Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1870-04-28
THE CRIMINAL WITNESS.

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THE CRIMINAL WITNESS.
In the Spring of l84l, was called
to Jackson, Alabama, to attend court
having been engaged to defend o
young man who had been accused oi
robbing the mail. l arrived early in
the morning and Immediately had 8
long conference with my client. The
stolen mail bag had been recovered, as
well asthe letters from which money
had been rifed. These letters were
given me for examination, and | re-
turned them to the prosecuting at
torney. Having got through my pri-
vate preliminaries about noon, and as
the case would not come off before the
next day, l went into court in the af-
ternoon 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 oi
age, named Elizabeth Madworth. She
was very pretty and bore that mild, in.
noeent look which you seldom find in
culprit. She had been weeping pro-
fusely, 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 Mrs. Naseby, and as the case
went on, found that this Mrs. Nase-
by, a wealthy widow living in the
town. was the girls mistress. The
poor girl declared her innocence in the
widest terms, but circumstances were
hard against ber. "A hundred 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, Yonug man caught
me by the arm. He was a fne look-
ing young man and big tears stood in
his EYES. -.r T. - h.
They tell me you are a good law
yer" he whispered.
"t am a lawyer" l answered. 'a
"Then do save her. You can do it,
for she is innocent" "1ss-r - ea
SIS she your sister?' .srr -- r-..
"No, SIR he added; "but-but-"
Here he hesitated.
"Has she no counsel?" asked.
"None that is worth anything-no-
body that'll do anything for her. Oh,
save her! and III give you all I've got.
l can't give you much, but I can
raise something" l-Ea- II ai aFs
j reflected a moment. / cast my
eyes toward the prisoner; and she was
at that moment looking at me. She
caught my eye, and the volume of
humble entreaty 1 read in her glance
resolved me in moment.
l arose and went TO the girl and
asked her if she wanted me to defend
her. She said yes. l then informed
the court that 1 was ready to enter
into the case, and the murmer of sat
that ran quickly through the
room, told me where the sympathies of
the people were. l asked for. mo-
ment's cessation, that | might speak
with my client. Iwent and sat down
by her side and asked her to state
the case. She told me she
had lived with Mrs. Naseby two years
and had never had any trouble before.
About two weeks ago, she said, her
mistress losta hundred dollars. E1iglI
"She missed it from her drawer,n
the girl said to me, "aud asked me
about it. 1 said knew nothing about
it. That evening l know Nancy Lu-1
Iher 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, I never took |
it, and somebody must have put it
there" I~ '-
then asked her if she suspected
any one. ts aus.7 ii
Il don't know, who could have
done it but Nancy She has never
liked me, because she thought me bet
Ter treated than she. She is the cook.
[ was the chambermaid."
She pointed Nancy Luther out to me.
She was a stout, bold faced girl, some
where about iEe-and-twenty years;
with low forehead, small gray eyes, /
q pug-nose and thick lips. caught
her glance at once as it rested upon |
The fair young prisoner, and the mo-
nent detected the look of hatred |
which | read there, I was convinced
she was the rogue. sa
Nancy Luther, did you say that
girls name was?" asked for new
light had broken in upon me.
"Yes, SIR = -,
left the courtroom and went to. the
attorney and asked him
or the letters had handed him-the
,nes that had been stolen from the
He gave them to me, and |
having selected one, Ireturned therest
md told him would see he had thei
me kept before night. then re-
urned to the courtroom and the case
rent on.
Mrs. Naseby resumed her .testi-
nony. She said she entrusted the
oona to the prisoners care, and that
10 one else had access there cave here
elf. Then she described about the
Missing money, and closed by telling