Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-07-31
B. R. COWEN EDITOR & PROPRIETOR]
NEW SERIES, Vol. VIII, NO 43]

since you have been therel"
mo, r, only what Mrs. Naseby may ow
me.''
"Thea you didn't have twenty-five dollar
Shen you came therer'
"No, ir; and what's more, the none
found in the girls trunk was the very none
that Mrs. Naseby lost. You might hav
known that, if you'd only remember wha
YOU hear" This was said very ssrcsstically
and was intended as crusher upon the ide'
that she could have put the money into th'
prisr'ter's trunk However, was not over
Come entirely.
VIII vsu tell HE # you belong to this
Stsrew a-kej next.
Il do, sir.''
"ID what toxnr"
Size hestated, and for an instant the bold
i'ok forsook her. But she finally answered
Il belong in Somers, Montgomery coun.
y."
Inext turned to Mrs. Naseby.
.'Do you ever take receipt from your
girls shen YOU pay!" asked.
"Alwsy :" she answered.
Can you send and get one of them for
met"
"She has tod the train, sir, abou; my
. y'nen;s," NJ Nisebv -aid
%. do t doa t it, replied, "but still
the Oru.dr .'rouf is he thire tor the court
ropd." deed with snls, $50 If you
can. wish you would procure me the re-
ceip;s.''
She said she would willingly go if the
court said SO. The court did say So, and she
went. Her dwelling was not far off, and
she soon returned, and handed me four re.
ceipts, which took and examined. They
were all signed in strange, struggling
hand. by the witness.
"Now. Nancy Luther" said /, turning to
the witness, and speaking in quick, start
ling tone, at the same time looking her stern
ly In the eye, "please tell the court, and the
jury, and tell me too, where you got the
seventy-five dollars you sent in letter to
your sister in Somers!"
The witness started as though volcano
had burst at her feet. She turned pale as
death, and every limb shook violently. l
waited until the people could have an op-
poriunity to see her emotions, and then
repeated the question.
"|--never-sent-- any, she fairly gasped.
"You did," thundered, for was excited
now
"I-l--didn't," she family uttered, grasp
ing the rail by her side Tor support.
May it please your honor, and gentlemen
of the jury" said, as soon as had looked
the witness out of countenance, 81 came
here 70 d-iend youth who has been arrest
ed for helping 10 rob the mail, and in the
course OF my preliminary examinations,
rad access to h letters which had been
torn open am rifed of money. When en-
tered upon thi, case, and heard the name of
this witness pronounced, went out and got
this letter which | now hold, tor | remem-
bered to have seen one bearing the signature
of Nancy Luther This letter was taken
from the mail bag and it contained seventy
fv dollars. and by looking at the postmark,
you will observe thai it was mailed OH the
very next day after the hundred dollars were
taken from Mrs. Naseby's drawer will
read it to you, if you please"
The court assented, and | read the fol-
lowing, which was without date, save that
msfe by the postmaster upon the outside.
| give il here verbatim:
s s'er Dorcas cend VI hs er seventefv
dolers which i want you to kepe it for me
til cum hum cant kepe it heer coz ime
afrade it will git stole don't speke won word
tn a livin sole bout this coz don't want no.
bodi tn kn" hev got emmy mony yu wont
NV viii va sit irst rate heer only that
cnd" for no'l'u -n'pe Nv liz madwurth is
heer yii tu, hoo III git rid Nv her now yu
kno r".e va out ner Civ my luv to awi
!nquir lends :hi, is fr"m vur sister
til deih NANCY LUTHER
"Now, your honor. said, a. hanc ed IN
tn lett r, al also III receipt, "yGu wi, sse
that ,he letter i, DIR c ed TO Dorcas Luther
Somers. Montgomery County, and you vi
also observe that one hand wrote that letter
and signed those receipts. The jury will
also observe. And now will only add: 1t
is plain TO see how the hundred dollars were
disposed of. Seventy-five were put into that
letter and sent off for safe keeping, while
the remaining twenty five were placed in
prisoners trunk fJr the purpose of covering
the reai CT minai. OF the tone of other
parts Of the letter, cave you to Judge.
And Now, gentlemen. | Leave my clients
case in your Is nds, only will thank God,
and know you also will. that an innocent
person has been thus strangely saved from
ruin and disgrace"
The case was given to the jury immedi-
ately following their examination OF the let
ter. They had heard from the WITNESSES own
mouth that she had no money of Ter own,
and without leaving their seats. they return
ed verdic: of-"NoT GUILTY"
The you'h, who had first asked me to de-
fend the prisoner, caught me by the hand,
but he could not speak plainly. He simply
looked at me through his tears for moment
and then rushed to the fair prisoner. He
seemed to ;orget where he was, for he flung
his arms about her. as she aid her head upon
his bosom. she wept aloud
will not attempt to describe the scene
that iol o"ei, but if Nancy Luther had not
been Immediately arrested for theft, she
would have been Obliged to seek the protec-
ton Of the officers. or the excited people
would surely have maimed her, if they had
done no more. Ga the next morning, re.
ceived note. very handsomely written, in
which aas tod that 'sthe within" was but
slight token o. the gratitude due me for
my efforts IN behalf of poor, defenceless,
but much loved, maiden 1t was signed
SEVERAL CITIZENS" and contained one
hundred dollars. Shortly afterwards, the
youth came to pay me all the money he could
false. ! simply showed him the note had
received, and asked him if he would keep his
hard earnings Tor hi wife when he got one.
He owned that he intended to make Liz1y
Madworth his wife very soon.
will only adc that on the following day
succeeded in clearing my next CLIENT from
conviction of robbing the mail; and will
not deny that made considerable handle
q, 4. 4 ,x.c. al