The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1861-11-23


!, Immediately had long conference wit
Il my client The stolen mail bag had bee
recovered, as well as the letters fror
= which the money had been rified. Thos
letters were given me for examination
: and | returned them to the prosecutin
Q attorney. Having got through my privat
preliminaries about noon, and as the cas-
would no come off before next day, Iwen
into court in the afternoon to see what wa
going on. The first case that came vi
was one of theft, and the prisoner was
young girl not more than seventeen year
of age named Elizabeth Madworth. Sh'
was very pretty, and bore that mild, inno
cent look which we seldom find to a cul
prit She had been weeping profusely
but as she found so many eyes upon hel
she became too frightened to weep more
The complaint against her set forth she
had stolen a hundred dollars from a Mrs
Naseby, and as the case went on found
that this Mrs Naseby, wealthy widow
living in town, was the girls mistress
The poor girl declared her innocence in
the widest terms but circumstances were
hard against her. a hundred dollars in
bank notes had been stolen from hei
mistress room, and she was the only one
1T ,,L"t lad access there
At this ,juncture, when the mistress was
upon the witness sal young man
came and caught me by the arm. He
was fine looking man, and big tears
stood in his eyes.
They tel me You are good lawyer
he whispered.
q" am a lawyer | answered.
"Thcn do save her. You certainly can
do it. for she is innocent
g. l. she your sister?
" 10, I'll, lie added, but, bu-"
Uere he hesitated.
" Has she no counsel p I asked
None that Is good for anything-no
body that VIII do anything for her. o,
save her, and III give ycu all I've got. !
can't give YOU much, hut can raise some
thing
/ reflected a moment. ! cast my eyes
toward the prisoner, and she was that
moment looking at me. She caught my
eye, and the volume Of cutreaty read in
her eyes resolved me in moment.
arose ard went to the girl, and asked her
. if she wished me TO defend her. She said
yes ! then informed the court that |
was ready to enter into the case, and was
admitted at once. The loud ,nurmUr OF
satisfaction that ran quickly through the
! room told nc where the >ympathies OF
/ the Ical l. were. asked for a moment :
! cessation that | might speak with my
! client ! went and sat down by her side,
aud asked her 10 state candidiy the whole
/ ca.e. She told me sLe had lived with
( Mr. Na,eby nc.Ily two years. and had
never any trouble before About two
weeks ago. said she, her mistress lost 4
hundred dollars.
Sa. missed il from her drawer" the
o;.l sid TO me. and asked me aholIt-
. That evening, | know Nancy Luther told
Ms Nasebv that she saw me take the
money from the G.awer-that she watch
ed me through the key hole. Then they
went IL nav trunk aud found twenty-five
dollar. O. tie Iuissiu. money there. But.
sir. | Icy,. took Il, and somebody must
have pat il there.
t..en asked her e she suspected say
one.
don't know, she said. "who could
. have done it bur Nancy. She has never
/ liked ne because she thought was better
treated than she. She IS cook, | was
cAa,ubermaid.
She pointed Nancy Lutner out TO me
She was a stout, bold faced girl, some
where about iyc and twenty years old,
with a low forehead, small cray eyes, =
pug nose and thick lips. ! caught her
glance at once, a. it rested on the fir
prisoner and the moment | detected the
. look OF hatred which read there ! was
/ convinced that she was the rogue
| Nancy Luther, did you say the girl >
name was !? asked, for new light had
/ broken upon me.
/ e., sir.
Then rest easy; III try hard 10 save
YOU
/ left the court room, and went to the
prosecuting attorney. and asked him for
the letters | had handed him-the ones
/ that had been stolen from the mail bag
! He gave them to me, and having selected
one, returned the rest and told | would
see he had the one kept before night.
. then returned to the court room. and the
case went on.
Mrs Naseby resumed her testimony :
She said she entrusted the room to the
prisoners care, and that no one had ac-
cess there save herself Then she de.
scrlbed about the missing money, and
closed by telling how she found twenty
five dollars of it in the prisoners trunk.
Sic couId swear il was the identical
money She had lost. in two ten and cne
FIVE dollar hank notes
. " Mrs Na.cbv," SAID |. "when YOU first
missed the money. had Won any reason 10
believe that the prisoner had taken lt?'
:. No. sir" She answered.
Had Won ever before detected her in
anv d.shonesty?'
No. sir."
"Should YOU have thought of of search
inc her trunk had not Nancy Luther adj
vised and informed you?"
NO. sir."
Mrs Nasebv left the stand and Nancy
Luther took her place. She came up with
a bold look. and upon me she cast de
FAINT Glance. as if to saw. "trap ne if Won
can" She gave her evidence as follows: