The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1870-05-10
THE CRIMINAL HIINESS

the mail. / arrived early III the morn
ing and Immediately had long confer
ence with my client The stolen mail
bag had been recovered, as we'll as tht
letters from which money had been riiled
These letters were given me for examina
ton, and | returned them. to the prose
cutting attorney. Having got .throuel
my private preliminaries about noon, ,and
as the case would not come off before
the next day, l went into court III the al.
ternoon to see what was going on.
The first case that came up was one OF
theft, and the prisoner was a young cir
mot more than seventeen years old,named
Elizabeth Madworth She was very
Ipretty, and bore that mild; innocent
look, which you seldom find in a cul
lprit. She had been weeping profuse:y
but as she found SO many eyes upon her
she became too frightened to wcer
more.
The complaint againsr her set forth
that she had stolen a hundred dollars
from Mrs. Naseby; and as the case
went on, found out that Mrs. Nascby,a
wealthy widow living i'll the town, was
the girls mistress. The poor girl de
clared her innocence in the widest terms
but circumstances were hard against her
a hundred dollars in bank notes had
been stolen from her mistress room, land
she was the only one that had access
there At this juncture, when the mis-
tress was upon the Witness stand,a young
man caught me by the arm. He was q
fine looking young man and big tears
stood in his eyes.
"They tell ME you are 4 good lawyer,
lie whispered.
II am lawyer" | answered.
"Then do save her. You can do it.
for she is innocent
as she your sister,"
mo, sir" he added; 'but but
here he hesitated.
"Has she no counsel ?"
''None that is worth anything-no-
body that'll do anything for her. Oh
save her! and I'll give you all I've got
I can't give you much, but can raise
something"
| / reflected moment. ] cast my eyes
toward the prisoner; and she was at that
moment looking at me. She caught my
eye, and the volume of humbls entreaty
l read in her glance resolved me in q
moment
arose and went to the girl and asked
her if she wanted me to defend her. She
said yes 1 then informed the court that
was ready to enter into the case, and
the murmur of satisfaction that ran
quickly through the room, told me where
the sympathies Of the people were
asked for moments cessation, that
might speak with my client. 1went and
sat down by her side and asked her to
state candidly the case. She. told me
she had lived with Mrs Naseby two
years and had never had any trouble be-
fore About two weeks ago, she said,
her mistress lost hundred dollars.
"She missed it from her drawer" the
| girl said to me, s'and asked me about it.
| said knew nothing about it. 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 hole They went to
my trunk and found twenty-five dollars
of the missing money there. But, sir,
/ never took it, and somebody must have
put it there"
then asked her if she suspected any
one
II don't know" she said, "who could
have done it but Nancy. She has never
liked me, because she thought me better
treated than she. She is the cook. ]
was the chambermaid."
She pointed Nancy Luther out to me
She was stout, bold faced girl, some
where about five-and twenty, with low
forehead, small gray eyes, pug nose
and thick lips. / caught her glance once
as it rested upon the fair young priso:
ner, and the moment l Idetected the look
fof hatred which read there, was con.
yinced she was the rogue.
"Nancy Luther, did you say that girls
name was?" I asked, for new light had
broken in upon me.
Eyes, sir" s.f,s
Left the court room and went to the
prosecuting attorney and asked him for
the letters l had handed him-the ones
that had been stolen from the mail bag.
He gave them to me, and having selected
one. returned the rest and told him /
would see he had the one / kept before
night. / then returned to the court room
/ and the case went on.
Mrs, .Naseby resumed her testimony
| She said she entrusted the room to the
prisoners care, and that no one else had
access there save herself Then she de
fscribed about the missing money, and
closed by telling how she had found
twenty-five dollars of it in the prisoners
trunk
She could swear it was the identical
money she had lost, in two tens and a
FIVE dollar bank note.
"Mrs Naseby,' said l, "when you
first missed the money, had you any rea
son to believe that the prisoner had ia
ken it ?'
mo; sir. sue answered.
"Have you ever before detected her in
any dishonesty"
"No, sir.
Mrs. Naseby left the stand ,and Nancy
Luther took her place. She came up
with bold look, and upon me she cast
defiant glance. as if to say, trap me, if
you can She gave her evidence as
follows:
Sue sad ''that on the, night the money
was taken she saw the prisoner going up
stairs; and from the sly manner in which
fshe went up, she suspected all was not
right She followed her up. Elizabeth
went to Mrs. Naseby's room and shut
the door after her. 1stooped down and
looked through the key and saw
her take out the money and prit. it in her
pocket Then she stopped down and
picked up the lamp, and saw she was
coming out and hurried away"
called Mrs. Naseby to the stand.
"You said no one save yourself and
the prisoner had access to your ROOM
Now could Nancy Luther have entered
the room if she wished 2"
4 r n Il