Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1862-10-31
THE CRIa1wAL WITNESS.
A LAWYERS STORY.

cused Of r0bbing the mail. | arrived early In
the morning, and Immediately had long con
ference with my client The stolen mail bag
bad been recovered, as well as the letters from
which the money had been rihed These let
tiers had been given me for examination, and
returned them to the prosecuting attorney
Having got through my private prelminarie-
about noon, and as the case would not come
of until the next day. went into court in the
afternoon to see what was going on. The first
case that came up was of theft, and the prison
er was young girl not more than seventeen
years Of age, named Elizabeth Madwo-th.-
She was very pretty, and bore that mild, limo
] cent look, which we seldom find in culprit.
/ She had been weeping prolusely, but as she
| found many eyes upon her, she became too
1 frightened 10 weep more.
| The complaint against her set forth that she
had stolen one hundred dollars from Mrs.
Naseby. aud as the case went on. I found that
this Mrs Naseby, wealthy widow living IN
the 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 her mistress room, and she was the only
one that had access there.
A this iuncture. when the mistress was up
on the witness stand, young man came and
caught me by the arm. He was a fine look
ing man. and the big tear drops stood in his
eyes.
They tell me you are a good lawyer" he
whispered.
Il am a lawyer" I answered.
"f-eu do save her. You certainly can 90
it, for she is innocent"
is she your sister,"
"No, sir" he added. but, but"
Here he hes:atcd.
"Haa she no ceui.sel | asked
None that is good for any;hing-nobody
that will do anything for her. @ save her,
! aud III give You all I've got. l can't give
you much, bur can raise something
! reflected a moment. | cast my eyes TO-
ward the prisoner. and she was at that moment
looking at me. She caught my eye, and The
volume Of humble en,rcaiy read in her glance
resolved me in a moment. l arose and went
to the girl aud asked her II she wantel me to
defend her. She said yes l then informed
the Court that | really to enter into The
case and WAS Gdmittrd at once The loud
murmur OF satisfaction that ran quickly thro'
the room told me where the sympaihies Of The
people were. l asked FIR moments ccssa-
lioa that l IN ght speak with my client.
went and sat down 10y her side aid asked her
TO state clnaidly the whole cdsa
She told me she had lived viih IIr5. Nase
by nearly two yo:r@, AID haI raver any trou-
he before. About two weeks az1, sd. sail,
her mistress lost hundred tlollars.
said to me, "aad askcd me about il.
said knew nothing about il; That cyeuia.
know Nancy Iulhcr told Mrs. Naseby thai
she saw me take the money from The drawer
that she watched me through the k"y-h5le
Then they went to my trunk and found twcn
ly five dollars Of tn = missing money there
But, sir, never took it, aad somebody mast
have put it there
then asked her Il sAe suspected ary one
Il don't know" she said. WHO coad have
done it but Nancy. She lIas n~ver liked me
because she thought l was b-lter treated than
sha. She is tie rook l am The Chamber
maid"
She pointed Nancy L1ther oct 10 me. She
was 4 s'out bold faced girl, sln whore about
five and twenty years oil, with low forehead
sraalI grey eyes, a pug nose and thick lips
| caught her glance ut once as it rested on the
fair yoang prisoner, and the moment detect
ed the look ofhatrcd which read there, was
convinced that she was the rogne.
Nancy Luther, did y@u say that girls
name WASP I asked, for new light had bro
ken in on me.
Yes, sir"
"Thcn rest easy; III try hard to save YOU
left the court room and went to the Iros-
ccuting attorney and asked him for the letters
had handed hm-tLe ones that had been
stolen from the mail bag. Selecting one.
which | promised to restore by night, I re-
turncd to the court room. aud the case went
on.
Mrs. Naseby resumed her testimony She
said she entrusted the room to the prisoners
care, and that no one else had access there,
save herself Then she described about miss
ing the money, and closed by telling how she
found it in the prisoners trunk. She could
swear it was the identical money she had lost
in two tens and one five dollar bank notes
Mrs. Nascby," said I, when you first miss
cd the money, had You any reason to believe
the prisoner had taken it?'
NO, sir"
"Had you ever before detected her in any
| dishonesty"
NO, sir.
"Should you have thought of searching her
trunk, had not Nancy Luther advised ana in
formed you?"
! No, sir"
| Mrs. Easeby left the stand and Nancy Lu-
ther took her place. She came up with bold
look, and upon me she cast Il defiant glance, as
If to say, ''trap nre, if you can" She gave
! her evidence follows:
| She said tllat On tie night the morey was
taken she saw the prisoner going up stairs,
aud from the sly manner in which she went up
she suspected all was not right So she fol-
| lowed her up. Elizabeth went to Mrs
| Nascbv's room and shut the door after her
| stopped down and looked through the key
hole, and saw her take out the money aud put
it in her pocket Then she stopped down and
picked up the lamp, and as l saw she was
coming out, hurried away
Then she went on and told how she propos-
ed to search the girls trunk.
| called Mrs. Naseby to the stand.
"You said that no one save yourself and the
prisoner, had access 10 your ROOM" said;
':now could not Nancy Luther have entered
the room if she had wshed?"
Certainly 1 meant that no one else
had any right there" a
saw that Mrs. Naseby, though naturally a
hard woman, was somewhat moved by poor
Elizabeth's misery
"Could your cook have known by any
means, in your Knowledge, where your money
wasp