Boys -- Juvenile fiction; Coal mines and mining -- Juvenile fiction; Foundlings -- Juvenile fiction; Scranton (Pa.) -- Juvenile fiction
Craft's face paled, and Sharpman started to his feet, red with
passion.
"This is the last straw!" he exclaimed, hoarsely; "now I intend"--
But the judge, fearing an uncontrollable outbreak of temper,
interrupted him, saying:--
"Your witness need not answer the question in that form, Mr. Sharpman.
Mr. Goodlaw, do you desire to cross-examine the witness further?"
Goodlaw had resumed his seat and was turning over his papers.
"I do not care to take up the time of the court any longer," he said,
"with this witness."
"Then, Mr. Sharpman, you may proceed with further evidence."
But Sharpman was still smarting from the blow inflicted by his
opponent. "I desire, first," he said, "that the court shall take
measures to protect me and my client from the unfounded and insulting
charges of counsel for the defence."
"We will see," said the judge, "that no harm comes to you or to your
cause from irrelevant matter interjected by counsel. But let us get on
with the case. We are taking too much time."
Sharpman turned again to his papers and called the name of "Anthony
Henderson."
An old man arose in the audience, and made his way feebly to the
witness-stand, which had just been vacated by Craft.
After he had been sworn, he said, in reply to questions by Sharpman,
that he was a resident of St. Louis; that in May, 1859, he was on his
way east with his little grandson, and went down with the train that
broke through the bridge at Cherry Brook.
He said that before the crash came he had noticed a lady and gentleman
sitting across the aisle from him, and a nurse and child a few seats
further ahead; that his attention had been called to the child
particularly, because he was a boy and about the age of his own little
grandson.
He said he was on the train that carried the rescued passengers to
Philadelphia after the accident, and that, passing through the car,
he had seen the same child who had been with the nurse now sitting
with an old man; he was sure the child was the same, as he stopped
and looked at him closely. The features of the old man he could not
remember. For two days he searched for his grandson, but being met, on
every hand, by indisputable proof that the child had perished in the
wreck, he then started on his return journey to St. Louis, and had not
since been east until the week before the trial.
"How did the plaintiff in this case find you out?" asked Goodlaw, on
cross-examination.
"I found him out," replied the witness. "I learned, from the
newspapers, that the trial was to take place; and, seeing that it
related to the Cherry Brook disaster, I came here to learn what little
else I might in connection with my grandchild's death. I went, first,
to see the counsel for the plaintiff and his client."
"Have you learned anything new about your grandson?"
"No, sir; nothing."
"Have you heard from him since the accident?"
"I have not."
"Are you sure he is dead?"
"I have no doubt of it."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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