Litchfield enquirer., 1864-01-28

that was all it had evidently not been slept in The window was thrown up as high as it 1 would go, and there, on the moist gravel be- beneath-for it had rained during the small hours-were visible marks of nailed boots. J. J. had evidently made off that way. Joe shook his head, and muttered, A devil of a temper" The door of communication be. tween the two rooms was ajar. Joe knocked l and pushed it open with Beg pardon, sir it's pas" The last word died on his lips his eyes protruded, his cheeks paled, and his knees shook. It mattered nothing to Mir. No ! man how much it was past any hour. His head lay on the pillow in the attitude of sleep, bal in the middle of his throat, from ear to ear was huge chasm this arms lay outside upon the sheet, and close to the fingers of his right hand was the handle of Q large clasp-knife. There WAS consternation at the /" Five miles 1 from anywhere" An inquest was held and verdict of "willful murder" was returned against J. J. The position of the knife was
  evidence, clumsy attempt to suggest suicide The knife, too. had J. J." upon the handle Old Joe could speak to the dispute, and to J Us threat in fact, there was no doubt at all about it. So J. J. was put on trial for his life and the most singular feature about the whole case was this /; the murdered mans money bag had been rihed, all the gold and silver distracted, but, oddly enough, only one bauk-note and this very bank,note J. J. got changed on the day after the murder. This was pretty strong evidence against him. But besides all his, there were the boot.prints on tue gravels which J. s boots exactly fitted and the spots of blood found on his shirt front It was remarked that when the evidence about the boot-prints was given the accused turned deadly pale, seemed suddenly to recollect some thing, muttered few words to himself, anc then, burying his face in his hands, took nc further notice of anything until the usual ques tion was put to him, as 10 any reasons he might have why sentence of death should not be passed on him. He then started up-he had simply that the only reason he knew was, that he was innocent. He was aware his early life were simply these He had quarreled witt | Mir. Noman. but he declined to say what about he had been djsmsssed his service and the bankn was accounted for by the fact tha Mr. Noman had paid him on the spot the wa ges due to him he had found it impossible te sleep, and had dropped from the window from an angry desire to get away at once that tho boot prints could not have been his, as he hat taken eff lis boots, lest MT. Noman should hear him moreover, that the rain had no commenced until after he had been gone abou ten minutes, and that though it had been { short rain, it had been heavy one-quitt heavy enough to have washed, out the marks of his boots even if he had worn them ; and the blood on his shirt rront was accounted for by bleeding at the nose, to which he was subject
 when excited that if he could have saved MT Noman's life by exposing his own, he would have done it and that what he most regretted was, the charge of ingratitude which had beel made against him. l The learned judge was exceedingly moved but the prisoner at the bars bare assertion could not be allowed to outweigh so many cir cumstantial proofs, and J. must die the death
 When the execution was over, from the crowd which had collected to see it emerged c burly, weather-beaten, freckls-banded man who turned quickly up the nearest alley, pass ed one if eckled hand over the weather beaten face and muttered By gum, but e was a plucked un e might a made it awk ard about them boots; and old Joe Snow 'ud a swore there's very few but i'm and me knows O the closet under the ed O the bed'' What think you of the verdict The weather beaten man when he lay some years after on the border oi the grave, told the parish priest that it should have been Not guilty"
 FreRn oIgt tise Valley.
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