The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1871-10-27
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NOT GUILTY.

/ - E
!, In the spring of 49, was called
to Jackson, Alabama, to attend court
having been called to defend young
man who had been accused OF. robbinl
the mail. The stolen bag had beer
recovered, as well Us the letters from
which the money had been ritled
These letters were given me for IN,
examination and returned them Il
the prosecuting attorney. Having got
through my preliminaries about noon
and as the case would not come of
till the next day, l went into court il
the afternoon To see what was going
i on. The first case that came up wa,
one of theft, and the prisoner was 1
young girl not more than seventeen
years of age, named Elizabeth Med
worth. She was very pretty, and
bore that mild, innocent look which i,
seldom found in culprit. She had
been weeping profuscly, but as she
found so many eyes upon her she be
came too frightened to weep more.
The complaints against her set fortl
that she had stolen hundred dollar.
from a Airs. Nasty, and rs the Gas.
went on | found that this Mrs. Nasty
wealthy widow living in the town
was the girls mistress. The poor
girl declared her innocence in the
widest terms, but the circumstance.
were hard against her. A hundred
dollars in bank notes had been stolen
from her mistress's room, and she
was the only person that had acces:
there.
At this iuncture, when the mistress
was upon the witness stand, young
man came and caught me by the arm
and said:
People tell me that you are a fine
lawyer"
Il am n lawyer" | said
Then save her! You certainly car
do it, for she is innocent"
"Has she no counsel Z"
"None that is good for anything
nobody that will do anything for her
Oh, save her, and will give you all
that | have got. | cant give you
much, but can raise something
! reflected moment. cast my
eyes toward the prisoner. and she was
at that moment looking at me. She
caught my eye, and the volume of en-
treaty read in her glance resolved
me in n moment. arose and wen,
to the girl, and asked if she wished
me to defend her. She said yes. !
then informed the court | was ready
TO enter the case, and was admitted a,
once. The loud murmurs of salts
faction that ran through the crowd
told me where the sympathies of the
people were | asked a moments
cessation, that | might speak to my
client. | went and sat down by her
side. and then asked her to state
candidIy the whole ease. She had
lived with Mrs. Nasty nearly two
years and had never had any trouble
before. About two weeks ago. she
said her mistress had missed 4 hun.
dred dollars.
.'She missed it from her drawer
the girl said TO me, "and asked me
about it. That evening | know that
Nancy Luther told Mrs. Nasty that
she saw me take the money from tie
drawer-that she watched me through
the keyhele. Then they went to my
trunk and found twenty-five dollars
of the missing money there. But
sir, ! never took it, and somebody else
put it there"
/ then asked her if she suspected
any one. ~. =
Il don't know who could have done
it but Nancy. She has never liked me
because she thought l was treated bet.
ter than she. She is the cook. Twas
the chambermaid." .lsss las
She pointed Nancy Luther out to
me. She was a stout, bold faced girl
somewhere about five and twenty
years old, with low forehead, small
eyes. pug nose and thick lips.
caught her glance at once, as it rest
ed on the fair Young prisoner, and the
moment / detected the look of hatred
which l read there, / was convinced
that she was rogue.
Nancy Luther, did you say that
girls name was?" l asked, for a new
light had broken upon me.
es, SIR"
/ left the court room and went te
the prosecuting attorney and asked
him for the letters / handed him-the
ones that had been stolen from the
mail bag. He gave them to me, and
having selected one / returned tbt
rest, and told HIM / would see he hat
the one kept before night. l ther
returned to the court room and ths
| case went on.
Mrs. Nasby resumed her testimony
| She said she intrusted the room to th'
prisoners care, and no one else hat
access there save herself. Then sh'
described about the missing money
and closed by telling how she fount
twenty y-five dollars in the prisoner
trunk. She could swear it was tn
identical money that she had lost, j,
two ten dollar, and one five dolla
bank notes. i @
Mrs. Nasty said /, "when yo1
first missed the money, had you an,
reason to believe the prisoner had ia
ken it?"
"No, sir.'
ashould you have thought Q
searching her trunk, had not Name
Luther advised YOU"
i "No, sir.
| Mrs Nasty then left the stand, an
Nancy Luther took her place. Sh
came up with bold front, and cast
defiant look, as if to say, "Trap me
you can" She then gave her eyidenc
as follows;
| She said that on the night the MOI
, ey was taken she saw the prisoner 6