'But these hain't th' raal p'ints uv th' case. I'm loryer 'nuff ter tell
ye, ye must gwo on th' evidence; an' thar hain't no evidence ter show
thet Mulock hed anything ter do with th' whippin' uv his wife; an' th'
_murder_ wus in thet. He _did_--so th' nigs say, an' I reckon the' tells
th' truth; an' thet's whot nary loryer kin do ef he try; so ye sees, a
_nig_ is smarter nor a loryer. Wall, the nigs say he holped in whippin'
th' white 'ooman; an', as 'torney fur th' _truth_, gintlemen, which I'm
gwine in fur yere, I've got ter 'low it. He did aid an' 'bet, as the
loryers call it, in thet, an' thet proves him 'bout as mean as a white
man ever gits ter be; an', 'sides thet, he did _sell_ har fur twenty
dollars--a 'ooman thet even th' 'judge'--an' he _ar_ a _judge_ uv sech
things--was willin' ter pay twenty-five hun'red fur; he _did_ sell har
fur _twenty dollars_; an' thet proves him a fool! Now, fur bein' both
mean an' a fool, I 'low he orter be punished. But doan't ye kill him,
gintlemen! Guv it ter him 'cordin' ter his natur an' his merits.' Just
luk at him. Hev ye ever seed sech a face, an' sech an eye as thet, in
ary human bein'? Why, his eye ar jest like a snake's; an' its natural,
ye knows, fur snakes ter crawl; the' karn't do nuthin' else, an' the'
hain't ter blame fur it. No more ye karn't blame Mulock for bein' whot
he ar. So guv him a coat uv tar--a ride on a rail--a duckin' in th'
pond--arything thet's 'cordin' ter his natur an' his merits; but doan't
ye take 'way his _life_! Ef ye does thet, he's _lost_--LOST
furever; fur, I swar ter ye, his soul ar so small, thet ef it was once
out uv his body, th' LORD himself couldn't find it, an' th'
pore feller'd hev ter gwo wand'rin' 'round with nary whar ter stay, an'
nary friends, aither in heaven or t'other place! So be easy with him,
gintlemen! Guv him one more chance.
Pages:
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48