Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-08-28
NOT GUILTY.
.The Righteous Never Forsaken.'

| bCIO tidu DCCi khfCh MY
ton, and / returned them to the e,prose
cutting attorney. Having got through
my preliminaries about noon, and as tn,
case would not come off before the mex
day, / went into the court in the after
noon to see what was going on. The
first case that came up was one of theft
and the prisoner was a young girl MOI
more than seventeen years of age
named Elizabeth Medworth. She wal
very pretty, and bore that mild, limo
cent look which is seldom found in {
culprit. She had been weeping pro
fusely, but as she found so many eyes
upon her she became too frightened tC
weep more. kE a CA UOU
The complaints against her set forth
that she had stolen a hundred dollars
from Mrs. Nasby, and as the case
went on | found that this Mrs. Nasby, O
wealthy widow living in the town, was
the girls mistress. The poor girl de
cleared her innocence in the widest
terms, but circumstances were hard
against her. A hundred dollars in bank
NOES had been stolen from her mistress
room, and she was the only one that had
access there. l3eNF f.8tlH q
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. iR
"I am lawyer" / said.
Then save her. You certainly can
do it, for she is innocent"
Has she no counsel2" | asked.
None that is good for anything
body that will do anything for her. Oh,
save her, and / will give you all that
have got. can't give you much, but |
can raise. something f Hvfftlt f'
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 entreaty | read
in her glance resolved me in moment.
| arose and went to the girl, and asked
if she wished me to defend her She
said yes. then informed the court that
/ was ready to enter 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. asked for moments
cessation that / might speak to my
client. | 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 : tty
"She missed it from her drawer" the
girl said to me, "and asked me about it.
That evening know Nancy luther
told Mrs. Nasby that she saw me take
the money from the drawer-that she
watched mo through the keyhole. Then
they went to my trunk and found twenty
five dollars of the missing money there.
But, sir, / never took it, and somebody
must have put it there.
/ then asked her if she suspected any
one.
Il don't know, she said, Nwho could
have done it but Nancy. She has never
liked me because / was better treated
than she. She is the cook; was the
chambermaid." "
She pointed Nancy Luther out to me.
She was stout, bold-faced girl, some
where about five and twenty years old,
with low forehead, small eyes, 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 | read there was
convinced that she was a rogue.
Nancy Luther, did you say that girl s
name was2" | asked, for a new light
had broken in upon me.
"Yes, sir" fAed,A ,5a
left the courtroom and went to the
attorney and asked him for
the letters l had handed him-the ones
that had been stolen from the mailbag.
He gave them to me, and having Sc
lected one | returned the rest and told
him | would see he had the one / kept
before night. / then returned to the
courtroom and the case went on.
Mrs. Nasty resumed her testimony. |
She said she intrusted the room to the |
prisoners care, and no one else had ac-
cess, save herself. Then she described
about the missing money, and closed by |
telling how she found twenty-five dollars
in the prisoners trunk She could
swear it was the identical money she
mad lost, in two ten and one five dollar
lank notes. .niasI ftl l.U |
"Mrs. Nasty" said |, "when you first |
missed the money, had You any reason
o believe that the prisoner had taken
tn" F.G y .H.a
"No, sir" she answered.
Had you ever detected her in any
lishonesty2"
"No, sir"
SHOULD you have thought of search
ne her trunk had not Nancy Luther ad-
,ised and informed your"
" No, sir.
Mrs. Nasby left the stand, and Nancy
Luther took her place. She came up
With bold front, and upon me cast
leGant look, as if to say, Trap me if
rou can" She then gave her evidence
Is follows:
She said that on the night the money
vas taken she say the prisoner go up
tairs, and from the shy manner in
which she went up, she suspected that
II was not right, so she followed her up.
Elizabeth went to Mrs Nasby's room
md shut the door after her. / stopped
lown and looked through the keyhole,
md saw her take the money and put it
n her pocket Then she stopped down
nd picked up the lamp, and as l saw
he was coming out hurried away"
Then she went er, told how she in
ormed her mistress of this, and how
he proposed TO search the girls trunk
/ called Mrs. Nasby back.
~ OF said that none save yourself
ad access TO yourFeoi,,, said Now
ouldn't Nancy Luther have entered the
Dom, if she Wished2'
Certainly, sir; meant that no one
iss had any right there.
] saw ths, l,rs. Nasty, though natu-