The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1856-11-27
gfllsttIIar>tolls,
The Criminal Witness.
A STORY OF THE LAW.

- In the spring of'4s, was called to Jack
son to attend court, having been engaged to
defend young man accused of robbng the
mail. ] had long conversation with nv
client, and he acknowledged to me that on
the night when the mail was robbed, he had
been with party Of dssipated companions
over to Topham, and that on returning, they
met the mail carrier on horseback, coming
from jackson. Some of his companions
were very drunk, and they proposed to stop
the carrier, and overhaul his bag. The roads
were very muddy at the time, and a coach
could not run. My client assured me that
he had no hand in robbing the mail, but that
he tried to dissnade his companions. But
they would not listen to him. One Of the m
slipped up behind the carrier and knocked
him from off his horse. They then bound
and blindfolded him, and having tied him TO
tree, they took the mail bag and made of
to a neighboring field, where they overhaul.
ed it, finding some five hundred dOll.rs in
money, in various letters. He went " ith
them, but in no way did he have a hand in
the crime. Those who did it fed, and as the
carrier had recognized him in the party, he
had been arrested. The mail bag had been
found as we'll as the letters. Those letters
from which money had been taken, were
kept by order of the officers, and duplicates
sent to the various persons to whom they
were directed. These letters had been given
to me for examination, and I had returned
them to the prosecuting attorney. ! had got
through with my private preliminares about
noon. and as the case would not come up
before the next day, Invent into the court to
see what was going on. The first case which
came up was one for theft, and the prisoner
was young girl, not more than seventeen
years ofage. Elizabeth Madworth. She was
very pretty and bore that mild innocent look,
which We seldom find in culprit. She was
was pale and frighten ned, and the moment
my eyes rested on her, pitied her. She had
been weeping profuseIy, for her bosom was
wet. but as she found SO many eyes upon
her, she became too much frightened to
weep more.
The complaint against her set forth was
that she had stolen one hundred dollars from
Mrs. Naseby; and as the case went on.
found that Mrs. Naseby was her mistress,
wealthy widow living in town. The poor
girl declared her innocence in the most wild
terms, and called on God to witness that she
would rather die than steal. But circum.
stances were hard against her. A hundred
dollsrs in banzsnotes had been stolen from
her mistress room and she was the only one
who had access thereto. @ .s.
At the juncture. when the mistress was
upon the. witness stand. young man came
and caught me by them Hs. was fine
looking fellow, and big tears stood in his
eyes.
"They tell me you are good lawyer" he
whispered.
~ am lawyer answered. @
b 9"Tnen. oh, save her! You can certainly
do it, for she is innocent"
y ''Is she your sisters'
The youth hesitated and colored. "No
sir,' he said. "But--but-' Here he hes
itated again.
"Has she no counselp' asked.
. II d -. -. I :
"None That's good for anything-nobody
that will do anything for her. Oh, save her
and I'll pay you alive got. | can't pay
you much, but can raise something"
! reflected for q moment. cast my eyes
.ea9 syass