CHAPTER XXII._Under Orders: The story of a young reporter

TRIUMPHANTLY ACQUITTED.

WHEN Myles appeared in the court-room the next morning it was with a

pale face and heavy eyes after the anxious weariness of his sleepless

night. He brightened somewhat under the influence of Billings’

cheering presence and words, and was comforted by his lawyer’s cordial

hand-grasp and confident manner.

The counsel for the company announced that he was satisfied to rest his

case upon the evidence already in. Then Captain Ellis, addressing the

jury, said:

“You have listened patiently, gentlemen, to the charges brought against

my client and the testimony offered to prove them true. Now I beg to

claim your attention for a very short time to the testimony which I

shall produce to disprove those charges, and show them to be based in

part, if not wholly, upon falsehood and perjury.”

The captain then gave a rapid sketch of the former relations existing

between Myles Manning and Ben Watkins. In conclusion he said:

“I shall not undertake to disprove that my client acted foolishly

or wrongly upon the evening of his arrival at this place, though I

might easily show how he was tempted and led on from one act of folly

to another by those who sought his ruin. I shall, however, endeavor

to prove beyond a doubt that he never sought by a dishonest or

dishonorable word or action to conceal his folly or undo its effects.

He had already confessed it, and fully atoned for it, before this cruel

charge was brought against him.”

The captain first called and examined several witnesses who testified

that Ben Watkins had owed them sums of money amounting in all to

several hundred dollars, and that all of these debts had been paid

within a week.

Having disposed of these witnesses, Captain Ellis said:

“I shall now place my client on the stand in order that the gentlemen

of the jury may hear his side of the story from his own lips. When he

has told it, I shall bring proof that what he has said is the truth,

the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

Myles’ account of all that had happened to him since his arrival at

Mountain Junction was listened to with intense interest, though at some

points a general expression of disbelief swept over the faces of his

hearers. It was hard for them to believe that he could have overthrown

Ben Watkins during the struggle between them in the superintendent’s

office, for Ben looked the larger and stronger of the two young men.

Myles was, of course, subjected to a searching cross-examination by

the other side, but he bore it unflinchingly, answering every question

without hesitation, and without once contradicting himself.

When he was finally allowed to resume his seat, a buzz of approval

came from the spectators, but it was promptly checked by the sheriff.

Captain Ellis smiled as he heard it, and Billings nodded his head

approvingly toward the spectators. It was evident to them that the tide

of public feeling was turning in their favor.

Myles started as he heard the name of the next witness. It was Mr.

Herbert Smedley, and Myles could hardly trust the evidence of his eyes

when the handsome, self-possessed young fellow whom he had regarded

as the wealthiest and most aristocratic of all his classmates nodded

jauntily to him from the witness-stand. Myles could only remember how

unkindly Bert had seemed to treat him when they last met, and wonder at

his presence in this place. His surprise was increased when, in answer

to Captain Ellis’ first question, he heard Bert declare himself to be

the step-son of Mr. Saxon, the President of the A. & B. Road.

“Have you known Mr. Manning long?” was asked.

“Ever since we entered college together, nearly four years ago.”

“Was he known in college as an athlete?”

“I should say he was. He was the pride of the gymnasium.”

“Did he ever engage in wrestling-matches?”

“Whenever he had a chance. But he couldn’t find his match in college.”

“Did you ever see him wrestle with Mr. Watkins?”

“Who—Ben? Of course I did; and he threw him every time too.”

At this the buzz among the spectators almost broke out in open

applause. Manning stock was evidently on the rise.

“Now,” said Captain Ellis, when the sensation produced by Bert

Smedley’s testimony had subsided, “I shall call a witness by whom I

hope to prove that part of my client’s story in which he described

how the money that enabled him to pay his hotel bill came into his

possession. Mr. William Biggs will please take the stand.”

At the sound of his name the big, uncouth-looking fellow whom Myles at

once recognized as his cabin acquaintance, Bill, shuffled awkwardly

toward the place pointed out to him. He was closely followed by the

bull-dog Tige, who, however, was not noticed until he was seated close

by his master’s side on the witness-stand.

“Put that dog out of the room,” commanded the judge, sternly.

The sheriff started forward to obey the order, but hesitated at Tige’s

ominous growl and display of teeth.

“He won’t do no harm, Jedge. He’s a lamb, Tige is, onless he’s riled.

But it’s resky to rile him,” said Bill, facing his Honor and quieting

the dog at the same time.

So Tige was allowed to remain where he was, though every now and then

he expressed his disapproval of the proceedings by a low growl.

Bill, who fortunately was able to read, identified the “Friend-in-Need”

note, and described how it came into his possession.

Then Captain Ellis read the note aloud, and handed it to the clerk of

the court to be filed as evidence.

The appearance of Bill and Tige on the witness-stand was as good as a

circus to the spectators, and they appreciated it thoroughly.

Now they wondered what new sensation was in store for them, but they

were not allowed to wonder long. The opposing counsel had hardly

finished his cross-examination of Bill, whose answers were such as to

completely baffle him, when Captain Ellis said:

“Now, your Honor and gentlemen of the jury, I am about to place

upon the stand a person who was actually present at the famous

wrestling-match so graphically described by both my client and Mr.

Watkins. As their accounts differ very materially from each other,

it is possible that the testimony of this witness may indicate which

version of the affair is the true and which the false one. Is Jacob

Allen in court? and, if so, will he please step forward?”

There was a moment of waiting, during which the spectators exchanged

looks of surprise. Then, from the extreme back part of the room, Jacob

Allen, the leader of the late strike, the man for whose arrest a reward

was offered, appeared among them, and the crowd made way for him to

pass.

As he stepped to the stand and turned a fearless gaze upon those before

him, the lawyer for the company sprang to his feet and said:

“I object, your Honor, to the testimony of this man being received. His

recent outrages have placed him in the position of a criminal for whose

apprehension the company that I have the honor to represent offers a

large reward, and for whom officers are now in search. In the name of

the President of the A. & B. Railroad Company, I demand his immediate

arrest.”

“Your Honor,” said Captain Ellis, “if I am not mistaken, Mr. Allen has

in his possession a paper that not only relieves him from all fear

of arrest, but grants him unconditional pardon for any alleged act of

wrong committed against the A. & B. Railroad Company.”

“If you have such a paper as this gentleman suggests, I shall be

pleased to examine it,” said the judge, turning to Allen.

The latter handed him a letter, which the judge read carefully. When he

had finished it, he said:

“This letter not only contains a withdrawal of all charges against

Jacob Allen, together with that of the reward offered for his

apprehension, but it restores him to his old position as conductor on

the A. & B. Road. It is signed by Walker B. Saxon, President, with

whose signature I am perfectly familiar. Under these circumstances

I shall be obliged to admit the testimony of this witness as legal

evidence.”

So Jacob Allen was sworn, and allowed to tell his story. He told first

how Myles Manning had rescued his boy from imminent peril, and how, out

of gratitude, he had given him a pass that would insure him courteous

treatment at the hands of any striker he might meet. He denied that

Myles had ever afforded any information or aid to the strikers. He

mentioned meeting the young reporter on the street the evening after

that of little Bob’s rescue and hearing him inquire if he had seen any

thing of Mr. Watkins. He told how, upon learning from him that the

assistant superintendent was in his office, Mr. Manning had asked him

to wait there a minute until he should return, and had entered the

railroad building.

“Did you wait?” asked Captain Ellis.

“Yes, sir; I waited until I heard such a scuffling and crashing of

furniture up there in the office that I felt it was time to go up and

see if anybody was getting hurt.”

“What did you see?”

“I didn’t see any thing, for the light was out, but as I reached the

office door, which was open, I heard Mr. Manning say, as nearly as I

can repeat his words,

“‘Ben Watkins, I hope you realize that you are whipped, and that I have

saved you from committing a State-prison offence. I don’t know why you

wanted to set fire to this building, but it looks as if you wished to

destroy the contents of that safe in such a way that the blame should

be laid upon the strikers. I don’t know what those contents are, but

they must be of value to the company. It is evident that you are not

fit to be trusted with them. If you will put them back, lock the safe,

and give me the key to keep until your uncle returns, I will then give

it back to you. As I don’t want to see an old classmate disgraced, I

will agree to say nothing of this night’s work so long as you do not

compel me to.’

“Then I heard Mr. Watkins agree to do as Mr. Manning said, and with

that I heard them both get up from the floor. They lighted a lamp,

and I saw that the books and papers from the safe were scattered all

around. Mr. Watkins picked them up, put them back in the safe, locked

it, and handed the key to Mr. Manning. Then Mr. Manning started to

leave the office, and I slipped out ahead of him so quietly that

neither of them suspected I had been there.

“When Mr. Manning came down I gave him the bit of a pass I had written

for him. Then he hurried away. An hour or so after that, as I was going

home, I saw Mr. Watkins stop at the post-office door as if he were

mailing a letter.”

All this had been listened to with breathless interest, and when Allen

ceased speaking a sound like a great sigh of relief rose from the

spectators. They all knew Jacob Allen to be a man of such sterling

honesty that “as honest as Jake Allen” had become a saying in the town.

He had never been known to tell a lie, and it was not likely that he

was telling one now.

Allen’s cross-examination was long and severe, but it failed to alter

his statements by a single word.

Captain Ellis himself took the stand for the purpose of testifying to

the sending back of the safe-key by Myles the moment he heard of the

superintendent’s return.

Finally a hotel bell-boy testified that, late on the night of Mr.

Manning’s arrival at the house, Mr. Watkins had sent him to the

telegraph office with a short dispatch.

A copy of the message sent to the _Phonograph_ accusing Myles of

intoxication was read by Captain Ellis, and the operator testified to

having sent it late that night and that it was in Watkins’ handwriting.

With this the examination of witnesses came to an end, and the counsel

for the company rose to make his closing argument. He dwelt at length

on Myles’ behavior when he first came to the town, claiming that it

alone was sufficient to prove him capable of other acts of folly and

even crime. He also attacked the character of the chief witness for

the defence, Jacob Allen, and said that his late actions now rendered

him unworthy of belief even under oath. He trusted that in weighing

the value of the testimony given by Mr. Watkins and the person accused

of this great crime the jury would consider their respective positions

in life. The one, he said, was a gentleman filling a most important

position, in which he enjoyed the fullest confidence of his superiors,

while the other was but a reporter, whose business was the fabrication

of interesting stories. After talking for nearly an hour in this style,

and arousing the violent wrath of Billings, the prosecuting lawyer

concluded with an expression of confidence that the jury would find a

verdict for the plaintiff, and sat down.

Now came the turn of Captain Ellis. In a manly, straightforward

address that lasted half an hour he gave the history of the case,

and showed how, by a perfectly natural course of events, an innocent

and unsuspecting person had become involved in a tangled web of

circumstantial evidence that caused him to be accused of a crime.

He pointed out clearly that a desire for revenge and an urgent need

of money, together with an offered opportunity for taking it, might

readily have led Ben Watkins to rob the safe and then seek to fasten

the crime upon another. He told the story of Myles’ splendid act in

saving from disaster the train with the 50th Regiment on board, and

asked the jury if they thought it possible for a person who would

commit the one act, to be capable of performing the other. He referred

to the remarkable character for honesty and truthfulness that Jacob

Allen had borne for years. He answered his opponent’s slur upon

reporters by speaking of them as gentlemen whose position was as

honorable and important as that of any class of men in the world, and

he finally ended by saying that he was willing to rest his case with

the jury upon the merits of its evidence alone.

The judge summed up the main points of the case in a few brief and

clearly worded sentences. Then he informed the jury that they might

retire and consider their verdict.

Without leaving their seats the twelve jurymen, who had watched the

case with a deep interest, whispered together for a moment. Then the

foreman rose and said:

“May it please the Court, we do not find it necessary to retire, as our

minds are already fully made up, and we are unanimously agreed as to

the verdict.”

A breathless silence reigned over the court-room. Myles felt as though

his very heart had ceased its beating, while Ben Watkins’ face assumed

a deathly pallor.

“Very well, Mr. Foreman,” replied the judge, “the Court awaits your

verdict.”

“It is, ‘Not guilty,’” said the foreman, speaking in a loud, clear

voice.

At these words the young reporter’s overstrained nerves gave way, and

burying his face in his arms on the table before him, he gave one great

gasping sob of joy.

The next instant Billings grasped his hand, crying out as he shook it:

[Illustration: “IT’S ALL RIGHT OLD MAN. YOUR SPACE HAS BEEN MEASURED

AND THE FULL BILL IS ALLOWED.” (_Page 343._)]

“It’s all right, old man. Your space has been measured and the full

bill is allowed.”

“Silence!” roared the sheriff; “silence in court!”

But for the next minute or two he might as well have commanded the wind

to keep silence. The spectators couldn’t help cheering, and as many of

them as could get near him just had to shake hands with Myles Manning.

As soon as a little quiet was restored and he could make himself heard

the judge ordered the sheriff to arrest Ben Watkins on the charge of

perjury. That officer attempted to obey the order, but it was too late;

Ben had disappeared. Taking advantage of the momentary confusion that

followed the verdict he had slipped from the court-room. Five minutes

later he was on board a fast train westward bound; nor from that day to

this has any thing been heard from him directly. He is supposed to be

in one of the new mining regions of the far West, but as the railroad

company have not seen fit to prefer a charge against him for robbing

their safe, nobody has cared to look him up.

As for Myles, the world never seemed so bright and joyous to him

as when he stepped from that court-room honorably acquitted of

the dreadful charge that had threatened to cloud his whole life.

Accompanied by Billings, Captain Ellis, and Bert Smedley, he walked to

the hotel, and almost every person they met on the way stopped to shake

hands with him, or greeted him with a bow and a smile.

The good news had already travelled far beyond Mountain Junction.

Billings had dispatched two messages from the court-room, one to Mrs.

Manning and one to the _Phonograph_. Captain Ellis had sent one to the

colonel of the 50th Regiment N. G. S. N. Y., and Bert Smedley had sent

one to Mr. Saxon. Answers to these began to arrive soon after the party

reached the hotel. The first was,

“We never for a moment doubted result. Come home quickly.

“KATE.”

From Mr. Haxall came the words:

“The _Phonograph_ is proud of its representative, and congratulates

itself as heartily as it does you.”

A dispatch from the general officers of the A. & B. Railroad contained

the words:

“This company would not have brought suit against you had it not felt

certain of defeat. Accept heartiest congratulations, and come home

with Bert as soon as you reach New York.

“WALKER B. SAXON, _President_.”

The fourth message to come flying over the wires to Myles was:

“The 50th rejoices over your victory, and is under orders to

celebrate—Fizz, Boom, Ti-gah! Signed, Pepper, Colonel, and a thousand

other friends.”

The fast express of that afternoon bore Myles and his three faithful

friends away from the scene of the young reporter’s recent trials and

triumphs. As it left the Mountain Junction station it was followed by a

hearty round of cheers from a crowd of people. They were led by Jacob

Allen and little Bob and by Bill Biggs and Tige, the bull-dog.

Billings had seen to it that the _Phonograph_ should have a full

description of the trial and its glorious ending. When Myles read it

the next morning it was with a greater pride than he had taken in that

other account of himself published some ten days before, but it was a

pride tempered with humility and sincere gratitude.

As the train rolled into the New York station it was greeted by the

familiar cheer of the 50th Regiment. There, in full uniform, drawn up

in perfect line, was Captain Ellis’ company, to whom had been accorded

the honor of welcoming home the new honorary member of the regiment.

His name is inscribed upon the roll as “Myles Manning, the hero of

Mountain Junction.”

Myles, Bert, and Billings, breakfasted with President Saxon of the A.

& B. Road. When the first-named of these guests ventured to ask this

friend why he had taken such an interest in him and his affairs, the