Self-Raised; Or, From the DepthsSouthworth, Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte
General
Self-Raised; Or, From the Depths
Southworth, Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte
Fiction
Jim said he was the son of the last witness, and he corroborated the
statements made by her, as far as his own personal experience
corresponded with hers. And although he was severely cross-examined,
he never varied from his first story, and his testimony was held
good.
"Sarah Sims," was the next called.
And Sally advanced modestly and stood respectfully before the
magistrate.
Having satisfactorily answered the preliminary questions that were
put to her, she took the prescribed oath with a deep reverence of
manner that prepossessed everyone, except the accused and their
counsel, in her favor.
And then she gave her testimony in a clear, simple, concise manner,
that met the approval of all who heard her. The counsel for the
accused cross-examined her with ingenuity, but without success.
Sally's testimony was decidedly the most conclusive of any given by
the three negroes. And she was allowed to sit down.
Then the counsel for the accused arose and made a speech, in which
he ingeniously sought to do away with the effect of all the evidence
that had been given in against the prisoners. He took exception to
Ishmael's evidence because Mr. Worth had declined to give it under
oath; to Judge Merlin's, because, he said, that ancient man was so
well stricken with years as to be falling into his dotage; to old
Katie's, because most decidedly he declared she was totally
unreliable, being half monkey, half maniac, and whole knave; to
Jim's, because he averred him to be wholly under the influence of
others; to Sally's, for the same reason. It would be monstrous, he
said, to send a nobleman and a lady to trial upon such evidence as
had been given in by such witnesses as had appeared there. And he
ended by demanding that his clients should be instantly and
honorably discharged from custody, and particularly that they should
not be remanded.
And he sat down.
"Dinna ye fash yersel', laddie! I hae na the least intention to
remaund the accused. I s'all commit them for trial," said the
magistrate. Then looking down upon his clerk, he said:
"Ross, mon, mak' out the warrants."
A perfect storm of remonstrance, strange to witness in a
magistrate's office, arose. The lawyer sprang upon his feet and
vehemently opposed the committal. Lord Vincent indignantly exclaimed
against the outrage of sending a nobleman of the house of
Hurstmonceux to trial. Faustina went into hysterics, and was
attended by Mrs. MacDonald.
Meanwhile the clerk coolly made out the warrants and placed them in
the hands of McRae for execution. That prompt policeman proceeded to
take possession of his prisoners. But the storm increased;
Faustina's screams awoke the welkin; Lord Vincent's loud
denunciation accompanied her in bass keys; the lawyer's wild
expostulations and gesticulations arose above all.
Sir Alexander had borne all this tempestuous opposition very
patiently at first; but the patience of the most long-suffering man
may give out. Sir Alexander's did.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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