The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-06-03
ole 9ailp JournaI
THE CRIMINAL WITNESS.

y
and saw her take the money?'
"Yes, SIR"
'.Where did she put the lamp while she did
so ?"
"On the bureau"
"In your testimoney you said she stopped
down when she picked it up. What do you
mean by that?"
The girl hesitated, and finally said she didn't
mean anything, only that she picked up the
lamp.
every well," said L "How long have you
been with Mrs. Naseby?"
"Not quite year, sir"
elbow much does she pay week?"
ga dollar and three quarters"
"Have you taken up any of your pay since
you have been there?'
"Yes, SIR"
"How much?"
"I don't know, SIR"
"Why don't you know?"
"How should L? Pve taken it at different
times, just as / want it, and have kept no ac-
count" ss- tra
"Now if you mad any wish to harm the pris-
oner. couldn't you have raised twenty five
dollars to put in her trunk?''
mo, sir" she replied, with virtuous indig-
nation. E
"Then you have not laid up any money since
you have been there?'
"No, sir-only what Mrs. Naseby may owe
me-" @
"Then you didn't have twenty-five dollars
when you came there?'
"No sir; and what's more, the money found
in the girls trunk was the money that Mrs.
Nasby lost. You might have known that, if
you'd only remember what you hear"
This was said very sarcastically, and was
intended as crusher npon the idea that she
could have put the money into the prisoners
trunk. However, was not overcome entire
ly.
"Will you tell me if you belong in this
State ?" asked next.
"I do, SIR"
She hesitated, and for an instant that bold
al belong in Somers, Montgomery coun-
ty."
next turned to Mrs. Naseby:
---" Do you ever take a receipt from your girls
when you pay them ?" I asked.
always" d" she answered.
"Could you send and get one of them for
me p"
"She told the truth, sir, about my pay
ments, " Mrs. Naseby said.
80, 1 don't doubt it, - replied, but occu-
lar proof is the proof for the court room. So,
| if you can, I wish you would procure the re-
ceipts.
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 receipts
which took and examined. They were all
signed in a strange, struggling hand by the
| witness.
"Now, Nancy Luther, " said /, turning to
the witness, and speaking in quick, startling
tone, at the same time looking her sternly in
the eye, "please tell the court and jury, and
tell me, too, where you got the seventy-fve
dollars you sent to your sister in SomerS 2"
The witness started as though volcano had
burst at her feet.
She turned pale as death, and every limb
shook violently. / waited until the people
could see her emotion, and then repeated the
question. ..s - f
"I-never-sent-any! she fairly gasped.
You did ]" thundered, for / was excited
now.
"I-I-didn't, p she family uttered, grasp
| ing the rail for support. mi f.-s
of the Jury" l said, as soon as L had looked
the witness out of contenance, "I came here
to defend the youth who had been arrested for
robbing the mail, and in my course of prelim
mary examinations | had access to the letters
which had been torn open and rifled of money.
| When | entered upon this case, and heard the
name of this witness pronounced, went out
and got this letter which | now hold, for | re-
membered to have seen one bearing the sigma
ture of Nancy Luthar. The letter was taken
out of the mail bag, and contained seventy
five dollars; and by looking at the post-mark
you will observe it was mailed on the very
next day after the money was taken from Mrs.
Naseby's drawer. / will read it to you, if you
please"
The Court nodded assent, and I read the fol-
lowing, which was without date, save that
made by the postmaster's stamp on the out
side. give it here verbatim:
"Sister Dorcas; send you here seventy
five dollers which | want you to keep it for
me till cum hum, icant kepe it here coz ime
afraid it will get stole, don't speke wun wurd
tu living sole bout this coz don't want no
bodi to know have got amy money. yu wont
will yu. j am first rate heer, only that guide
for nothing snipe of liz madwurth IS heer yet
but hope tn git rid of her now. yu know
i rote you bout her. give my luy to aWl en-
quiren friends, this is from your sister TIL
death NANCY LUTHER"
"Now your honor" said, as handed him
the letter, and also the receipts, "you will see
that the letter is directed to Dorcas Luthar,
Somers, Montgomery county. And you will
also observe that one hand wrote the letter
and signed those receipts. 1t splain how the
lhunred dollars was disposed of Seventy five
j. were in the letter and sent away for safe keep
ling, while the remaining twenty-five were
placed in the prisoners trunk, for the purpose
'Iof covering the real criminal OF the tone Of