SC1896_FF1_076

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take with him, a strong guard of armed men, for
her protection. In a few moments afterwards, the Sheriff
marched into the Courthouse with his posse
of armed men, in double files, the female between
them, & surrounded by scores of the good citizens of Wayne
County. She was sent before the Grand Jury & after
being examined, was guarded back to the house where
she stayed in the same manner, she was guarded
to the court house. By mixing freely with the people
& commenting on the conduct of the Judge, who was
no favorite with them, I produced a very perciptible
change in the state of public feeling. The man
in jail was willing to be tried, & on Wednesday or Thursday,
he was brought out of jail, & a jury was empannelled
to try him. In electing the jurors, I took the
very best men in the county, and what was very remarkable,
almost every man, if not every one was
a Baptist. The woman was sent for, & guarded
into the Court house as before, when I took the liberty
of "looking daggers" at the Judge, & interchanging
indignant glances with others. She was sworn as
a witness, & having a commanding person, good delivery
and intelligent face, she detailed her evidence in a
very imposing manner. I cross examined her for two
hours, without producing the slightest discrepancy
in her testimony, altho' it was in the main false.
The case seemed almost a hopeless one. After all
the testimony was given, a respectable man, came
behind the bar, & said he wanted to speak with me.
I retired with him, for a moment, & he informed me
of an important fact within his knowledge that
would contradict the witness in an essential particular.
He had not mentioned it, to a human being,
the excitement being so great, he was afraid
of endangering his personal safety; or that we would