you stand on the border land.
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