The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-12-23
THE CRIMINAL WITNESS.

In the spring of 1S4l was called I
Jackson Alabama, TO attend cour
having been engaged to-defend q youn
man who had been accused of robbin
the mail I arrived carly In the morr
ing, and Immediately had long cor
ference with my client. The stole
mailbag had been recovered. as well q
the letters nom which the money ha
been rifed. These letters were give
to me for examination, and I returne
them to the prosecuting attorney. Ha,
ing got through my preliminaries abou
noon, and as the case would not com
OF before the next day, I went int
court In the afternoon to see what wa
going on The first case that came u
was one of theft, and the prisoner wa
young girl not more than seventee,
years of age, named Elizabeth Mad
worth She was very pretty, and Dor
that mild, innocent look which we sci
dom find In q culprit. She had beer
weeping profusely, but, as she found
so many eyes apon her, she became to.
frightened to weep more.
The complaint against her set fortl
that she had stolen a hundred dollar
nom Mrs. Naseby, and as the cas-,
went on, found that this Mrs. Nasebv
g wealthy widow living in the town. wa.
the girls mistress. The poor girl de
clared her innocence in the wildesi
terms, but circumstances were hard
against her. A hundred dollars In banl
notes had been stolen from her mistress
room, and she was the only one that
had access there.
At this iuncture, when the mistress
was upon the witness stand, q Young
man came and caught me by the arm.
he was fine looking man, and big
tears stood In his eyes.
"They tell me you are a good law
yer, be whispered.
81 am a lawyer" answered.
Then do save herl You certainly
can do it, for she is innocent
Is she your sisteri"
No, sir, he added, "but-but-p
Here he hesitated.
Has she no counsel ." asked.
"None that's good for anythinp-no-
body thatn do anything for her. o,
save her; and I'll give you all I've got.
L can't give you much, but can raise
something.
I reflected moment. I cast nv ewes
towards the prisoner, and she was at
thstmoment looking st me. Shecaught
my eye, and the volume of entreatv
read In her glance resolved me in a mo-
ment. I arose and went to the girl. and
asked If she wished me to defend her.
She said yes. / then informed the
Court that I was ready to enter into
the case, and was admitted at once.
The loud murmur of satisfaction that
ran through the room told me where
the sympathies of the people were. I
asked for moments cessation. that n
might speak to my client. 1 went and
sat down by her side, and asked her to
state candidly the whole case. She told
me she had lived with Mrs. Naseby near
~ two years, and had never had any
trouble before. About two weeks ago.
she said, her mistress lost a hundred
dollars. : :
She missed it from her drawer - the |
girl sald to me, "and asked me ebout !
If. I said I knew nothing about il. /
That evening, know Nancy Luther
told Mrs. Naseby that she saw me take
the money from the drawer-that she |
watched me through the key-hoIe. |
Then they went to my trunk and found |
twenty-five dollars of the missing mon
ey there. But, sir, 1 never took It. and
somebody must have put it there. -
I then asked her if she suspected any
one.
"I don't knew,n she said, "who
could have done it but Nancy. She has
never liked me, because she thought L
was better treated than she. She is
the cook. / was chambermaid. "
She pointed Nancy Luther out to me.
She was stout, bold-faced girl. some
where about fye-and-t twenty years old.
with a low forehead, small grew ewes. a
pug nose and thick lips. I caught her
glance at once, as it rested on the fair
young prisoner, and the moment de-
5ected the look of hatred which Tread
here, was convinced that she was the
'ogue.
tsNancy Luther, did you say that
girls name vast" I asked, for a new
light had broken in upon me-
/" Yes, sir. Ii
I left the court room and went to the
prosecuting attorney and asked him
or the letters I had hsnded him-the
mes that had been stolen from the |
He gave them to me. and. II
laving selected one, returned the rest :
md told him would see he had the /,
me kept before night I then re- {
urned to the courtroom, and the case '
vent on. {
Mrs. Naseby rescmed her testimony {
'he said she intrusted the room to the !
'risoner's care, and that no one else {
!ad access there save herself Then I
he described about missing the money. 8
nd closed by telling how she found t
twenty-five dollars of the missing mon G
y In the prisoners trunk. She could l
wear il was the identical money she
ad lost, in two tens and one fTe-dol- I
II bank note -.. s.. s-59
Mrs. Naseby," said /, s'when you
rst missed the money, had you any
eason to believe that the prisoner had
AIKEN it7n
No, sir, she answered. 9
Had you ever before detected her l
a any dishonesty 7"
''No, SIR" q
Should you have thoughto of search
ng her trunk had not Nancy Luther :
dvised and informed you7" 9
No, SIR" I
Mrs. Naseby. left the stand, and J:
Iancy Luther took her place. She 9
anne up with bold look, and upon me
be cast defiant look, as if to say, !
Trap me, if you can" She gave her !
vidence as follows
She said that on the night the money
7as taken she saw the prisoner going : |.
p stairs, and from the sly manner in
yhich she went up she suspected all
Tas not right. So she followed her up. !
Elizabeth went to Mrs. Nasby's room !.
nd shut the door after her. / stopped
own and looked through the keyhole,
nd saw her take the money and put it !
l her pocket. Then she stopped down !
nd picked up the lamp. and as 1 saw |.
he was coming out, / hurried away"
Then she went on; told how she had :
ltormed her mistress of this, and how
he proposed to search the girls trunk.
1 called Mrs. Naseby to the stand.
% You said that no one. save your
slf and the prisoner, had access to :
our room2" I did. "Now. could 2
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