allow those who might prove what
my life has been, and the circumstances which induced me to take up the
disguise in which I was taken, to appear in my behalf. I am unfortunate,
but not guilty. One only chance appears to be open to me, which is, in
the candour of the party who now stands by me. If he will say to the
court that he ever saw me before, I will submit without murmur to my
sentence."

"I'm sorry that you've put that question, my boy," replied the man, "for
I have seen you before;" and the wretch chuckled with repressed laughter.

I was so astonished, so thunderstruck with this assertion, that I held
own my head, and made no reply. The judge then summed up the evidence
to the jury, pointing out to them, that of Ogle's guilt there could be
no doubt, and of mine, he was sorry to say, but little. Still they must
bear in mind that the witness Armstrong could not swear to my person.
The jury, without leaving the box, consulted together a short time, and
brought in a verdict of guilty against Benjamin Ogle and Philip Maddox.
I heard no more--the judge sentenced us both to execution: he lamented
that so young and prepossessing a person as myself should be about to
suffer for such an offence: he pointed out the necessity of condign
punishment, and gave us no hopes of pardon or clemency. But I heard him
not--I did not fall, but I was in a state of stupor. At last, he wound up
his sentence by praying us to prepare ourselves for the awful change, by
an appeal to that heavenly Father--"Father!" exclaimed I, in a voice
which electrified the court, "did you say my father? O God! where is
he?" and I fell down in a fit. The handkerchiefs of the ladies were
applied to their faces, the whole court were moved, for I had, by my
appearance, excited considerable interest, and the judge, with a
faltering, subdued voice, desired that the prisoners might be removed.

"Stop one minute, my good fellow," said Ogle, to the gaoler, while
others were taking me out of court. "My lord, I've something rather
important to say. Why I did not say it before, you shall hear. You are
a judge, to condemn the guilty, and release the innocent. We are told
that there is no trial like an English jury, but this I say, that many
a man is hung for what he never has been guilty of. You have condemned
that poor young man to death. I could have prevented it if I had chosen
to speak before, but I would not, that I might prove how little there is
of justice.