The Forged Note: A Romance of the Darker RacesMicheaux, Oscar
General
The Forged Note: A Romance of the Darker Races
Micheaux, Oscar
African Americans -- Fiction
All of these angles were followed with much color by the Attalia papers.
Moreover, papers elsewhere mysteriously took up the Jew's cause, by
following the angles of the detective. All except the "Big Noise." It
was busy viewing the detective from its angle. But it was not, of
course, endowed with such an abundance of readers, therefore, for the
time, it was not noticed much. It was later, however.
Now we come to the most extraordinary phase of the case, leaving the
prisoner in his cell for the present.
While all this angling was going on, witnesses who had testified for the
state, and whose testimony had resulted disasterously for the defendant,
began to come up mysteriously, with affidavits to the effect that what
they had sworn to was a falsehood, no, a lie! Many of them declared, in
these affidavits, that they were inspired to make these statements, that
they might face their God with the truth on their lips! The city became
chaotic. No one had even suspected that the city possessed such people.
This renouncing of testimony developed into an almost everyday affair.
"Everybody was doin' it". So it came to pass, in an incredibly short
time, that almost every one who had supplied damaging testimony against
the Jew, had renounced it.
The newspapers were the most interesting things to read in Attalia
during this spell. But more mysteries followed in due order. Every one
who produced, or had produced an affidavit, renouncing his or her
previous testimony, became automatically prosperous, no, we'll have to
change this statement. They did, and again they didn't. Alas! Some had
not received all they had been mysteriously promised, it seems. And
still others, unaccustomed to wealth, and feeling that money is
rightfully the medium for the good things they had never been able to
enjoy, including liquor, proceeded to fulfill this long felt desire. So,
many got drunk. And, trust John Barleycorn to do the rest, they imparted
secrets to their near friends. And then, of course, the friends imparted
such illuminating information to their friends, whereupon it was duly
imparted, in time, to the people through the paper.
Truth combined with a conscience, is always a danger, a menace to
falsity. And, of course, not every one possesses the strength to stand
on a falsehood, therefore--and in an incredibly short time--affidavits
began to be voluntarily offered by these many, to the effect that the
renunciation was a falsehood; the original testimony was true, quite
true. Accompanying many of these latter affidavits, was money.
We are reminded at this point of Judas and the thirty pieces of silver.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account