South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1870-07-01
The Criminal Witness.

jackson, Alabama, to attend court. having
been engaged to defend a young man who
had been accused of robbiug the mail. |
arrived carly IN the morning and immedi
ately had long conference with nv client.
The stolen mail bags had been recovered.
as well as letters from which money had
| been rihed. These letters were given me
! for examination, and | returned them TO
! the prosecuting attorney. Having got
through my private preliminaries about
noon, and As the case would not come off
before the next day, | went into court 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 fage, nam
ed Elizabeth Madworth She was very
| pretty, aud bore that mild, innocent look
which you seldom find in a culpIit. She
had been weeping profuscly, but as she
found many eyes upon her, she became
too frightened to weep more
The complaint against her set forth that
she bad stolen hundred dollars from
| Mrs. Nascby, and as the case went on,
found that Mrs Nascby, wealthy widow
/ living in the town, was the girls mistress
The poor girl declared her innocence in
tue widest terms but circumstances were
hard against her. A hundred dollars in
bank notes had been stolen from her mis-
iress' room, and she was the only one that
had access there.
At this juncture, when the mistress was
upon the stand, a young man caught me
by the arm He was fine looking young
man, and big tears stood in his eyes
They tell me you are good lawyer
he whispered.
Il am a lawyer answered.
'Then do save her. You certainly can
DO it, for she is innocent
'ls she your sister p
NO sir, he added 'but-but' here he
hes;tated.
Has she no counscl?' asked.
None that's good for anything, nobody
thnt'll do anything for her. Oh, save her :
and Ill give you all I've got. cannot
give you much, but can raise something
reflected moment | cast my eyes
toward the prisoner, and she was at that
moment locking at me. She caught my
eye, and the volumn Of humble entreaty |
read in her glance resolved me in amoment
arose and went to the girl and asked
Der II she wished me to defend her She
said yes | then informed the court that
| was ready to enter into the case, aud the
murmur of satisfaction that ran quickly
through the room told me where the sym.
plthies Of the people were. asked for a
moments cessation that | might speak with
my client. | went and sat down by her
side and asked her to state candidly the
case. She told Inc that she had lived
with Mrs. Nascby two years, and had nev
CT had any trouble before. About two
weeks ago, she said, her mistress lost 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 Nancy
take the money from the Grawer-thlt
she watched me through the keyholc-
They went to my trunk aud found twenty
five dollars Of the missing money there
But, sir, | never took it, and somebody
must have put it there
Il don't know said she, who could
sayo done it but Nancy. She has never
liked me because she thought / was better
treated than her. She is cook | was
the chambermaid.
She pointed Nancy Luther out to me.
She was a stout, bold faced girl, somewhere
about twenty five years old, with low fore
mead, small grey eyes, pug nose, aud
thick lips. ! caught her glance at once.
as 1t rested upon her fair prisoner and the
moment detected the look Of hatred which
read there, was convinced that she was
tho rogue
Nancy Luther did you say that girls
name was| | asked, for new light had
broken in upon me.
Yes, sir
] left tie court room and went 10 the
Prosecuting attorney aol asked BIN for the
letters / bad handed him--thc ones that
had been stolen from the mail. bag. lie
gave thCm to me, and having selected one.
] returned The rest, aud told him 7 would
see hc bad the one [ kept before night
then returned to the court room and the
case went On.
Mrs Naschy resumed her testimony
Size said Sue entrusted the room 10 the pri-
sJuer'- care, and that no one else had &C.
cess there save herself Then she describ.
cd about the missing money, and closed
~ telling how she had found twenty-five
dollar, IL the prisoners trunk
She could swear il was the Identical mo.
ncy she bad lost, in tvOtens aad five dol.
lar bill.
Mrs. Naseby,' said !, when you first
missed the money had you any reason to
believe that the prisoner had taken it"
/ NO, sir
Had you ever before detected her in any
dishonesty
no, sir