The Blind Brother: A Story of the Pennsylvania Coal Mines

l. For the first time in his life, he was glad Bennie could not see him. But

t fellow'd do that; but if they'll only get to work again,

western hills, shone dimly through the purple haze. Sadly and with few words the two boys went their homeward way. A g

sed from his agreement. But a little thought had convinced him that this would be useless; that the money would not be received; that, having accepted a bribe, he had placed himself in the power of those who

f, in bitter thought, "why

shes to tempt his appetite, and when the morning for the trial came, and Tom started for the train to go to Wilkesbarre, dressed in his best clothes, and with the hated hundred dollars burning in his pocket, she kissed him good-by with a smile on her face. She bade him many times to b

Court-House Square, and in the corridors of the building, and the court-room itself was nearly full when Tom and Sandy entered it. They found vacant places

ench, at the lawyers chatting pleasantly in the bar, at the entry and departure of the grand jury,

, being made by the attorneys; the clerk read some lists in a weak v

door, to the right of the judges' bench, and the

e from confinement, and stooping rather more than usual, he moved slowly across the crowd

he breaker on the night of the fire. The buzz of excitement, occasioned by the entrance of th

Jack Rennie. Arson. Ar

istrict attorney, rising to his fee

the judge. "Arra

building, to wit: a coal-breaker, the same being the property of a certain body corporate known by the style and title of 'The Valley Coal Company;' by reason of which setting fire to, burning and consuming, a certain dwelling-house, also the property of the said

y to the reading of the indictm

not guilty?" he replied,

ty, ye ha' bu

aid the judge severely.

ilty. No mon's guilty t

the court was soon afterward

ecting of jurors in the

, and that he was of Irish nativity could be detected by the rich brogue that escaped his

soner, look upon the juror. What sa

rue answers make,'" sa

n was

live?" inqui

hanty Hi

ywhere near this bre

ke, barrin' the time it'd take

your occ

Yis, sorr; as good a

what do yo

miner

do yo

tin years come next St. Patrick's day, may it plase the

rrupted Attorney

rment as to what it all meant, and another juror was called, a small, wiry man, chewing on

organization known as

man, before Pleadwell could inter

ns, who sat by his side as private counsel for the prosecution. They believed that the man had sworn

d heard nothing about the fire until he arrived in town, and who displayed

unsel; and long before the "twelve good men and true" had all been selected and sworn, the early autumn night had fallen, and the

ll hotel on the outskirts of the city, where arrangements had been made to accommodate witnesses for the def

about, going over in his mind what had already occurred, and thinking with grave apprehension of what to-m

with his conscience on his mind, h

n on the previous day. The case against Rennie was taken up without delay. The district attorney made the opening add

the burned breaker. Following him came two witnesses who detailed the progress of the fire as they had seen it, on

, nor where he came from; and still another swore that he had seen the defendant in a drinking-saloon in town, about half an hour b

G. Travers; a slightly built, but muscular man,

quired the district attorney,

a dete

Jack Rennie,

d

d you las

e, of certain members of th

member of t

ave

rcumstances attending y

ith calm deliberation, related the thrilling story of how he had worked as a common laborer in the mines, in order to gain a standing

f the order, and the prompt dismissal of men belonging to it, by the owners of the Valley Breaker, it was resolved to visit them with vengeance, in the shape

cross-examination, by Pleadwell, was sharp, rigid and

e had assumed a serious phase. Unless he could produce some s

ive's story, he declared that they should prove, in behalf of the defendant, that he was not at or near the breaker until after the fire was wel

d jury a most irreproachable witness, who will testify to you that he was presen

s he understood the significance of the lawyer's last statement. He felt, more than ever, the wrong, the disg

elded to temptation for the sake of blind Bennie; that he had seen the folly and the wickedness, and known the awful misery of it already; that the money tha

, with face flushed and pallid by turns, waiting for

rt of the defence was Michael Caro

's married sister, who lived in the village, just beyond the burned breaker; that they spent the evening at a miners' mass-meeting in town, and a

ile away from the breaker, an' whin we heard the alarm, we looked up the track an' saw the blaze, an' Jack says, says he

an' Jack wint an' shoved out the cars from the loadin'-place that we could get at; an' thin

believe that he spoke the truth. Indeed, there was very little in his account of the occurrence that was not strictly in accordance with the facts. He had simply omitted to state that

ess for dinner, and, when court was re-opened

ry of "Fire!" He looked out and saw that the breaker was b

s question, "I heard some'at behin' me, an' I lookit aroun', an' there I se

e loadin'-place, down the track; an' then we savit a bit fra the dwellin'-house, an' a bit fra the engine-r

t night?" was the first question

er i' the slope the day, he had; an' I gied him a promise to help seek him oot gin he cam

" inquired Lawyer Summon

' leadit him hame, an' would na want me; an' I said 'good-nicht'

ad that came t

aylor,

poken, and the blood mounted into his pale f

tion of the breaker from you

did,

he left you that you

the time o'

have got beyo

the grass was na growin' under

om Taylor fired

r a moment in b

etter boy i' the roun' warl'n Tom Taylor!" and Sandy broke int

nd Carolan should go upon the witness-stand and swear that they saw him running away from the newly kindled blaze, as, indeed, they might and not lie, either,-how could he prove his innocen

se very black and ugly in his sight; and the poor delusion that he

iolently under the excitement of this last t

as Ta

r," respo

e witnes