The Shasta courier., 1869-04-03
NUMBER 3.
A Case of CircumstantiaI- Evidences

NJ n
9aaster sallmaker, got leave to visit his ,notb-
81 10 spend the Christmas HOLIDAYS She
il'ea lew miles beyond Deal, in Kent. Ha
ma'Sea the journey, and ON his arrival VI
Dsai' IN the evening. being .nucb fatiynad
aii also troubled with a bowel eomnlsin,
ne applied to The landlady Of public hoosa
VINO was acquainted with his mother -f,r
n'sats lodging. Her house was fniI anJ
every bed occupied but she told him that
- ne would sleep with her uncle. WIN hid
10y c"me ashore, and was boatswain ar n,
inuiinah, he should be welcome. He VS.
s'au 70 accept the offer, and after spep,tino
80 elus win ms new comrade, they re-
tifed TO rest. In the middle of the nisbt L,.
was attacked with his eomulaint and -. -. ne
lng his bedfellow, he asked him tbs 49,. -,
the garden. The boatswain told hin, - ~,
tnroug n the kitchen, but as he womb and e.
dllncuit to open the door into the vard ths
laicn peing out OF order. he desired him 70
'aNe knife out OF his pocket, with which he
cou,o raise the latch. The young man did
as ne was directed, and after remaining
merry nan an hour in the yard, he returned
~ us Dru' but was much surprised TO find
ms companion had risen and gone Ra,n,
iinpat'eht TO visit his mother and friends he
aiso arose before day and pursued his ionr.
ney' and arrived home at noon,
Inc landlady, who had been told oc his in.
tentlon to depart early, was not surnrised
put not seeing her uncle in the morning she
went.to call him. She was dreadfulIv sbocL.
ed to tind the bed stained with blood and
every inquiry after her uncle was in vain
Inc alarm now became general. and ON
further examination, marks of blood were
traced from the bedroom into the street and
at intervals down to the edge of the pier. head
humor was Immediately busy, and suspicion
ieil, OF course, on the young man who had
slept with hlm. that he had committed the
murder, and thrown the body over the pier
mo the sea- A warrant was issued against
nun, anu ne was taken that evening at his
ino'ner rouse. On his being examined and
sedrcned, marks OF blood were discovered on
ms SHIRT and trowsers, and in his pocket were
khlte ana remarkable silver e,iin. both of
Which the landlady swore positively were her
uncies property, and that she saw them il,
his possession on the evening he re.iraJ ~
rest with the young man. On these strong
circumstances the unfortunate youth was
iouhd guilty lie related all the above cir
cumstahces In BIS defence but as he could
not account Tor the marks of blood ON his
person, unless he got them when he returned
to the bed, nor for the silver coin beino in
his possession. his story was not credited
The certainty of the boatswain's disannear.
ance, and the blood at the pier traced from
his bedroom. were two evident signs IF his
having been murdered aud even the Tndqa
was 50 convinced of his guilt, that he ordered
the execution to take place in three davs. AT
the fatal tree the youth DECLARED h;s inno.
cence' and persisted in it with such affecting
aSSe'erationS that many pittied him, though
none oouoted the Justness of his sentence.
Ine eXecationers were not so expert at their
trade as modern ones, nor were drons and
very tall his feet sometimes 1onchad Tho
ground and some of his friends who snr
rounded the gallosvs contrived to rive the
oouv some support as it was suspended.-
After being cut down those friends bore il.
speeuily away in coffin, and in the course
Oh lew hours anlmatinn was restored. and
the innocent saved. When he was able m,
move, his friends insisted on his quitting the
country and never returning. lie aceord,ng-
ly travelled by night to Portsmouth. where
he entered on board a man-of war. ON the
point OF sailing for distant part of the world.
ana as he changed his name, and disguised
nus person, his melancholy story never was
discovered After few wears of service.
uurlng which his exemplary conduct wa the
cause ol MS promotion through the lower
io was "O idst H1aue a master mate.
ana MS snip being paid off in the West Indies
me- with lew more of the crew, were trans
lerred 10 another man ot-war, which had lust
arrived short ef hands. What were his feel.
inSs OF astonIshment and then of delight and.
ecstasy, when almost the first person he saw
on board his new ship was the identical boat-
SWAIN Tor whose murder he had been tried
condemned, and executed, five years before !:
NOR was the surprise of the old boatswain
much less when he heard the story.
An explanation of all the mysterious cir
cumstances then took place. Il appeared
that the boatswain had been bled for a pain
l1 his side by the barber, unknown to his
niece, on the day of the young mans arrival
at Deal !; that when the young man wakened
HIM, d retired to the yard, he found the
bandage had come off his arm during the
night, and that the blood was flowing afresh
Being alarmed, he rose to 90 to the barber.
who lived across the street. but press-papp
laid hold of him just as he left the public
house. They hurried him to the pier where
their boat was waiting a few minutes
oroaght them on board frigate. then under
way tor the East Indies, and he omitted ever
writing home to account for his sudden dis
appearance. Thus were the chief circnm.
stances explained by the two friends TINS
strangely met. The silver coin being fonnd
III the possession of the young man, could
only be explained by the conjecture. that
when the boatswain gave him the knife in
the dark, It is probable that as the coin was
IN the same pocket it stuck between the
blades OF the knife, and 10 this manner be-
came the strongest proof against him.