The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1861-10-02
. been robbed and abused there were heavy


" which Was labored and hard. tie VAS foolish
enough 10 ultimate that if his client around
at the back OF the house more thar once, be
must have been intoxicated. In short, his pleu
/ had better been left out. The evidence be could
not shake, and be dd all he could TO suppose
the evidence, some OF IL, most absurd aud riGc-
ulous | siter~ards learned that Moutou " ar.
ren engaged that lawyer for the youthful pris.
oneri he government attorney made his plea.
! Ii WAS plain, straight forward ana verv conciu-
sve.
The Judge finally gave his charge. He was
tair and cauGId. lie reviesed The evidence
carefully, and pointed out such bore heavily
upon the case. He told If there Was a I'm
geriug doubt IN our minds must give the pris.
oner tie benefit OF 1t. But could pla AT, zee
that tbete VAS ho doubt Ia has alind.
We-the jury-were conducted To our room
by officer, and there locked up. A silence
OF some minutes ensued. Moultcu Warren was
the first To speak.
Well" he said, II s'pose there's no need OF
Our b, III here a great while. OF course We all
know that the prisoner must have set ire to the
house,
There was something in the manner of that
man ~ he said this which excited NV curiosity
Il won't say 1t Was suspicion then-oIly curi
OsiIy. He spoke with forced effort at calIn-
ness which l at once perceived. he more |
looked al him the more became strongly her
vous aud uneasy, wondered why he should be So
an nxious TO get md Of the Case, aud have Ambold
convicted. 4 knew that he irequented that evii
house, and THAI be had done much toward temp
ting Charley TO dissipation. knew that he WAS
in that house on the night on which the prisoner
was robbed; for Charley had told me so when
visited him in his cell. had then asked the
unfortunate youth if he was sure Warren Was
his friend. U, he was sure ot il. He should
have hunted him up Oh ;he night OF the robbery
only they told him Warren had gone.
By-and by, the foreman proposed that we
should each take up piece oi paper and write
down our Opni II, and then compare notes.
went to my hat, which i had placed upon a ia
Bile with a number of others, and took out q
sheet of paper. had got half way back To the
table when found had made mistake. l had
got part OF letter from another mans 9 hat.
was about to turn back, when the name of the
writer OF the letter arrested my attention. 1
looked more closely, and read =" Stephen
Grant" Next caught this sentence:
"And now, dear Charles, If not for your own,
yet for your mothers sake, let ne hope yon will
do better"
started as though shot had struck me.
held in my hand the other half of the sheet
which had been used to fire the burned house
l went to the table, and found that had taken
it from Warren's hat! looked up to see if
had been O5served-and l had not. put the
paper back, and then took piece from my own
| hat, which was of the same pattern as the other
and by its side.
returned to the table and sat down. War.
rem was by my side. He had written his Opin
! ion, and took knife from his pocket 10 cut il
from the large sheet.
Let me take your knife a moment, if you
please" said to him.
Without hesitation he did SO. took it-i,
,oas Charlie. Amtoids kniJe the large 6iad.
,Oas gone With all the power possessed re
strained my deep emotion; and, having cut my
paper, handed back the knife.
| Why should he have that knife so boldly abOu
him afterwards learned. lie had not worI
these panta oons before since the night OF til,
fire, and now he used the knife probably with
out the least remembrance of the loss il hat
sustained during "a very peculiar piece OF work
! 20 the execution o. winch L was made subser
| Went.
We talked for some ten minutes, and founS
| that eleven Of the jury were bent on rendering
verdict Of guilty though most OF them wer'
IN favor of recommending the prisoner 10 mere.
Mouiton Warren was decided. lie had mer
cy at all.
Presently 1 started up, and pretending to b
faint l said ! must 20 out for a few moiDeut5
kicked at the door aud the deputy sherii
came. He heard ms plea and let me out. A
soon as we bad gained sale distance, toll
him all tie was astoni-hed and went away
when he came back he brought the district a,
tcrney and the district judge a'd the sheriff.
told them again what | had seen-i a->are'
them that knew that II was no mere suspiciou
And explained too. Warren- manner IN th
Jury room, ani his former connection with tn
prisoner, aud his known character.
The officers went away, and AT the end OF te
, minutes ttey returned. Constable added 10 tbei
, number, and this constable had a freshly write
instrument III his hand. Tie sheriff bAde {
= point ouL the hat la Chcm as lac cDtere
the room
Ine door of the room opened, and pointe
them To the hat The. sheriff TOOK 1t aud a-ke
, whose it Warren lcspcd to his feet an
seized it, bur was held back.
Word was instantly sent TO the Judge tha, I'll
jury could not agree. They were discharge,
! and then Moulton Wsrrcn was searched. Tn
!, |, knife found upon him and his behavior a, one
= exposed his guilt. The presence Of that lett,
was accounted tor by him in dozen differeI
WAYS within an hour.
A new jury was ;mpaneled aud Charles An
= = bold was acquitted. Shortly afterward Ware
y y was tried. 1t was plainly proved that the VI
u man who keptit was to have been burned up
y il, as he ccn,rived to lock her into her roo
, shortly after setting the FIRE. She had incurrs
his displessure in various ways, and this WAS b
revenge Not only she but two of her girls la
e suspected him from the first, bu. they dared n
}, complain for fear be would not be convicte
i and would be sure to murder them.
n The hardened villain confessed his guilt aft
d he had been condemned, and then it was that
e told how he happened to be so careless in rega
l TO the paper and Knife. 1t was he who had 70
It bed Ambod, and when he took the old letter fro
!. his hat to use it for torch in setting the fr
!. he did not notice what it was, and even VIII
d that partly burned half had been exhibited
% court, be had entirely forgotten that be b.
It torn off the other half and put il back in
2, hat, as he must have done. The letter b.
e been found it Ambold's pocket-book, and
's had kept it, because in it the youth was warm
e against his inference.
n He confessed that he held slight idea of ca
a- ing the writer to to an account when is shou
" il was as before stated. He took that al
D. and on the night Of the fire he used it to pry
ID the sash, and when be had broken it be put
<, back in his packet and had forgotten it.
u. Thus was Charley saved and saved frt
re more than an ignominious death, too. He Y
m saved to be noble, virtuoss man; and
At mother once more took ample delight and j
e, in the love and tender care of her only child.
to When Charles Ambold knew that Moult
t, IL a.