The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 273: what you’re looking at

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

270 THE QCHILD OF WATERLOO. though he was took up, no more did the murder than I did; I can tell you that.” . ‘‘T have done with you; your recognition of the prisoner at the bar as the man who made himself officious about the stran- ger’s saddle, is quite sufficient.” ‘““Thank you, sir; if ever you come our way I~—” ‘* Will you attend to me, sir?” roared the counsel for the de- fense, who was a bully of the first water, and bent upon confus- ing ve witness by violence of manner. ‘‘ Will you attend to us, sir?’ ‘* Yes; I cannot help it. and should say, by your bellowing out so loud, that all the parish 1s forced to attend to you.” There was a laugh, in which the judge himself could hardly refrain from joining. ‘¢‘Come, come,” said the counsel, ‘‘ we don’t want any of your remarks. Now answer us, sir. Do any beggars come begging to the Morton Arms ?” | *‘T should think so; of course they do.” ‘Will you swear that in twelve months as many as one hun- dred beggars come to the Morton Arms?” ‘‘ Well, perhaps they may; that’s only two a week.” ‘* Will you swear that two a day do not come? ‘‘ The jury will see what the testimony of the witness is worth. He has completely failed in identifying the prisoner, as the in- telligent jury will perceive in a moment.” ‘**T haven’t done no such thing.” ‘You have, sir,” roared the counsel. ‘‘Go down directly.” ‘Oh, go down yourself, d——d fool.” — There was another laugh, and the crier called the hostler, who deposed to baving had a fracas with the prisoner at the bar, whom he recognized at once. He likewise fully identified him as the man he had tried in vain to capture in the churchyard. This witness's evidence was given iv so straightforward a manner that the counsel for the defense did not endeavor to shake it furtler than by saying: “You were, yourself, accused of the murder of the young traveler at the inn, I believe?” ‘*T was 80.” ‘‘ And you feel still that, in the minds of some persons, your character may suffer, unless the deed be brought home to an- other ?” ‘Tt is possible.” ‘*You will see, gentlemen of the jury, that this witness is largely interested in procuring a conviction of the prisoner at the bar. You may go down.” ‘“‘ Before I go down,” said the quondam hostler, “‘ no power on earth sha]] prevent me from hurling back in your teeth, with indignation, the base assumption you have given utterance to. The man who, like you, for a few paltry guineas will come for- ward with al] the wicked effrontery of which his natun: is capable, to oppress the innocent and screen the guilty, is a:one capable of giving utterance to such a diabolical falsehood, ” comicbooks. com