The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1868-02-06

Il[I : 49, - 80 - =. -.
pent of it always. You may lose your
life for this fools trick. Go back to the
station; there are six minutes yet"
mo; I'll go to the Office. The fellow
said to me, sPll trust you; ]. leave my
reputation In your hands. promised to
be there at five o'clock. Twill be there !;
80 no more of 1t. There's good fellow"
Well, well, won't 60 till fve seen you
safe; but of all the fools ever did see"
"There, that will do. Come back, if
you like; l owe you something for your
kindness, though why you should have
shown it, can't tell"' - .7,eoa ~ 81
"Oh, never mind always like to help
a fellow in distress, If can"
We went back to the Office, to the sur
prise of my late clerks, and went into the
inner room. 4'1
Five o'clock struck, and the officer
hadn't come.
81 told you So" said my new friend.
"He won't come to time. That let's you
Off Here you are at five o'clock your
promise holds good till five, and no
longer" .. - 1
/ was sorely tempted-it sounded so like
the right; but would not forfeit my self
respect. "No; I'll wait The man left
his reputation In my hands, and he shall
II
here, II wait till midnight" and sat
resoiutely down. q.
+" tell you what, you shan't wait anoth-
er minute; you're the best fellow I've seen
any time this thirty years; faint one man
in million would have cared curse for
me and my reputation. You have, and
you shan't lose by it."
Suddenly my new friend, while speak
ing, had thrown away his wig, whiskers
and beard, and stood before me, the police
officer had seen in the morning. 90
hardly knew whether to be. vexed at
the trick, or thankful | had not fallen into
his trap. u
you see, sir, had an idea could do
this kind of thing, and l thought I'd try
it; but mark me, sir, you shan't suffer If
long headed Boston can prevent it. Have
you basin handy? can't getthe brown
off without wash" ~
He washed himself clean, and tying his
disguise in q bundle, called hackney, and
we went away.
During the journey by rail, we grew
quite friendly, and he told me how the
matter came to be revived 1t appeared
that, unknown to his immediate relatives,
Mr.. Smithson had insured his life for q
very large amount in favor of his brother,
before going to Europe; the policy he had
put in box of papers left with his bank
ers. The papers. on his aeath, had been
looked over by the solicitors clerk, and no
one knowing anything of the policy, it
being hidden between the parchments Of
a lease. Some few months before my ar
rest, it became necessary to refer to the
papers the policy was found, and claim
made by the brother on the Office The
reply was, that there was no evidence of
James Smithson's death not being the re-
suit of his own act he might have thrown
himself overheard, and in that case the
policy would be invalid. IN
"The row with you,'' said the police
officer, 1" as described in the papers at the
time, was remembered, and the advertise
ment inserted, in the hope that some one
would remember something to cast light
upon the subject. You see, it was not of
was murdered or jumped overheard, till it
became question of some fifty thousand
dollars on disputed policy. The brother
is, of course, quite willing to spend half in
securing evidence of his murder, and you
can get good deal of evidence of any kind
you like for twenty five thousand dollars,
so you'll have rather hard time of it. It's
worth, you see, to him about twenty five
thousand dollars to see You hanged, and
he'll do it if he can"
l was horror-stricken. The man talked
not of any preston of innocence or guilt,
but of questions of bought evidence and
money. It's an awful position to be in,
that some one should gain some thousand
dollars by your being banged.
need not describe the preliminary ex-
aminations, the final commitment, and the
rest of the modes by which blind Justice
fingers her victims to discover their quail
ty, before she resolves on the final test
trial by jury. l was two months awaiting
my trial, and all the evidence in my favor
could get amounted to nothing On the
other side, there was evidence CT the quar-
rel; and last, there was the evidence of
two of the crew, who, on oath, had testi
fed that they saw myself and the muir
dered man walking On the forecastle, and
that struck him with Delay ing pin, and
then threw him overheard. They &C
counted for their silence at the time, by
stating their dislike to being mixed up In
the affair, and afterwards, by their absence
from the country and they said, it was
only when they saw the advertisement they
made up their minds to tell.
What could | hope for aga nst such wit
nesses? The steward Gnd captain were
missing, or dead, and these two shameless
fiends had connected this story, under the
Inducements of the large reward. 1t was
clear was to be victim of miserable
speculation to gain money.
The day of trial at last came | was
taken into court between two turkeys
The solicitors and counsel, in ordinary
costume, were laughing and talking with
one another; the jurymen were sum-
moIed, and answered to their names; and
the judge entered, and took his seat, nod
ding to an acquaintance here and there in
the court-he, like the others, without any
distinguishing mark, unless his gray hair
would be so considered. The spectators
gallery was crowded with we'll dressed
men and women, who had come as to a
sort Of moral bull-bait. The counsel for
the prosecution, In stating his case, dwelt
long on the animus shown in the quarrel
at dinner, and concluded by calling his
witnesses.
The cabin boy and the chief mate told
the story Of the quarrel; the man at the
wheel told of the last time he had seen the
deceased alons and then came the two
witnesses
az have to request, your Honor" said
my counsel, "that one Of these witnesses
be ordered out of court during the evi.
dence of the other"
The first man was put in the box, and
duly examined. l remembered his face,
and that was all.
He stated that he was on the lookout
that night, and that just after "eight bells, I"
he heard two men come on to the fOrecas-
tie. They were disputing, and he knew
by their voices that it was the prisoner
and deceased. He was behind the sail
which stretched across the forecastIe, so
hot no In =,