The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1871-11-30
Select Storp.
CONDEMNED BY A CLOCK.
by wILKIE COLLINS.

One summer evening, some years ago,
a man was found murdered in field near
a certain town in the West of England.
The name Ufthe field was "Pardon's Piece
The man was a small carpenter and
builder in the town, who bore an indiffer-
.ent character On the evening in quest
ion, distant relative of his, employed as
a farm baihff by gentleman in the neigh
borhood, happened to be passing on stile
which led from a field into road and
saw a gentleman leaving the field by
way of this stile rather in hurry. He
recognized the gentleman (whom he knew
by sight only) as Mr. Dubourg.
The two passed each other on the road
in opposite directions. After certain
lapse of time-estimated as being half an
hour-the farm bailiff had occasion to pass
back along the same road. On reaching
the stile he heard an alarm raised, and
entered the field to see what was the mat
ter. He found several persons running
from the farther side of Pardon's Piece
toward boy who VAS standing at the
back of cattle-s shed, in remote part of
the enclosure, screaming with terror. At
the boys feet lay, face downward, the dead
body of a man, with his head horribly
beaten in. His watch was under him
hanging out of his pocket by the chain.
1t had stopped-evidently in consequence
of the conclusion of the owners fall on 1t
at half past eight. The body was still
warm. All the other valuables ike the
watch were left on it. The farm bailiff
instantly recognized the man as the car
penter and builder mentioned above.
At the preliminary inquiry, the stop
page of the watch at half past eight was
taken as offering good circumstantial evi
dence that the blow which had killed the
man had been struck at that time.
The next question was if any one bad
been seen near the body at half-past eight
The farm bailiff declared that he had met
Mr.. Dubourg hastily leaving the field by
the stile at that very time When asked
if he had looked at his watch, he replied
that he had not. Certain previous cir
cumstanees, which he mentioned as hav-
ing impressed themselves on his memory,
enabled him to feel sure of the trath of
this assertion without having consulted
his watch. He was pressed on this i'm
portant point, but he held to his declaTa-
ton. At half-past eight he had seen Mr..
Dubourg hurriedly leave the field. At
half-past eight the watch of the murdered
man had stopped. ~
Had any other person been observed In
or near the field at that timer
No witness could be discovered who had
seen anybody else near the place Had
the weapon turned up with which the
blow had been struck 2 1t had not been
found Was any one known (rObbery
having plainly not been the motive of the
crime), to have entertained a grudge
against the murdered man 1t was no
secret that he associated with doubtful
characters, male and female, but suspicion
failed to point to any one OF them IN par
ticular r
In this state of things there was no al
tentative but to request Mr.. Dubourg-
well known, IN and out of the town, as a
young gentleman of independent fortune,
bearing an excellent characterize give
some account of himself.
He Immediately admitted that he had
passed through the field. But, In contra
diction to the farm ballitf, he declared that
he had looked at his watch at the moment
before he crossed the stile; and that the
time by it was exactly = quarter past
eight. Five minutes later-that is to say
ten minutes before the murder had been
committed, on thu evidence of the dead
mans watch-he lad paid q visit to q
lady living near Pardon Piece, and had
remained with her until his watch con-
suited once more on leaving the lady's
house, informed him that il was quarter
to nine.
Here was the defense called an clibi.
It entirely satisfied Mr. Dubourg's friends.
To satisfy Justice it was necessary to call
the lady as a witness. In the meantime
another purely formal question was put
to Mr.. Dubourg. DID he know anything
Of the murdered man?
With some appearance of confusion. Mr..
Dubourg admitted that he had been in
duced 10y friend to employ the man on
some work. Further interrogation ex-
tracted from him the following statement
offaets:
That the work had been very badly
done that an exorbitant price had been
charged for it that the man, on being re-
monstrated with, had behaved in a grossly
impertinent manner; that an alteration
had taken place between them; that Mr..
Dubourg had seized the man by the collar
of his coat, and had turned him out of the
house; that he had called the man an in
fernal scoundrel (being in passion at the
time,) and had threatened to thrash him
within an inch of his life" Tor words to
that effect)i he ever presumed to come
| uear the house again; that he had SIN
cerely regretted his own violence the mo-
ment he recovered his self-possession; and
lastly, that, on his oath, (the alteration
having occurred six weeks ago. he had
never spoken to the man, or set eyes on
the man, since.
As the matter then stood, these circum.
stances were considered as being unfor-
ofo for. AR Ilal hOrfFo-