Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-12-09
Tales and Sketehes.
THE CRITICAL WITNESS.

JackSOn, AlaDa01a, 10 attcUu court, HdNlHS
| been engaged to defend young man who
| had been accused of robbing the mail.
| arrived early in the morning and imme-
| diately had a long conference with my
client. The stolen bag had bee recovered,
as well as the letters which the money had
been rihed. These letter were given me for
my examination, and returned them to
the prosecuting attorney. Having got
through my preliminaries about noon, and
as the case would not come off before the
next day, l went into court in the after
noon to see what was going on. The first
| case that came up was one of theft, and
| the prisoner was young girl not more
| than seventeen years of age, named
Elizabeth Madworth. She was very pretty,
and bore that mild, innocent look which
we seldom find in a culprit. She had
been weeping profusely. but as she found
so many eyes upon her, she became too
| frightened to weep more.
The complaint against her set forth that
she had stolen hundred dollars from a
Mrs. Nasby, and as the case went on
widow living in the town, was the girls
mistress. The poor girl declared her in
nocence in the widest terms but circum-
dollars in bank notes had been stolen from
her mistress's room. and she was the only
one that had access there.
AT this .juncture, when the mistress was
upon the witness stand, Young man came
and caught me by the arm. He was a fine
looking man, and big tears stood in his
eyes.
They tell me you are good lawyer, {"
he whispered
IL am lawyer answered.
"Then do save her You certainly can
do it, for she is innocent"
"Is she your sister?"
"No sir" he added, "but-but-''
Here he hesitated.
"Has she no counsel ?n
"None that's good for anything-no-
body that'll 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 some
thing"
| reflected a moment. cast my eyes
tow ards the prisoners, and she was at that
moment looking at me. She caught my
eye, and the volume Of entreaty l read
in her glance resolved me in a moment
l arose and went to the girl, and ask
ed ii she wished me to defend her. She
said yes then informed the Court that
| was ready to enter the case, and was
admitted at once The loud murmur of sat
isfaction that ran through the crowd, told
me where the sympathies OF the people
| were. | asked for a moments cessation,
that might speak to my client. went
and sat down by her side. l asked her
to state candidly the whole case. She told
me she had lived with Mrs Nasby nearly
two years, and had never had any trouble
before. About two weeks ago, she said
| her mistress missed a hundred dollars.
"She missed it from her drawer" the
girl said to me-" and asked me about it. /
| said knew nothing about it. That even
ing, know Nancy Luther told Mrs. Mas
by that she saw me take the money from
the drawer-that she watched me through
the keyhole. Then they went to my trunk
and found twenty-five dollars of the miss
ing money there. But, sir, never took
it, and somebody must have put it there"
than 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 Twas better
treated than she. She is the cook. Twas
the chambermaid."
She pointed Nancy Luther out TO me-
She was stout, bold-faced girl, somewhere
about five-and-twenty years old, with
low forehead, small, gray eyes, a pug
nose and thick lips. l caught her glance
at once, as it rested on the fair young pris-
oner, and the moment detected the look
of hatred which read there. | was con-
yinced that she was the rogue.
Nancy Luther did you say that girls
name was p" | asked for new light had
broken in upon me.
"Yes. SIR"
left the court room and went to the
prosecuting attorney and asked him Tor
the letters | 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
nipht. then returned to the court room,
and the case went on.
Mrs. Nasty resumed her testimony.
She said she intrusted the room to the pris-
oner's care and that no one else had access
there, save herself. Then she described
about missing the money, and closed by
telling how she found twenty-five dollars
of the missing money in the prisoners
trunk. She could swear it was the iden-
teal money she had lost, in two tens and
one iive-dolar bank note.
"Mrs. Nasby," said /, ''when you first
missed the money, had you any reason to
believe that the prisoner had taken it?"
mo, SIR" she answered.
Had you ever detected her in any dis
honestyP'
"No, sir"
'Should you have thought of searching
her trunk, had not Nancy Luther advised
and informed you?"
mo sir"
Mrs. Nasby left the stand. and Nancy
Luther took her place. She came up with
bold look, and upon me east defiant
look, as if to say. Trap me if you can"
She gave her evidence as follows:
She said that on the night the money
was taken she saw the prisoner going up
stairs, and from the sly manner in which
she went up she suspected all was not
right. So she followed her up. Eliza
beth went to Mrs. Nasby's room and shut
the door after her. l stopped down and
looked through the keyhole, and saw her
take the money and put it in her pocket.