that she was, she rapidly followed Mr. Bangs and
his companion, and through her wonderful personal magnetism, physical
force, consummate bravado, and skilful manipulations, succeeded in
securing numberless affidavits--not that she was a pure woman, but that
as far as the affiant knew, she was not a bad woman.

Some, who had given Lyon's counsel depositions comprehensive enough to
have crushed her in court, were compelled by her to depose under oath
that their previous depositions given Mr. Bangs were made under a
misapprehension of facts. Others were induced to swear that they were
mistaken in her identity, which would naturally have the effect of
breaking the chain of evidence connecting her with her numberless
different aliases, and therefore with her numberless offences against
the laws and society; so that unless our work had been, in this respect,
anything but faultless, Mr. Lyon would have certainly suffered defeat.

As the date of trial at Batavia neared, however, although the woman had
showed great skill in her management of her own case, and had got things
into as good shape for herself as nearly any lawyer in the country could
have done, she suddenly changed her decision regarding conducting the
case personally, and engaged the services of a Rochester lawyer of good
repute, who certainly would not have pleaded her cause had he at first
been aware of her character in the slightest degree.

At last the case came to trial at Batavia, Judge Williams presiding, and
was considered of sufficient importance to command the quite general
attention of newspapers, and a large number of reporters were in
attendance, while the little city had never before attracted such a
crowd of curious people, brought there and kept there by the great
interest which the trial had awakened.

Mr. Lyon seldom appeared in court, being detained in Rochester by the
faithful and still voluble Harcout, where the latter busied himself in
predicting Mrs. Winslow's downfall on account of the thorough manner in
which he had conducted matters, and in constant trips to the newspaper
and telegraph offices for the latest news concerning the progress of the
case.

At Batavia Mrs. Winslow had in some unexplainable manner worked up quite
a feeling in her behalf, and had busily engaged herself, laboring day
and night, in all the little things that form public opinion as well as
cause the application of law to individual preferences, whether justice
en