The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-05-27

week" t;l:s
n snHave you taken any of your pay
since YOU have been here?"
4 ayes, sir"
aHow much ~ ~. : ".
at don't know"
"Why don't you know" tssr saH-i
'How should I? I have taken il
at different times, just as / wanted it
4 and kept no account" dfsF
"Now, if you had wished to harm
the prisoner, could you have raised
twenty-five dollars to put in her trunk?''
"No, sir" she replied with indigna.
tion.
"Then you have not laid up any
money since you have been herew
"NO, sir; only. what Mrs. Naseby
may owe me-" a8st ~
| "Then you did not have twenty-five
dollars when you came there?" 2af
"No sir, and what's more, the mon
ley found in the girls trunk was the
money Mrs. Naseby lost. You might
have known that if you'd remembered
| what you asked her."
! This was said very sarcastically
and i1tended for a crusher upon the
idea thatshe should have put the mon
ey in the Prisoners trunk. However
was not overcome entirely. ~
4 Will you tell me If you belong tC
] this State 2"
"I do.ns MI az Il
ain what town.
j She hesitated, and for an instant the
bold look forsook her. But she finally
answered. r.r.,.-.,
81 belong to Sumers, Montgomery
county," -lerre
| Inext turned to Mrs. Naseby. I 4
"Do you ever take receipt from
your girls when you pay them ?"
Always" 'ilt 'ff 1856
Can you send and get one of them
for me?n a 5.f
"She has told you the truth, abou!
the payment" said Mrs. Naseby.
"Oh, don't doubt it," / replied
particular proof is the .thing for the
court room. So if you can, / wish you
would produce the receipt
She said she would willingly go il
the court said so. And the court said
so, and she went. Her dwelling was
not far off, and she soon returned and
handed me four receipts, which took
and examined. They were signed in a
strange, staggering hand by the wit
ness. - -.''iif f.t 80 > g !
"Now, Nancy Luther" l said, turn
ing to the witness and speaking in a
| quick, startling tone, at the same time
looking her sternly in her eyes, "please
tell The court and jury and me, where
you got the seventy-five dollars you
sent in your letter to your sister in
Sumers.
| >The witness started as though-a vol
cano Had burst at her feet. Then turn
ing pale as death, every limb shook vio-
lently. Iwaited till the people could
have an opportunity to see her motions,
and then / repeated the question.
"I-never-senta any," she gasped.
"You did ~ l thundered, for I was
excited now. ....
grasping the railing by her side for sup
port.
"May it please your honor, and gen.
tlemen of the jury" L said, as soon as
had looked the witness in the counte-
nance" 81 am here to de-. md a man
who was arrested for robbing the mail,
and in my preliminary examination
had access to the letters which had
been torn open and robbed of money.
When 1 entered upon this case, and
heard the name of this witness, went
out and got this letter which l now
hold, for l remembered having seen
the signature of Nancy Luther. This
letter was taken from the mail bag,
and it contained seventy-five dollars,
and by looking at the postmark you
will observe that it was mailed the day
after the hundred dollars were taken
from Mrs. Naseby's drawer. I will
read it for you, III you please.
The court nodded assent, and / read
the following, which was without date,
save that made by the postmaster up
on the outside. l give it rerbatim:
"SIsTER DoRCUS Il send you here
seventy-five dollars which l want yu
to kepe for me till cum hum. / can't
kepe it cos inn afeerd it will get stole
don't speak won word to livin soul
about this don't want anybody to know
i've got emmy money you won't now
will you. 1 am frlst rate only that
guide for nothing snipe of lis madworth
is here yit-but l hope to get over now
you know l rote about her, give my
love to all enquirin' friends. This from
you're till deth. ..i
"NANCY LUTHER
"Now your honor" L said, as |
gave him the letter, ait is directed to
Dorcus Luther, Sumers, Montgomery
county. And you will observe that
one hand wrote the letter and signed
the receipts, and the jury will SO OBJ
observe. And now / will only add
how it was disposed of. Seventy-five
dollars was sent off for safe keeping,
while the remaining twenty-five were
placed in the prisoners trunk for the
purpose of covering the real criminal.
OF the tone of parts of the letter you
must judge. 1 now leave my clients
case in your hands," r~- ~
The case was given to the jury i'm
mediately following their examination
of the letters. They had heard fiOm
the witness's own mouth that she had
no money of her own, and without
leaving their seats they returned a ver-
diet of "N Not Guilty."
will not describe the scene that fol-
lowed, but if Nancy Luther had not
been arrested for theft, she would have
been obliged to seek protection of the
officers, or the excited people would
have MANNED her, at least, if they had
not done more. The next morning /
received a note handsomely written,
and in it 1 was told that the within was
but slight token of the gratitude due
me for the effort i'm behalf of the poor
defenceless maiden. 1t was signed by
"Several Citizens" and contained one
hundred dollars. Shortly afterwards
the youth who had first begged me to
take up the case called upon me with
all the money he could raise, but l
showed him that had already been
paid, and refused his hard earnings.
Before left town / was n guest at his
wedding-my fair client being the hap
py bride.
WHAT To READ.-Are you deficient
i'm taste? Read the best English poets,
such as Thompson, Gray, Goldsmith,
Pope, Cowper, Coleridge, Scott and
Wadsworth. .,s
Are you deficient in Imagination? ?
Read Milton, Akenside, Burke and
Shakespeare.
Are you deficient in judgment and
good sense in the common affairs of
life? Read Franklin.
Are you deficient in sensibility?I
Read Goethe and Mackenzie. ~
Are you deficient in political knOwl-
edge? Read Montesquieu, the FEEDER
alist, Webster and Calhoun.
Are you deficient i'm patriotism
Read Demosthehes' and the Life of
Washington. rt
Are you deficient i'm conscience
Read some of President Edwards works.
Are you deficient in anything? Read