The prisoner uttered a low sneering laugh, as he said, turning to the judge: You, sir, sentenced an innocent

66

"And you," said he, turning to the other, "swore to a falsehood. Harry Blake did not kill Wickliffe. He was as innocent of the sin of murder as you were more innocent than you are

now."

The old man staggered as if he had been struck, and leaned against the table to support himself, whilst the condemned felon stood opposite him, look ing at him with a cold indifferent air. "Yes, old man," said he sternly, "you have blood and perjury on your soul, for I, I," said he, stepping forward, so that the light of the lamp fell strongly upon his savage features, "I murdered William Wickliffe! I did it! Thank God, I did it, for I had a long score to settle with him. But Blake had no hand in it. I met Wickliffe on that afternoon, alone-with none to interfere between us. I told him of the injuries he had done me, and I told him that the time was come for redress. He endeavored to escape; but I followed him up; I grappled with him, and stabbed him. As I did so, I heard the clatter of a horse's hoofs, and I leaped into a clump of bushes which grew at the road-side. At that moment Blake came up, and found Wickliffe lying dead in the road. You know the rest. The tale he told was as true as the Gospel. He was only attempting to draw the knife from the man's breast when you came up and charged him with the murder!"

"Good God! Can this be possible!" ejaculated the old man. "It cannot! Villain, you are a liar!"

"Pshaw!" muttered the "What could I gain by a lie? morrow I die."

denly assumed in the midst of his paroxysm of remorse, that it even overawed the criminal, said: "You are one whose life has been a tissue of falsehood and crime. You must prove what you have said, or I'll not believe it."

"Be it so," replied the prisoner. "I saw the whole transaction, and heard all your testimony at the trial; for I was there too. I'll now tell you what occurred at the spot of the murder, which you did not mention, but which I saw. When you rode up, the man with you jumped off his horse and seized Blake by the collar; your hat fell off on the pommel of your saddle, but you caught it before it reached the ground. You then sprang off your horse, and whilst Walton held Blake, you examined the body. You attempted to pull the knife from his breast, but it was covered with blood, and slipped from your fingers. You rubbed your hand on the ground, and, going to a bush on the road-side, broke off some leaves and wiped your hands upon them, and afterwards the handle of the knife. You then drew it out, and washed it in a small puddle of water at the foot of a sumach bush. As you did so, you looked round at Blake, who was standing with his arms folded, and who said, 'Don't be uneasy about me, Caleb; I didn't kill Wickliffe and don't intend to escape.' At one time you were within six feet of where I was. It's lucky you did not find me, for I was ready at that moment to send you to keep company with Wickliffe; but I saw all, even when you stumbled and dropped your gloves as you mounted your horse."

"God have mercy on me!" ejaculated Grayson. man. "This is all true! But one word more. I heard Wickliffe, as we rode up, shriek out, 'Mercy, mercy, Harry!

To

'I don't believe it! I don't believe it!" exclaimed Grayson, pacing the cell, and wringing his hands. "God in mercy grant that it may be false!that this dreadful sin may not be upon me!"

The prisoner sat down, and looked at the judge and the witness with a calm ness which had something almost fiendish in it, when contrasted with the extreme agitation of the one, and the mental agony of the other.

At last the old man stopped in front of him; and with a calmness so sud67

VOL. XI-NO. LIII.

"He was begging for his lifeMy first name is Harry!"

The old man clasped his hands across his face, and fell senseless on the floor.

It is needless to go into the details of the prisoner's confession, which was so full and clear, that it left no doubt on the mind of the judge that he was guilty of Wickliffe's murder, and that Harry Blake was another of those who had gone to swell the list of victims to Circumstantial Evidence.