Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1870-12-22
THE CRIMINAL WITNESS.

Jackson, Alabama, to attend court,
having been engaged to defend a Young
man who had been accused of robbing
the mail. arrived early in the morn
ing, and Immediately had q long con
ference with my client. The stolen
mailbag had been recovered, as well as
the letters from which the money had
been riAed. These letters were given
to me for examination, and | returned
them TO the prosecuting attorney. HAY
ing got through nay preliminaries about
noon, and rs the case would not come
of before the next day / went into
court in the afternoon to see what was
going on The first case that came mp
was one of theft, and the prisoner was
young girl not more than seventeen
years of age, named Elizabeth Mad
worth. She was very pretty, and bore
that mild, innocent look which we sell
dom find in o cuIprit She had been
weeping profusely, but, as she found
so many eyes apon her. she became too
frightened TO weep more.
The complaint against her set forth
that she had stolen a hundred dollars
from Mrs. Naseby, and as the case
went on, found that this Mrs. Naseby,
wealthy widow living in the town, was
the girls mistress. The poor girl de-
clared her innocence in the widest
terms, bat circumstances were hard
against her A hundred dollars in bank
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, 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" he whispered.
81 am q 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 z" asked
"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. |
| can't give You much, but can raise
something"
| reflected moment. | cast my eyes |
towards the prisoner, and she was at |
that moment looking at me. She caught |
my eye, and the volume of entreaty |
read in her glance resolved me in mo-
ment. | arose and went to the girl, and |
asked if she wished me to defend her. |
She said yes. | then informed the /
Court that | 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,
asked for moments cessation, that | !
might speak to my client, | went,and /
sat down by her side, and asked her to /,
state candidly thewhole case. She told F.
mo she had lived with Mrs. Naseby near
ly two years, and had never had any
trouble before. About two weeks ago,
she said, her mistress lost hundred
dollars.
"She missed it from her drawer the
girl sMd to me, "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.
Then they went to my trunk and found
twenty-five dollars OF the missing mon
ey there But, sir, | never took it, and
somebody must have put it there,
I then asked her if she suspected any
one.
Il don't know she said "who
could have done it but Nancy She has
never liked me, because she thought |
was better treated than she. She is
the cook. / was chambermaid.
She pointed Nancy Luther out to me,
She was stout, bolafaced girl, some
where about tive-andtwenty years old.
with low forehead, small grey eyes, g
pug nose and thick lips, | caught her
glance ut once, as it rested on the fair
Young prisoner, and the moment | de
tected the look of hatred which | read
there, was convinced that she was the
rogue.
"Nancy Luther did you say that
girls name VAST" [ asked, for q new
light had broken in upon me
Eyes, sir. ,ssasg,
| LETT the court room and went to the
prosecuting attorney and asked him
for the letters | had handed him--.he
ones that had been stolen from the
mail bag He gave them to ne, and,
having selected one, ! returned the rest
and told him | would see he had the
one | kept before night | then re-
turned to the court, room, and the case
went on
Mrs Naseby resumed her testimony
She said she intrusted the room to the
prisoners cane, and that no ono 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 mon
ey in the prisoners trunk. She could
snaar Il tYns the identieal money she