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Show 1 1 'Ml Hill B8WMJHWiaII.WIIJIUMIUH55 THE SYMONDS CASE By FRANK FIL80N. Tho Nowii-Herald was tho yollow-est yollow-est paper In town, but old Lyons had nevor yot had a woman In tho reporters re-porters room. Ho always Bald It needed men to get tho sort of news ho wanted. When wo como In and saw littlo Mary Loeson sitting bcsldo tho city editor's desk, therefore, wo rubbed our eyes, Tho city editor Introduced her to me. "Put Miss Loeson wiso to tho game, Hallow ell," ho said. "She's going to cover goncrnl assignments." Sho was a littlo country-bred girl, and 1 thought sho had lost her father fa-ther or mother recently, for sho nl-ways nl-ways drcssod In black. Sl)o was as plucky as you plcaso, and sho nover fell down on a story. Had a rare gift of descrlptlvo writing, too. Sho certainly mado good that first year. Baldwin, tho sports editor, used to tako her. round qulto n bit, but after a whllo thoy ceased to speak, oxcopt for a formal greeting. I guessed what had happened, and was sorry for Baldwin, but I had known from tho first that no ono hail a chanco with hor. It was tho samo way with Elvers, tho news editor. Ho pulled away In tlmo. And it wasn't tho girl's fault. Sho was as nico as could bo to nil of us. But Bho simply didn't caro for lovo-maklng. "Remember, Miss Loeson," old Jones had said to her, when sho Joined us, "tho paper comes first. If J ' The Man's Eyes Fixed Themselves on Hers. a reporter hato not his father and mother when tho paper's interests are to bo served, ho won't do for tho Nows-Horald. Ilcroombcr that always." al-ways." And sho did Indeed sho did. There was tho tlmo when sho stood nil night In a blinding snowstorm to get tho first nows of tho death of tho president presi-dent of tho South-Westorn system. Brought It back In tho gray dawn, tho story all written, and had to wait an hour longor till tho watchman unlocked un-locked tho door. But I am thinking now of tho famous fa-mous Bell trial. Boll had been arrested ar-rested for murder In somo obscure littlo placo that no ono had over heard of, I supposed. Ho had been in lovo with a girl, nnd had sont a box of poisoned candy to his rival, according ac-cording to tho claim of tho district nt-tornoy. nt-tornoy. Tho woman had disappeared, and that was considered tho most fnvorablo omen for tho prisoner. Six of us wero sent down to Shoroport to roport tho trial, which ran in scaro-heads scaro-heads every day. They wero a week solectlng a Jury, and they'd nover got ono if there hadn't been a change of venuo. For somo occult reason all Lyons' reasons ore occult tho Nows-Horald was told to toko tho prisoner's Bldo. It may havo been becauso tho Eaglo was openly for tho conviction of, Symonds, tho prisoner. Personally, i' had no doubt of his guilt tho moment I set eyes on him. Mary Lccson waB thnrn In tin thn mialt wnplr "What do you think, Miss Loeson?" I asked. "Guilty?" Miss Lccson had elected to take an obscure scat in tho back of tho courtroom, court-room, to get tho thing In better per-Bpoctlvo, per-Bpoctlvo, as sho said. I was coaching hor that day It was her first trial In tho manner of court procedure. "Tho News-Herald says no's innocent," inno-cent," she answered. "But what do you think?" I persisted. per-sisted. "Innocent," said Miss Loeson with a curious Intonation. It was as if her femlnluo psychology was at strife with 'tho instinct ot obedience to tho paper's demands. Tho caso against Symonds was not a strong ono. It became pretty well evident from tho socond day that ho would bo acquitted unless the state could bring bettor witnesses. The girl, Madgo Kllno, could not bo found. Without hor evidenco, conviction seemed lmposslblo. Besides, Miss Leeson's articles exceeded ex-ceeded anything that the most accomplished accom-plished artistry had over achieved in bringing ab: 't n revulsion of popular sentiment. heard a man In tho street dlscujiiiig tho crime on tho day tho trial opened. "Gultty? Sure, he's guilty," ho said "Why did they ask a chango of venue His neighbors know Him. Ho wouldn stand a dog's chance In his ow town." ' T j And on tho third morning, when everybody ev-erybody went about with n copy of tho Nows-Horald in his hand, open at Miss Leeson's nrtlclo: "Guilty? That fellow ain't guilty. Why, there's innocence In his faco. , Look at him! Who'd bo fool enough to send a box of poisoned candy llko that? Bought stryclmlno? Sure! For rats! They can't nnd won't provo ho put it into tho creams. Anyway. I'm In favor of giving him a chanco for his llfo." "They can't provo nothing. No case," summed up tho popular verdict. ver-dict. About all tho evidenco against Symonds, in foct, was thnt ho had been Jealous of his rival, nnd that ho had bought a box of candy at ono store and somo stryclmlno pellets, later, at another. And yet, bo siisccp-tlblo siisccp-tlblo is a Jury to tho atmosphere of n courtroom, that tho man might havo been convicted but for Mary Leeson's articles. On tho day on which tho verdict was to bo dellvored, old Lyons enmo down to Beo. Ho patted Mary Loeson I on the arm. "We'll win," ho wills-pored. wills-pored. "You'vo dono finely, Miss Leo-son. Leo-son. I tako back all I ever said against woman reporters." Miss Loeson smiled, and went on writing her last artlclo. Lyons created something rf a stir in court. Tho district attornoy, in Bumming up, turned nnd faced him for a moment. "Where Is tho missing girl?" ho thundered to tho Jury. "Who knows 7 If anybody, It Is tho powerful Interests that aro defending defend-ing tho prisoner." Lyons leaped to his feet, but tho Judge's gavel fell with a thud. "I will not permit such nn Insinuation," ho shouted. "Strlko thnt from tho record." rec-ord." Well, it was "not guilty," of courso. And yet, In splto of all thq signs of an acquittal, which had been sensed in court from tho opening of tho second sec-ond day, I was not sure. I saw tho faco of tho prisoner turn from green to gray as tho foreman pronounced i tho words. Then n ghastly smllo camo over Symonds" faco, and ho stepped down, a freo man. Tho Jury crowded about hlra, to go through tho fnrco of shaking hands. "I congratulato you, sir," said each man, with a beaming smirk of self-congratulation self-congratulation upon his perspicacity. They gathered round him in an avid cluster till Symonds' counsel pulled film ntrnv "You had better thank Mr. Lyons," ho said. Tho two men shook hands. "I was convinced of your Innoccnco from tho first, Mr. Symonds," said LyonB. "And bo I brought to boar what littlo influonco I possess. I hopo, In return, that you will let us havo an artlclo on tho trial and a personal history. But you must thank Miss Lccson, whoso articles did moro for you than you" jicitj-it realize now." Ho pulled "Miss Mary by tho slcevo, nnd 'tho girl and Symonds stood faco to faco. Tho man's eyos fixed themselves them-selves upon hors In a terrified glare. Then there was a sensation In tho courtroom. Symonds dropped to tho floor in a dead faint. And, looking at Mary Looson's expression, ex-pression, I knew where tho missing girl was, know thnt tho undying hatred pictured there was to burn Itself Into Symond's brain for over. (Copyright. 101B. by W. O. Chapman.) |