The Colonel's Tale.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 332, 9 January 1889, Page 5

The Colonel's Tale.

It was Into— -tutor midnight— and as we got up fiom the whist table and gathered around the fire, Colonel Thornl-on said : ' If you men are not, 100 biiod, find Hon'fc mind silting up for another half hour 1 think I can toll noli u good story. Wo pi o tested that wo were never less lired, and could sit up bill morning if necossaiy. E3o the Colonel began : 1 My fafchor, as you know, was a parson, but» he look orders laic in life, atler having Isoou 15 years at Hie bar, nnd Ihe events which I am going- to bell you he, himself, told me a? ha\ ing come directly under his eve when ho wit? a barrister. ' It was at the Momnoulh assi/os in 18 — that a cape was fciied which became the talk ot Ihe noiuhbourhood and country for years after. My father was sitting in tho Court of the Assistant Judge, when a note was brought from a friend in the adjoining Court asking him to come and hear a case of more than usual interest, the facts of which were these : Some lime before a tanner's house near Alontnoulh had beon broken into mid robbed by men disguised and mat-Iced, the farmer nundered, and his servant shock - Uigly ill-treated. Amou^ other things vhich weie stolen were two old-fashioned siher brooches, curiously inlaid with malachite, heirlooms ot the family ; and although uni emitting search was made, and the description of the lost articles made widely known, no trace of the muvdereis could be found. ' A month oi two after the mm dor, however, a police officer in going through a house in Biislol. noticed a dia*-ipaled-look-ing sailor lying on a pallet and resting his head on a small bundle. He asked him what it contained, and was told Ik-it, it w.i» 'only his- kit' The oihcei, not Mtlislied, opened the bundle, and almost the f)K thing to fall out were (wo brooehe* made ot piKci and malachite. Struck l»y tlioii curious beaut v, and wondering how such a wictehcd-looking fellow could have become possessed of them, hesnddonlj remembered the advertisement and description of the stolen articles. " How did you come by these"'' he inquired. ; ' The sailor leplied- By chance. When I came ashore some time ago, with plenty of money in my pocket, 1 met an old seaman who was down on his luck, and he ottered to sell me these things which had j belonged to hi-; mother. 1 was pretty j (lush, and gave him a good price for them, \ although they weic uselcsb to me. And that's all there is- about it.' 'The police ofticer, still unsatisfied, took him into custody. Tie was sent to Monmoubh gaol, the brooches were identified, and he was committed for trial at the assi/e on the charge of theft, and murder. And,' continued tho Colonel, impressively, 'as my father euteied the court this man was being placed in the dock. 'Tall beyond the then average height, of man, and gaunt, with an unkempt beard and evil, yellow eyes, and though e\idently suffering from longimprisonment, he yebrn cpented a powerful and imposing front. The tiial had be-trun and be had iust been asked the usual question, ' Are you guilty or nob guilty? 1 and had just answered in a hollow voice: 'Not guilty, my Lord,' when tho entrance of one of the court officials with a gentleman stopped the proceedings for a while. And here I must explain this interruption. ' A few days before a quiet, gentlemanly man, a Captain Foisylh of his Majesty's navy, had ai rived at the chief hotel of the town on a fishing excursion ; but tho weather had been s O averse that he was obliged to look cl-ewhore ioi amusement. Turning to the landlord for infor mation, he was fold ot thi-s tiial as exciting considerable intciest , and ?o it, came to pas? that, as the pi it- outn took hi~ place at the bar, Caprain Fou<\ th sent his card to the •inline, who "ladly allowed him, as w as then the custom, a seat on the bench. 'The ca^e pioucoded: witness weie railed to identity the brooches, the -ervants stvoie to the figure of the pus'oner as lcsembling that of the murdeicr; no wit np*s v, as called for his defence- no one deiended him: everything pointed to his guilt, and the jut \ ictiied to their room. In a tow minutes they returned, and amid the breathless expectation of the crowded court, the foreman announced their opinion that the man was ' guilty." 'Directly this woid was uttered, the pi isoncr, who had been leaning as if lor support against the «ide oi the dock, raise 1 himself to full height, stretched out. both his arms above his head, and, looking up, exclaimed in a broken voice, ' Not guilty, not guilty ' ' The judge then asked him, a- wasuMial, if he had anything to say before sentence should be pronounced, and the prisoner cried hoarsely : ' Not guilty, my lord, not guilty ; before heaven and man, i am innocent of this crime. I never tet eyes on the murdered man ; I did noL murder, Oh ! captain, captain ' — in his vehemence he addressed the judge as if he were hi* officer - "I am as innocent of this oiime fn the babe unborn.' Tie paused, then suddenly, in a voice, choking with feeling-, he exclaimed : ' Yes, yes, only one man c'i\n save me now ; bub he can do it. swear what you may. The Lord be thanked, thai man is here.' ' A buzz of astonishment ran round the court ; the feeling of awe that had held the audience changed to one of amazement. 1 ' Point him out to me,' said the Judge. ' ' The man who can save me,' replied the prisoner, 'sits there beside you,' pointing to the astonished Captain Forsyth. 'The Judge turned to Captain Forsyth and faaid, ' This man appeal ,s to know you. Is it the case ?' ' ' Certainly not. 1 he replied, much surprised. ' I never saw him boloio in my life.' ' ' Oh, Captain,' broke out the prisonei — 'yes, you needn't btatb, L know you, Captain For&yth. ou are never eroing bo swear away an innocent man's life like that?' ' ' It is curious, my man,' the Captain replied, ' that you know my name ; bul I repeat that I never saw you before in my life.' ' ' What ! Not know John Williams of the Neptune? The coxswain of the Captain's cutter ?' ' • Yes, I know John Williams ; but you are not he. John Williams was the smartest man that ever served under me, and never likely to stand where you are now. ' ' 'Captain,' replied the prisoner, 'I tell you lam John Williams. A long illness, a hard bout of drinking, and this cuised imprisonment have made me what I am. And 1 will prove it, Captain ; 1 '»ill prove it if you only will listen.' 'The sensation caused bj' this dialogue was immense. The Judge, the members of the bar, and tho spectators were oqually astonished at the curious turn the affair had taken ; and, though believing the man to be guilty of a desperate deceit to save his life, were eagerly awaiting what should come. ''Captain,' continued the prisoner, 'f am accused of murdering a man here on ■June 25. more than nine months ago. Now, tell me, pir, was not John Williams— your coxswain— invalided home from the West

! African station on tho lost, day of Uio I montih ?' ' ' Whab the man says,' remarked Captain ITorsyth bo the Judge, ' is perfectly true. His Majesty's ship, tho Invincible, sailed with our invalided men for England on June 30.' •The prisoner wont on : 'Yea, and I arrived in England ab tho end of July, • weak and ill. and getting my pri/e-money I went and drank it nil away. And thai is how it was that I was found at Bristol, whero I had gone for another ship ; and ever since then 1 have been in this aceur&ed gaol. ' i ' ' The follow is plausible enough,' again I remarked Captain Forsyth. ' lie is certainly about fche height of Williams. Well, my man, I suppose you cm pio\e wnat you say •>.' ■'Ay, ay, Captain. Do vmi icmembor. on the 10th ot .June, giving outers for a night laid on the native town ol) which we lay, looking out for sUnes ?' ' ' Yet, 1 do, to be sure.' ''And v\c were five boats in all. And tho first to the beach was tho captain's cutter. And the fust man to jump out was you, Captain "'' ''Well, Mil's is the mosfc oxtiacndinary thing I ever heai\l.' And, turning to the j .fudge, tlie Captain said : ' E\orv word of this poor fellow's story is true, my hold. i He may have picked it up bomeuhcie, but I can't help beginning to think there's something behind. My ship i\ still in foieign service, and T have only leturnedto take charge- of another one.' ' ' Well, go on, my man.' ''One more word, Captain, and ma,} be you will bcliovc me. At we were lighting i m the town a irre.it nigger came behind jou v ith his a\e and would lia\e cut jou in half before you saw him had not a man mi hed between you and .-topped him with ' hi? outlaw : and yet not quite .stopped him, toi that infernal nigger's axe slipped down ihe cutlass and gashed tlic man's head j open. Wlki u,'b thvtt man, Captain v ' ■ •• John William^, ' w/i<= Hie lcply, ' Lho i coxswain of my '•utter.' •' Vj . Ny, i aptain, and hcie i- the cut which the a\o made,' and bending down lie lifted with one hand the long, untidy hair, and with the other pointed to .i huge and tearful scar i mining for several inches along the side of his head. ' Captain Forsyth leaped from hu-. teat. ' Miood hea\on&, you aie light ! But how you have changed. My Lord, this poor fellow had not sailed from the African coast when tho nun dor was committed ; it is impossible that he could be guilty of it. "Williams, you saved my life ; I thank Cod that 1 have been able to save yours '' 'At theao woid-j cvei>bod\ in the court stood up and cheered the piisonor with the wildest excitement and enthusiasm ; the .Judge said that ni'di&chaiying him he must at the .same time compliment him on his gallantry : and the foieman of the jury then and there stinted a subscription for him which came np to something neai £UO. C iptain .Foisyth oicZeied a chaise to take him post haste to London for the purpose of iemo\ing Williams fiom a place ot such ! hoirible associations, and of getting him an appointment from the Admiialty. The people insisted on dragging the cliai.se out of the town with theii own hand;?, the hoi>e f * weie then put to and amid deafening cheer*, they dro\e oft — and wcie nevei heairi of again.' ''Why was that?' someone asked, as? the Colonel paused. ' ' Because it was a hoax " 1 ' ' What !' we all exclaimed. ' A hoav .'" ! Wo had listened breathics&lv to the talc, which the Colonel certainly told admirably, the perspiration standing on hi-, forehead as with horrible reality he peisonated the desperate horror. ' \>s,' he said, 'a hoax. It was a preconcerted arrangoment : the C aptain was I ineioly a clever jieoomjjlico, \\ ho ];lay ed such j }),\itft foi tho-e of his associates m ciimewho j c unc near receiving their rewaid. This w.t^ piobably Ins biegest pcrfoi mance ; but I though ib answered well etiouuh then, in thc c c days ot telegraphic communication and multiplied naval lists it would bo simpl\ impossible' — "Xonistown Heiald.