The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1870-12-15
HOW TO PROVE AN AilB;.


qualnted there, and had been there pretty
often on business; but my being there at this
time was the result of an accident merely /
had been three hundred miles west of this,
trying in vain to find clue to the where
abouts of an absconding defaulter; and com
ing back to take fresh start, found that Il
flood had submerged the track for several
miles east Of Carlisle, and that there would
be no getting away till Monday, al the least
SO [ made a virtue of necessity, and tele-
graphing my detention and its cause to my
family, | went up town.
After dinner at the hotel, | dropped in at
the Office of the district attorney with whom
| was well acquainted. | found him alrang-
ing the details of a number of criminal cases
which were to be tried at the court which be-
gan the following Monday.
"Anything of importance ~ | asked. rath-
er carelessly.
lone at least he replied Joe Sitter, a
notorious scoundrel is to be tried for high
way robbery, The victim was dragged out
of this buggy on a lonely road, beaten in
sensible, and robbed of a thousand dollars
He identifies Sitter positively rs one of the
ruffians.'
Whats the defence ?"
any, in reality"
maybe he'll prove an alibi,' loosely
suggested. He shook his head.
They'll hardly try that" he said. The
facts are too clear"
After some more unlmportant conversation
with him, | returned to the hotel. where
spent the remainder of the day.
The next day was Sunday | awoke quite
early, and found the promise Of q beautiful
summer day SO good that | dressed myself
and sailed out for q walk. Nobody was
stirring yet about the hotel, and the streets
were perfectly still. l walked around sever
al squares, and returned to the hotel, meeting
only one person on the way.
That person was standing in the doorway
of a basement saloon as passed ! looked
down casually, and saw him standing there
in his shirt-sleeves. His hair was tumbled
and he was gaping, as if just awakened.
did not discover that he was doing anything
particular there; | thought afterwards that it
was quite likely that he had been left in a
drunken sleep on the floor or on bench in
the bar the night before, and that waking up
at this early hour, he had taken the wrong
door in seeking for his lodgings and had
come out of doors instead Of going to bed
My look at him was merely q side glance
but that was enough to photograph his face
in my mind. It was q thin, bilious face per.
tectly smooth, with a long nose, much twisted
| marked it instantly as the face of rascal
How | could do that, | can't explain; our
business learns Us to read faces as most men
read books, and the glance that had at that
tace told me that the man was a lawlcss fellow.
His actions confirmed the opinion Sleepy
rs he looked and acted. no sooner did he see
me passing than he dove back through the
door and slammed it to-
instantly understood him. "A scamp
or some lay or other, and don't want to be
seen" was my thought. And | walked on
with his photograph in my mind, but ceased
to think any thing of him or of the circun-
stances before l reached the hotel.
The day passed; bright and early Monday
morning l took my satchel and went down
to the depot But it was to no purpose: the
office was closed and placard on the wall
informed the public that the road would not
be opened before Tuesday.
l went back to the hotel, too much out of
sorts to enjoy my breakfast. | did not un-
derstand, till the day was some hours older,
that | was needed more here at Carlisle than
anywhere else, Just then
went from the breakfast table into the
reading room, and after l had read an hour,
heard one man say to another:
LETS 90 over to the courthouse; they re
trying Joe Slifer." They went out and re-
torney, my curiosity was excited, and fol-
lowed them.
When entered the court room the victim
Of the robbery was on the stand He was a
plain simple old man, and gave his evidence
with apparent truthtulness. He testified that
he was stopped about sunset, some months
before, while passing from Carlisle to his
home with one thousand dollars that he had
drawn that afternoon from the bank 1t was
a lonely spot and there was no house within
half mile Of it. He was Jogging lcisurely
along, when light wagon drawn by two
horses dashed up beside his buggy, and
three OF the four men in it jumped out, while
the fourth held the reins. They were all
masked. One of them seized his horse by
the bit and stopped him, the second snatched
the lines from his hands, and the third climb
ed half into the buggy, and taking him by
the arms, demanded his money. He said
that he instantly shouted as loud as he could
when the rut1ian dealt him a savage blow
with slung shot which knocked him sense
less; and when he came to himself agar
both robbers and money were gone.
He recognized only one of the four; tho
man that struck him. As he drew back tC
give the blow his mask dropped, and reveal
ed the face of Joe Slifer, the prisoner at tho
bar. He knew it-he was positive Of it
'.lu oil Cle Ingenuity Oh inc crOSS-eXamlna
ton could not weaken or shake his evidence
upon this important point.
No other witness was called for the prose
cution; none seemed necessary. The prison
er's lawyer got up and made plausible
statement to the jury that the complainant
was mistaken about recognizing Joe Sifer He
was not there at all, but that he was at Nor
colt. fifty miles north Of Carlisle, at the very
hour OF that robbery, and that he should
prove 1t by at least two good witnesses. He
sat down and called out Caleb Wyc," an,
everybody leaned forward expcctantly
The witness came forward with Il slow
limpng gait leaning on a cane. He wa.
apparently man Of middle age, and was
dressed in suit of sober black with a whit.
choker about his neck. His hair was sve
gray; and as he mounted the stand, an(
leaning on his cane, turned his eyes pacdl,
to the prisoners counsel, he presented az
5 appearance that would attract attention ant
: respect anywhere.
= l saw him; and though l did not betray
4 any surprise, know that my heart gave
l tremendous thump. For l saw the bilious
), thin face, the crooked nose, and the SCARED
e forehead of the dodger whom l had seer
l twenty-four hours before in the doorway OF
;, the saloon. With this difference however
M haIr ~ %l,A~~