Heman White Chaplin

“ Ploughed fields and elm-dotted pastures to the left, and birch-lined roads leading by white farm-houses to the village, all speaking of cheer and freedom to the prosperous and the happy, but to the unfortunate and the indebted, of meshes invisible but strong as steel. ”

“ The very best Bible for teachers, of course, is the limp-cover, protected edges, full Levant morocco, Oxford, silk-sewed, kid-lined, Bishop's Divinity Circuit, with concordance, maps of the Holy Land, weights, measures, and money-tables of the Jews. ”

“ Though if there is one thing that's harder than another, it is to be good-natured all the time, without being aggravating. I have known men that was so awfully good-natured that they was harder to live with than if they was cross! ”

“ Speaker,” said George Washington, rising with his hand in his bosom; “as de question is befo' us, I wish to say that de las' bro' mus' have spoken under 'xcitement. Every man don' have his price! An' I hope de bro' will recant—like as de Psalmist goes out o' his way to say 'In my haste I said, All men are liars.' He was a very busy man, de Psalmist—writin' down hymns all day, sharpen'n' his lead-pencil, bossin' 'roun' de choir—callin' Selah! ”

“ It only meant that the judge, who had happened to see the jury the night before returning from their supper, had sent for the high sheriff in some temper,—for judges are human,—and had vigorously intimated that if that statesman did not look after his fool of a deputy, who let a jury parade secrets to the public view, he would!
The jury were in their room again. At nine o'clock came a rap, and a summons from the court. The prosecuting attorney was speaking with the judge when they went in. In a moment he took his seat.
“John Wood!” called out the clerk, and the defendant arose. ”

“ And then he rapped upon the table.
“Gentlemen,” he said, “please draw your chairs up, and let us take another ballot.”
The count resulted as before.
The foreman muttered something which had a scriptural sound. In a few moments he drew Mr. Eldridge and two others aside. “Gentlemen,” he said to them, “I shall quietly divide the jury into watches, under your charge: ten can sleep, while one wakes to keep Mr. Smith discussing the question. I don't propose to have the night wasted.”
And, by one man or another, Eli was kept awake. ”

“ The “bank case” was the great sensation of the town, and Wood was one of the main witnesses, for he had been taking the place of the absent cashier when the safe was broken open and rifled to the widespread distress of depositors and stockholders, and the ruin of Hon. Edward Clark, the president. Wood had locked the safe on the afternoon before the eventful night, and had carried home the key with him, and he was to testify to the contents of the safe as he had left it. ”

“ It is painful to suspect, and shocking to know, that courts and juries are liable ever to suffer by such unprincipled practices. After ten years upon the bench, I never witness a conviction of crime without pain ”

“ Eldridge,” said the foreman. “If there is no objection, I will state the evidence, and if there is any loop-hole, I will trouble Mr. Smith to suggest it as I go along;” and he proceeded to give a summary of the testimony, with homely force.
“Now, sir?” he said, when he had finished.
“I move for another ballot,” said Mr. Eldridge.
The result was the same. Eli had voted “not guilty.”
“Mr. Smith,” said the foreman, “this must be settled in some way. This is no child's play. You can't keep eleven men here, trifling with them, giving no pretence of a reason.” ”

“ If the case were a less serious one, we might have rendered a verdict in our seats.”
“What's the use foolin' 'round ballotin'?” said a thick-set butcher. “Ain't we all o' one mind?”
“It is for you to say, gentlemen,” said the foreman. “I should n't want to have it go abroad that we had not acted formally, if there was any one disposed to cavil.”
“Mr. Speaker,” said George Washington, rising and standing in the attitude of Webster, “I rises to appoint to order. ”

“ Eldridge. “Now, the next time, there won't be anybody like you to stand out, and the judge 'll know of this scrape, and he'll just sock it to him.”
Eli turned uneasily in his chair.
“And then it won't be understood in your place, and folks 'll turn against you every way, and, what's worse, let you alone.”
“I can stand it,” said Eli, angrily. “Let 'em do as they like. They can't kill me.”
“They can kill your wife and break down your children,” said Mr. Eldridge. “Women and children can't stand it. Now, there's that man they were speaking of; he lived down my way. ”

“ We have to do some hard things; but I say, do the square thing, and let her slide.”
“But I can't believe he 's guilty,” said Eli.
“But don't you allow,” said Mr. Eldridge, “that eleven men are more sure to hit it right than one man?”
“Yes,” said Eli, reluctantly, “as a general thing.”
“Well, there's always got to be some give to a jury, just as in everything else, and you ought to lay right down on the rest of us. It is n't as if we were at all squirmish. Now, you know that if you hold out, he 'll be tried again.” ”

“ They ain't a man here that would dare to try and cross it when the sea's breakin' on it. The man that says he would, lies!” And he looked at the foreman, and waited a moment.
“When my wife took sick, and I stopped goin' to sea, two year ago, and took up boat-fishin', I did n't know half as much about the coast as the young boys do, and one afternoon it was blowin' a gale, and we was all hands comin' in, and passin' along the Bar to go sheer 'round it to the west'ard, and Captain Fred Cook—he's short-sighted—got on to the Bar before he knew it, and then he hed to go ahead, whether or no ”

“ Silence.
“I suppose you realize that the rest of us are pretty rapidly forming a conclusion on this matter,” said the foreman.
“Come! come!” said Mr. Eldridge; “don't be quite so hard on him, Captain. Now, Mr. Smith,” he said, standing up with his hands in his coat-pockets and looking at Eli, “we know that there often is crooked sticks on juries, that hold out alone—that's to be expected; but they always argue, and stand to it the rest are fools, and all that. Now, all is, we don't see why you don't sort of argue, if you 've got reasons satisfactory to you. ”

“ But you 've done more than enough already, so as that he can't complain of you, and if you give in now, everybody 'll give you credit for trying to save your friend, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, for giving in to the evidence. ”

“ Well, bro'n an' sisters “—both arms going out, and his voice going up—” one day, seems like, he was in gre't haste—got to finish a psalm for a monthly concert, or such—and some man in-corrupted him, and lied; and bein' in gre't haste—and a little old Adam in him—he says, right off, quick: 'All men are liars!' But see! When he gits a little time to set back and meditate, he says: 'Dis won' do—dere's Moses an' Job, an' Paul—dey ain't liars!' An' den he don' sneak out, and 'low he said, 'All men is lions,' or such. No! de Psalmist ain't no such man; but he owns up, 'an 'xplains. ”

“ How is it that a seafarin' man, that 's dyin' to home, will allers die on the ebbtide? It never fails, but how does it happen? Tell me that! And there's more ways than one of knowin' things, too!”
“I know that man ain't guilty,” said Eli.
“Hark ye!” said a dark old man with a troubled face, rising and pointing his finger toward Eli. “Know, you say? I knew, wunst. I knew that my girl, my only child, was good. One night she went off with a married man that worked in my store, and stole my money—and where is she now?” And then he added, “What I know is, that every man hes his price. ”

“ And as he worked he made a great show of labor, much to their diversion.
But the sight of Joel's broad white sail had not brought pleasant thoughts to his mind; for Joel had hailed him, off the Shoal, the afternoon before, and had obligingly offered to buy his fish right there, and so let him go directly home, omitting to mention that sudden jump of price due to an empty market.
“Wonder what poor man he 's took a dollar out of to-day! Well, I s'pose it's all right: those that 's got money, want money.”
“What be you, Eli—ganging on hooks?” ”

“ Foreman,” said the butcher, “for a man 't 's obliged to leave town, to move a family out West? I only ask for information. I have known a case where a man had to leave—could n't live there no longer—wa' n't wanted.”
There was a knock. An officer, sent by the judge, inquired whether the jury were likely soon to agree.
“It rests with you, sir,” said the foreman, looking at Eli. ”

“ And he stopped suddenly.
“You have certainly explained yourself,” said the foreman. “I think we understand you distinctly.”
“There is n't one word of truth in that idea,” said Eli, flushing up, “and you know it. I 've paid him back every cent. I know him better 'n any of you, that's all, and when I know he ain't guilty, I won't say he is; and I can set here as long as any other man.”
“Lively times some folks 'll hev, when they go home,” said a spare tin-pedler, stroking his long yellow goatee. “Go into the store: nobody speak to you; go to cattle-show: everybody follow you 'round ”