Found Guilty.
A Story of Circumstantial Evidence.
OUR district court was in session, and
in the evening:, during the recess a
small party of us were assembled in the
private room of the presiding judge, a man
fully up to three-score-and-ten, with one
guiding light while upon the bench, jus
tice, strict and impartial ; and to while
away the time he told us a story as fol
lows : ,
" Years ago I was Prosecuting Attorney
for my judicial district. I was young then
a little more than thirty but had worked
hard to instruct and improve my profession.
When I became District Attorney I meant
to do my duty, and as I felt myself, in a
measure, pitted against the whole bar, I
gathered my strength and prepared to
marshal all the forces at my command.
" At length camo what I had long do
sired a capital trial. It was a case of
murder, seemingly of the most atrocious
character. The Attorney Goneral came
down to attend, but when he found how
well I understood the case, and how thor
oughly I had prepared myself, he did not
propose to bother himself. He would leave
me to conduct the prosecution, holding
himself in readiness to render assistance,or
offer suggestions in case of need.
" The case camo on, and I presented the
Government's complaint, and the grounds
thereof. The prisoner ' at the bar was
Charles Ashcroft, a young man of flve-and-twenty
intelligent and handsome and
about the last man in the world one would
have selected as a murderer. Yet ho stood
thus charged, and the evidence was over
whelming against him.
" The facts as elicited in evidence were
these : Ashcroft had been a teacher in the
academy of the town where be resided, and
where the killing had been done. He had
waited upon a young lady, named Susan
Lattimer, and had evidently loved her very
dearly ; but it seemed that Susan was not
inclined to be constant. A wealthy suitor
presented himself for her hand, and she
cast off the poor pedagogue and accepted
the new comer.
" Ono Saturday afternoon Busan Latti
mer went on foot to visit an uncle who
lived two miles distant, and to shorten the
way she took the cartpath through the
wood that stretched down between the two
sections of the town. Shortly after she
was seen to enter this wood Charles Ash
croft was seen to follow her with a double
barrelled gun upon his shoulder. Susan
Lattimer went to her uncle's, but finding
only a servant of the family at home, she
started back at once by the way she had
come. '
" In the wood on hor return, she was
met by Ashcroft, who stopped her, and
upbraided her for her desertion of him.
Two girls one fourteen years of age and
the other a year younger who had gone
to the wood for the purpose of gathoring
beechnuts, passed the twain while they
were conversing, and heard Ashcioft
"swearing terribly," as they expressed it,
at Hiss Lattimer. They beard him declare
that be " would as lief die as not j" and
they heard hor say, " Don't kill me 1" at
this point the altercation frightened them,
and they ran away.
" Charles Ashcroft . returned to his
boarding-place, pale and agitated, with
both barrels of his fowling-piece empty
but with no game. Later, the body of
Susan Lattimer was found in the wood, not
far from where the altercation had taken
place. . She had been shot dead, the whole
of one side of her face and head having
been shockingly torn by a heavy charge of
pigeon-shot, evidently discharged with de
liberate aim, and at a very short distance.
Some of the shot wore extracted and ex
hibited to a store-keeper in the village,
who unhesitatingly declared it was exaotly
such shot as be bad sold on that same Sat
urday to Ashcroft.
" In response to this Ashcroft could only
deny, in the most solemn manner, that he
had not thought or offered harm of . any
kind to the deceased, lie admitted the
truth of the statement made by the two
girls ; and he admitted that be had pur
chased the shot as the store-keeper had
said. His story was, that on Saturday af
ternoon he had gone into the wood to shoot
pigeons. He did not know that Hiss Lat
timer had gone that way. He met her un
expectedly, and foolishly allowed himself
to give vent to his feelings of indignation.
For word spoken on the occasion he hard
ly felt Jilmself, responsible. In fact be
could not remember what he did say. After
talking until they had both become ex
hausted by intensity of feeling, and Miss
Lattimer bad fallen to orying bitterly, he
bade her fare ell, and told her be had
troubled her for the last time. She sat
down upon the log by the side of the path,
still crying, and asked him to leave her.
He obeyed her, and saw her not again until
be saw her dead. In explanation of the
empty barrels of his gun, and no game, be
said that he had met Miss Lattimer before
be had seen any pigeons, and that after
leaving her he had no heart for sport. He
bad discharged his piece in the edge of the
wood into the empty air, as be bad never
allowed himself to deposit a loaded gun in
a dwelling house.
" There is no need that I should give you
the details of the trial. Suffice it for me
to say that I felt my reputation at stake as
Prosecuting Attorney. The State was my
client, and she demanded that I should
succeed. Able lawyers were arrayed
against me, with money and sooiat power
to back them, and I must overcome them
in the combat if 1 oould. I marshalled my
forces and disposed of them in the best
possible manner. I threw my wholo soul
into the work, and used every means pos
sibly presented. I took the connection of
the prisoner with the homicide as granted.
Then I drew a picture of the murder which
made the jury shudder and quake as they
sat ; and I demanded that outraged justice
should bo vindicated ; that the community
should be protected ; that our homes, and
our highways, and by ways, should be safe
to the innocent ones whom we loved. I
held the prisonor up in colors so frightful
and hideous that ho fainted outright in his
box ; and then this circumstance I caught
up and turned against him. 1 fairly car
ried the jury by storm ; and our sympa
thetic and good hearted Chief Justice had
allowed all his sympathies to bo expanded
upon the distressed and heart-broken par
ents and brothers and sisters of the deceas
ed. The counsel for the prisoner were
outflanked and overpowored, and they
struggled hopelessly. In the end a verdict
of the first degree was rendered, and the
prisoner was sentenced to be executed.
" I was jubilant and proud at tho close
of the trial and both bench and bar com
plimented me. I went to my home ex
pecting my wife to congratulate me warm
ly. She had been present through most of
tho trial, and had witnessed my triumph.
But she said not a word. When I asked
her if she did not join me in gratitudo for
my success, she shook her head.
" I am proud of my husband's legal
fame," she said, ' but I cannot fuel grate
ful in the present instance. I think Ed
ward, you hate condemned an innoeent
man !'
" The words struck me like a bolt of
lightning, not only the words, but the
more than human feeling with which they
had been spoken. I recovered myself, and
laughed at the gentle woman for hor mis
placed sympathy. I asked her to look at
the evidence."
" Look at the evidence ?" she demanded.
" There aie unseen evidences as strong as
those which are palpable to sight and
bearing. The heart foels them, and the
calm judgment endorses them. As I live
I do not believe Charles Ashcroft ever
knowingly or willingly did harm to that
dead girl. He knows no more how she
met her death than do I."
"The flurry of conquest was over, and in
my own sanctuary I sat down and reflected.
I took up now the case of the defendent,
and went over the whole business from be
ginning to end. Shutting out the evidence
directly implicating tho prisoner, there was
no human being who could have believed
him guilty. What, thon, was this evi
dence? Did it directly connect hira with
the killing? No. Only circumstantially
was he connected therewith. Was it pos
sible that some one else eould have done
the deed ? Aye, a thousand times. Was
it more probable that some one else did it
than that Ashcroft did it 1 Here was tho
rub. I had seen guilt in many forms, and
had seen innocence accused. I had seen
the guilty wretch attempt to hide bis guilt
and had heard bim deny it in to to. And
here came in the evidence which my wife
had experienced, and which I could feel,
but which could novor be presented to a
jury of ordinary men with moving power.
In the bearing of the prisoner there ' had
not been one shadow of that brazen Impu
dence which is sure to crop out somewhere
and somehow, in the demeanor of guilt
long struggling to effect innocenoe. Nor
had he displayed the despair of the hope
lessly entrapped criminal. On the contra
ry, he bad presented, as I could calm ly re
view the scene, crushed and broken
heart a manhood staggering under a
frightful incubus, and a shivering, shud
dering sensitiveness under the suspicions
resting upon bim. Now that I had won
the victory, I could afford to judge without
prejudice, and I found myself, erelong, in
trouble. I bad condemned the man ; i hod
consigned bim to the gallows.
" How how could she have come to her
death if he did not kill hor? What other
way is possible ?"
"I bad mused loud at this point, and
my wife had heard me."
" Thore are many ways," she said, with
a directness which showed that her
thoughts had been in company with my
own. Ashcroft left ber sitting upon a log
crying. When she got up to start for
borne she blundered along almost blindly
thinking of nothing but the betrayed lover
she had sent from her. There have been
plenty of pigeons in those woods, and oth
ers besides Charles Ashcroft were in all
probability bunting there on that Saturday
afternoon. .
Did you never hear of persons being
shot by sheer accident In such places ?
What more easy than for Susan Lattimer
to have suddenly come into rang of a gun
already aimed, with the finger of its ewner
pressing the trigger T"
"But," I oiled, startled at tho thought,
had such an acoldent ocourred the man
would have come forward and owned it."
" It was not a man ; but a boy," said my
Wife ; ' and the catastrophe frightened him
out of his wits a boy who knows not the
grades of homicide who fears that the
gallows would follow a revelation of the
deed."
"I cannot tell you, gentlemen, how that
thing worked upon my mind. I came to
believe that my wife had truly solved the
problem ; and the more I reflected the
more firmly became that solution fixed in
my faith. The time for Ashcroft's execu
tion was drawing near. ' How could I save
him ? There was but one way. A now
trial without some new evidence was out of
the question. , I must set him free. I could
not see him hanged. I visited him in his
cell, and came away sure that he was
innocent. I asked my wife if she had the
will and courage to holp that man to break
his bonds. She flashed in the glory of her
woman's power like an impatient soldier.
I told her 1 would set her on the track, but
I must not know how the work was done,
nor whore the prisoner bad gone. She com
prehended and agreed. I lent my official
influence to gain her access to the jail, and
she did the rest. She came home one night
radient like a giant who had a glimpse of
heaven. On the following morning I was
informed that the condemned man had es
caped. I asked my wife no questions and
she offered no information."
"Search was instituted, but not a trace
of the fugitive could be found. The time
set for the execution passed, and not many
days thereafter an honest farmer, living
near to the uncle whom Susan Latimer went
to visit on that Saturday afternoon, came
to me in great tribulation. His son, a boy
of fourteen, had confessed the shooting of
Miss Latimer. I went over with the fath
er, and saw tho boy. I found him sick and
nigh unto death his life worried away by
the fearful secret which he held gnawing in
his bosom. I promised bim, that no barm,
should come to him, and he brightened up.
It was exactly as my wife had suggested.
The lad bad seen a pigeon upon a tree, and
had crept into a clump of bushes upon the
opposite side of the cart-path, iu order that
he might raise his gun without frightening
the biid. He cockod the piece, had taken
aim,and his finger was pressing the trigger,
when Hiss Lattimer with her head bent
down, came directly before the muzzle.
She had come like a dark shadow between
him and the bird, and not until his piece
had boon discharged did he know what had
thus suddenly obstructed his sight. When
he had leaped out from his cover, and hod
seen the fearful work he had done, bo was
for a moment paralyzed with a terror that
was awful. Soon the phantom of Murder
appeared to his appalled Bense, and he ran
away and hid. And from that time he had
suffered, until his secret was so near kill
ing him that he had to let it out.
"I returned home and asked my wife If
she know where Chas. Ashcroft was. She
said she knew. I told her what I had dis
covered and bade her bring him back: On
the very next day Ashcroft appeared, and
delivered himself up at the jail.
"The final result you can easily compre
hend. At the new trial the boy was able
to attend, and Chas. Ashcroft, was set at
liberty with but little ceremony, his char
acter fully cleared from even the appear
ance of guilt, and his frlands multiplied in
number.
" And so the life of an Innocent, high
minded man was saved.. He would have
surely been hanged had he remained in
prison to the appointed day.' People said
it was an interposition of Providence. They
little dreamed how much of that precious
Providence lay in the subtle instincts and
in the heart of my wife ; nor did they sus
pect my own official treason. But 1 never
blamed myself nover. And the teaching
of that experience has served me well in
the latter years."
fiharlngln Spain.
. An Irish gentleman, traveling in Spain,
went into a barber shop to get shaved,
The man of foam, with great obsequiosness
placed his customer on the chair and com
menced operations by spitting ou the soap
and rubbing it ovor the gentleman's face.
" Blood and 'ounds 1" was the illegant re
mark of the Irishman ; is that the way you
shave a gentleman ?" at the same time pre
paring, in his wrath, to over turn the wig
minister. "It is the way we shave a gen
tleman, senor." , "Then how do you shave
a poor man ?" " We spit in his face, and
rub the soap over that," was the Spaniard's
reply. " Oh, then, if I remember nothing
elso but the one thing, it'll be the Spanith
barbell distinction." And so saying, the
Hibernian rose, paid the demand, and made
tracks for his mother heath.
A Singular Suit.
A New York correspondent says : Suit
is soon to be brought by a well known
literary man against the publishers of a
magazine In the eity. The circumstances
are these : The author wrote an artiole fur
the periodical and sent it to the editor,
having marked, in large and legible char
acters, upon the margin of the MSS. that
the prloe was $180, and that it should be
returned if the editor was not willing to
pay as much. The article having been
punted in due course of time, the writer
was not a little surprised to receive a check
therefor for f 100, instead of the amount
he had expressly named. He has tried in
vain, ha says, to eolleot the $50 rightfully
due, aud now proposes to test the question
at law. The editor's excuse is understood
to be, that he did not notice the stipulation
as to the use and price.
ENIGMA DEPARTMENT.
All contributions to tills department must
be accompanied by the correct answer.
Geographical queries.
1. Take D from a strait in North America,
and leave a girl's name.
2. Take B from a city lu Europe, and leave
repose.
8. Take R from a capo In North America,
and leave a unit.
4. Take F from a river in North America,
and leave an animal.
6. Take L from a city In Europe, and leave
a portion of land.
6. Take T from a river la Europe, and leave
a worthless plant.
1 Take H from a city In Enrope, and leave
Illness.
8 Take 8 from a cape In North Amor lea, and
leave a word signifying power. '
Answer next week.
Farmer Bent's Fledge.
Some years ago the good people of the
town of L , Mass., assembled for tho
purpose of forming a temperance society.
Aftor the usual preliminaries, tho pledge
was submitted to the audionce for signa
ture. At that Deacon Smith arose and ad
dressed them thus : "My friends, I should
have no objection to signing your pledge
but for one thiug, I have been accustomed
to my plum-pudding at Christmas. Now,
you all know that plum-pudding is good
for nothing without sauce, aud sauce is
insipid without a little good brandy in it.
Now, if you can fix your pledge so that I
can have my brandy sauce and plum-pudding
at Christmas, I will sign it with great
pleasure" After a little arguing pro aud
con, a clause was added, allowing Deacon
S. his brandy sauce at Christmas, but at
no other timo, aud Deacon S., signed the
pledge.
Soon after farmer Jones aroso and Baid :
" My friends, I have no objection to sign
ing your pledge if you allow me one thing,
I always want liquor in tho harvest-field to
counteract the bad effects of so much cold
water as is usually diank at that time. If
you can fix it so that I can have my liquor
in the harvest-field, I will sign yourpledge."
Again, after considerable arguing, there
was a clause added allowing the farmer his
liquor iu the harvest-field, but at no othor
time.
After farmer Jones had taken his seat,
his neighbor Bont arose.
"My friends," said he, " I will sign your
pledge if you will do one thing to it, that
is, fix it so that I can liavo my liquor at
sheep-washing. I think it very necessary
for men to have some strong liquor to
drink when coming out of the water after
washing sheep to prevent tho bad effects
that arise from standing in it so long.
After a good deal of talk, a clause was
added, allowing fanner Bent his liquor at
sheep-washing, but at no other time.
When all had signed the pledge, the meet
ing was adjourned for one week.
The next morning one of farmer B's
neighbors was pa ssing his house, and the
old gentleman stepped out just then glori
ously drunk.
" Why, Uncle John, how's this?" said
the neighbor, a good deal surprised, " I
thought you signed the pledge loet night."
" So I did," replied Uncle John, " but
(hie) I was wash-ish-ing sheep."
He lead the way to the barn, the neigh
bor following. On arriving there he saw
standing iu the middle of the barn-floor a
big wash-tub about half-full of water, and
the old ram tied to it, wet as he could be
and shivering with cold. Close by stood a
two gallon jug. Uncle John, pointing to
the rsm with su air of triumph, said :
" I (hie) have washed that (hie) sheep
twelve times (hio) this morning."
The Society burstod.
A Boston Man's Mistake. .
A polite young Bostonian, while in church
on a recent Sunday morning, dived down
to the bottom of a pew to pick up a parasol
which a fair neighbor had just dropped
He grabbed the parasol, and at the same
moment saw an embroidered edge of her
pocket handkerchief sticking from . under
ber dress. He thought he would pick that
up too, and commenced tugging at it.
There was a fierce little struggle for a few
moments, and two very red faces appeared
in that pew, and the young man sat pon
dering all through the rest of tho service
bow he could have mistaken a white un
derskirt for a cambrio handkerchief.
t3T Several passengers on tho lower
Mississippi were attracted by the alligators
basking in the sunshine. " Are they am
phibious, captain ?" asked a looker-on.
Amphibious, thunder!" answered the en
thusiastic officer, "they'll oat a hog a min
ute !"
tST The ghost of Noah Webster came
to a spiritual medium in Alabama not long
since, and wrote on a slip of paper,, " It U
tile times." Noah was right, but we are
sorry to see be has gone back ou bis dic
tionary, nT"Oofty Gooft"is of the opinion
that " Vhen a feller makes his aim around
bis gal, and she was liken dat pi Kit y well,
den dat vhas skripture, on akound it vims
maken happiness come on waist blaoev,
dou'tit?"
Never Known to Fail!
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est standing, as well as prove a preventive In
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Why waste your money and health In trying
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coring cases of long stundlug, many of them
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cians recommend them as far superior to Qui
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the system In a healthy state, and the patient
beyond tho probability of a relapse.
BEWARE OF COUNTERFEITS. The
genuine are put up In square tin boxes, with
" Thompson's Fever and Ague Powders"
stamped on tbe lid, end the signature of
"Thompson & Crawford," on the wrapper.
No others can possibly be genuine.
PREPARED ONLY DT
CRAWFORD & FOBES,
141 Market St., Philadelphia.
THOMPSON'S
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The Great External Remedy for
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cases give immediate relief, and a few applica
tions complete a cure. On account of Us pow
erful penetrating properties it Is beyond doubt,
the SUREST REMEDY for the most troublo
some diseases to which horses and cattle are
liable. It cures Scratches, Old and Fresh Cuts
and Sores, Chafes produced by collar or sad
dle. Injuries caused by nails or splints enter
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ISy Crawford & Fobcs,
141 Market Street, 1
PHILADELPHIA.
29bly
Why not have a Beautiful Complexion?
WHY DC ANNOTKD WITH
CHAPPED HANDSor ROUGH SKIN?
when such an agreeablo and effectual
REMEDY CAN BE OBTAINED
AT SO SMALL A COST.
BY USING WRIGHT'S
"ALCOJfATED GLYCERINE TABLET."
Sold by Druggists & Dealers In Toilet Articles. 00
i. M. OtIIVIN. I, U. OIBVIN
J.
M. GIIIVIN te SON,
CommiMtdon Ioi-olmntH,
No. 8, SPEAR'S WHAKF,
liultimore. M d .
.We will pay strict attention to the sale of al
kinds of country produce, aud remit tbe amount
promptly. 6 341y
Neiv Pension Law,
UNDER an act of Congress approved March S,
1H7H, widows of otllcers who were killed, or
died of disease contracted In the service, are now
entitled to liOO per month (ur each ot their chil
dren. The guardian of a minor child of a soldier who
heretofore only received J8.U0 per month pension
is now entitled to 110. per moth.
Holdlnra who receive Invalid pensions can now
have their pensions Increased to any sum or rate
between trt. and lis. per mouth.
Soldiers who have lout their discharges can now
obtain duplicates.
Fathers and mothers who lost sons In the serv
ice upon whom they were dependent for support,
can alw obtain pension.
The undersigned having had over 10 years ex
perience iu the Claim agency business will attend
promptly to claims under the above act.
Call on or address
LEWIS POTTER,
Attorney for Claimants,
New Btoomfleld,
7 20tf. , Terry Co., P.
JOBINSON nOUSE,
(Formerly kept by Bweger and Sliuman.)
Xew llloomfittd, rtrry County, a. ,
AMOS ROBINSON, Proprietor.
This well known and pleasantly located hotel
has been leased for a number of years by the pres
ent proprietor, ami he will spare no pains to accom
modate hit guests. The rooms are comfortable,
the table well furnished with the best lu the mar
ket, and the bar stocked with choice liquors. A
careful and attentive hostler will be liiAttcndanc.H.
A good livery stable will It kept by tueuroprletor
April 3.1H71. tf
Dissolution of Co-rortnerslilp.
NOTICE Is hereby given that the eo-partner.
hip heretofore exitl Ing between the under
signed, under the name of hough. Snyder & Co.,
Is dissolved by mutual consent. The books of the
ft i in will b found with J. W. 8. Rough, and no
tice Is given that accounts must be settled within
thirty day. from this da.e.j w p KmTo
l '. W. H. BNYDKIl,
W. 11. KOUOH.
Newport. Aug., 20, lsTT.
The business heretofore conducted by Kougb,
Su yder & Co., will be continued by the subscriber.
J. W. H. KOUOH,
W. 11. ROUGH.