The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1871-10-05
IDAHO WORLD.
NOT GUILTY.

having been engaged to defend young
man who had been accused of robbing
the mail. The stolen bag had been re-
covered, as we'll as the letters from
which the money had been rifed. These
letters were given me for my examina-
ton, and | returned them to the prose-
cutting attorney. Having got through
my preliminaries about noon, and as
the case would not come off before the
next day, 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 of
age, named Elizabeth Medworth. She
was very pretty, and bore that mild,
innocent look which is seldom found in
a culprit. She had been weeping pro-
fusely, but as she found so many eyes
upon her she became too frightened to
weep more.
The complaints against her set forth
that she had stolen a hundred dollars
from Mrs. Nasty, and as the case
went on I found that this Mrs. Nasty,
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 her. A hundred dollars in
bank notes had been stolen from her
mistress room, and she was the only
one that had access there.
At this juncture, when the mistress
was upon the witness stand, young
man came and caught me by the arm.
"They tell me you are very fine
lawyer" he whispered.
81 am a lawyer" | said.
"Then save her! You certainly
can do it, for she is innocent"
"Has she no counsel?" | asked.
"None that's good for anything
nobody that will do anything for her.
Oh, save her; and | will give you all
that have got. i can't give you much
but | can raise something"
/ 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 en-
treaty | read in her glance resolved me
in moment | arose and went to the
girl, and asked if she wished me to de-
tend her. She said yes. l then in
formed the court that was ready to en-
ter the case, and was admitted at once.
The loud murmurs of satisfaction that
ran through the crowd, told me where
the sympathies of the people were. l
asked for moments cessation that |
might speak to my client I went and
sat down by her side, and asked her to
state candidly the whole case She
told me 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
a hundred dollars.
"She missed it from her drawer"
the girl said to me, "and asked me
about it. That evening | know Nancy
Luther told Mrs. Nasty that she saw
me take the money from the drawer
that she watched me through the key
hole. Then they went to my trunk
and found twenty-five dollars of the
missing money there. But, sir, l never
took it, and somebody must have put
it there" .s-.
I then asked her if she suspected
any one. 1T
Il don't know" she said, "who could
have done it but Nancy. She has never
liked me because she thought l was
better treated than She She is the
cook. l was the chambermaid."
She pointed Nancy Luther out to me.
She was a stout, bold-faced girl, some
where about five and twenty years
old, with low forehead small eyes,
a pug nose and thick lips. | caught
her glance at once, as it rested on the
fair young prisoner, and the moment |
detected the look of hatred which l
read there, l. was convinced that she
was a rogue.
Nancy Luther, did you say the
girls name was?n | asked, for new
light had broken IN upon me-
eyes, sir" ..
left the courtroom and went to the
prosecuting attorney and asked him for
The letters ] had handed him-the ones
hat had been stolen from the mailbag. q