The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1862-06-21
THE NEW YORK SUN.
SATURDAY MORNING, JUNE 2l, 1862.
Lizzie Madworth's Trial.
ny A souTiIERs LAWYER.

| III Tue spring ~ ISil was called 10 Jackson,
| Alabama, TO attend court, having been en-
gagged TO defend young man who had been ac-
cused Of robbing the mail. arrived early In
the morning, and Immediately lad n long con-
ference with my client The stolen mailbag
had been recovered, AZ we'll as the letters
from which tho money had been riiio1. These
! letters were given mo for examination, and
returned thcu to the Prosecuting attorney.
| Having got through my private preliminaries
about noon, and az the case would not come Of
before the next day, went into court in the af.
ternoon to see what was going on. The first
case that came up was one of theft, and the
prisoner was young girl not more than severn
teen years of age, named Elizabeth Mad
worth. She was very pretty, and bore that
| mild, innocent lock which you seldom find In
eulprit. She had been weeping rroiuscy, but
as she found SO manyeycs upon her, she became
TO frightened 10 weep more.
The complaint against her set forth that she
had stolen hundred dollar. from a Mrs. Nasobv,
and as the case went on, found that this Mrs.
| Nasehy, a wealthy widow living in the town.
was the girls mi .rcfs. The poor girl declared
her innocence ia the widest terms, but cil um-
stances were hard against her. a hundred dol
lars in bank-notes had been stolen from her mis-
trcsss rooia and shc was the only one that had
| access there.
AT this juncturc, when the mistress was upon
the witness stand, young man caught me by
the arm. lie was n iine-lookins young man,
| anu blI t"ifs ~ lbd III Iis eyes.
% They tell me- YOU are u good LAWYER" hc
whispered.
:" am q lnwyor," answered.
" hen save her. lou certainly can do it, for
she is innocent"
" Is she your sister 2"
"No, FIR" he added 'but-but"---llere
he hc.iatei
HAS she no couuscli" asked.
None that's good for anythins-nob
that'll do anything for her can't give You
much, but can raise oroihiny."
reflected moment. ! cast my eyes to-
wards the prisoner, aud she was at that moment
| looking AZ me. She caught my eye, antoftht
| volume Of humble cntrcatY ! read in her glance
resolved me in n moment. | arose and went to
| the girl, AMI asked her If she wished me to de-
f,il her. She said Voc. | then informed the
| Court that wa read" to enter into tho case,
and was admitted at once. Tho loud murmur
| OF satisfaction that ran quickly through the
room, told NO where tic -ymp.tl,s If tic poo
pie Were asked for moments COS alton, that
| ] might speak with ny client. went anl ,gt
down hY her sile, AMI asked her to Stat, ,ai-
dilly ID, VII, II r'-c. She toll IN that = . hal
| lived with Mrs. Sa-,ny two year. and had mover
! hal any trouble before. About two week, ago,
she AL. her mistr.,s lost luuire dollar.
"~hr missed it ftuu her drawer, the girl
sail to me- "anl nskcl me about il. ! sail |
knew nothing about II. That evening know
| Nlnrv lu.',r told Nlr7. y lschv tat she saw
ne IN li' l4lhl'N li'll llf NldN'l---tiiit tilP
| watched me through tie L"yholc. They went
to my trunk and found twenty five dollars Of the
missing money there. But, sir, ! never took il,
and some5ody must have put it there"
then askcl her il. she suspected any one.
Il don't know, she said, ''who could have
done it hut Nancy. She has never liked me
because she thought | was better treated than
shc. She is the cook. ! was tho clambcrmaid.'
| She pointed Nancy Luther ont to me. She
was stout, hold faced girl somewhere about
five and twenty years OIL WIKI low forehead,
smnll -Ity cvc'. pug nose, and thick lvs.
caught IA glance at once, aud ~ 1t rested upon
Ne fair Young prisoner, anl the moment ! de-
toctcl tie .ok Of hatred which read there, |
was convinced shc was the rogue.
Nancy Iu,her dill YOU say that girl- name
wasf asked. for new light had brohen in
upon me.
eyes. sir"
| LEFT the COURTROOM and went to the prosrcut-
ing attorney anl asked him for the letters | lid
handed hm--thc ones that had been stolen from
the mailbag. lie gave them to me, and havin :
selected one, returned the rest, aud told him !
would SOC lie had the ono | kcp, before night.
then retained 10 the courtroom, and the ease
went on.
Mrs. NaNhy resumed her testimony She said
oh" entrusted the room to the prisoner care, aud
tina, no one clsc had access there save herself
Then she described about missing the money,
and closed ly telling how she had found twenty
could swear il was the identical money ,hc had
last in ,yo ,c',s ami n ,'sc dnl,,r h,''k note.
q "Mr,. Nas,liy." said !, ''Whcn you iirrt mis-
cI th, ir,r,y ind >ou an, ransom TO bclo,,
that the nri,o,cr had t,Lrn ~ an,
"No sir'' ia, eugwcrrd. sc; r..
HAD You ever before dctcG'l - W.
ii nouestvY" - -, l.''
$50. -ir.", =. "nNEPh' -'ad her III any
- = ~ c''f'
, 81 ~
"9di yol ''' thou at ol 'earehini h'T
f''"N h'l go H"t! Ia. "N''d AM III
Hrm'd N'a.
No, s'".
Mr.. N'.'" i"'l ihes'ni, and Nancy luthtr
''L hr l1''' sue avn" "N WIN :. nui' i'"N'
an unnr Ia. .....st' ID. ..'' -tura, as ii t'
a., 't".l It'h IoG Al sue gave int NI'
''''.e !" ',.','';
" may o.. ''' '"..' 'u' h''.'! wa,
a" TIC rr'.n'r .'n np starr "n'
y, ma. N' ~ ".'.H fn' We" Wv ~
actop i.@'u'h v't 70 Mr., N',e-
'' '"'' .'. '''' "'vI u,'' ''''N-
'' '!'' !. '''' N''... u' o. '"i ",''
.r t'bc ol' MONEY ,a"'rrtt ~ ,,eri ~,
onI, Ia.9 ..I '.o.', a., d9Tn "l r.1 up w.
hur''r anIy. -, aur-clf an ii
!, prisoner M a",oi 10 >or room | sai'
'Suw. coull Nancy Luther have On cred ii
room +, .1r wi,n"l
"C,rtanv, 81 meant that no one else la
any right th,ro.'
,,.,,o - u,.