Beautiful Rienzi; or, The Secret Vendetta — page 126: what you’re looking at

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

: Cd r “3 a BEAUTIFUL RIENZI. 119 ““ Did you hear of any other cause for such a peculiar sound?” ‘** Yes, sir; the night train from ran off the track on account of the snow, just above Greeiy’s Mills, and the engine boiler burst. I heard all about it, and saw it on my way to the magistrate’s.” “*Very good. Now Mr. Walsh describe in what manner the body of the deceased was injured.” **T couldn’t exactly say. Itwere dead enough though, for the face was as white as cotton, and the breath gone.” **'T'he face, Walsh? the face, did you say?” repeated Mr. Speingle, slowly. | There was an audible murmur in the breathless crowd; two or three men half rose up and sat down again. ‘The face was as white as cotton,” persisted Walsh, stolidly, having tried to catch Mr. Bently’s eyes and failed; that gentleman keeping an impenetrable and con- temptuous neutrality during what he appeared to consider Mr. Speingle’s trifling. ‘“‘ Except,” added Walsh, ‘‘ where a lot of blood crossed it from one temple.” ‘‘Stand down for the present, Mr. Walsh,” said the counsel for the prisoner. ‘‘If any of the jurymen who’ viewed the body of Cecil Beaumont are in this court, let them come forward,” he uttered in a loud voice. Three men elbowed themselves eagerly forward. Mr, Speingle pointed to one of them. ‘‘T want that man to describe the appearance of the body upon which the inquest was held at Mrs. Beaumont’s house.” The man was sworn. ‘*You viewed the body of course before you gave a ver- dict. Describe the face if you please.” ‘¢There weren’t no face at all,” said the man, a bluff coun- tryman; ‘‘he were smashed to pieces he were, and the clothes was all that held him together.” Here a slight interruption occurred. Doctor Graves who sat close behind the prisoner raised his hand and enjoined silence: he then sent an officer to whisper something to the judge, and the prisoner was supported out of the court in a half-fainting condition. | ‘“My mother rose and quietly followed her to a small antechamber, and the proceedings went on. ‘‘ What sort of clothes were on the body?” Comicbooks