Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1871-06-22

4
reminded Edward that, his uncle
being dead, if be should also die
childless, Charles would then in.
herit the whole estate.
"He did it ! he did it," the
young man cried in a paroxysm
of excitement too earnest to be
counterfeit. "He went out to
get the poison wien he when
he left me waiting. He put up
to resemble the druggists parcel,
for which he substituted it as we
went along. Villain-I know it
now! / carried the parcel in the
right, hand pocket of my over
coat, and it was on that side he
walked" 80
1 was seated in my office on the
day preceding the one fixed for
the trial, indulging in anything
but sanguine expectations, when
a tap at the door announced a
visitor. 1t was a detective whom
| had employed. salta
"What is it?"2 i inquired after
closing the doot.
81 made an, arrest to-day" he
answered, ':and in the prisoners
possession found this overcoat," "
undoing package he had brought.
"Well?" w "a /.
Gin one of the pockets l found
this;" and he handed me a small
parcel which / opened.
Inside were three papers, fold
ed as druggists put up their pre-.
scriptions.
"The person with whom found
this overcoat," the detective con.
tinued, sconfesses that he stole it
from a billiard saloon, the owner
having laid it aside while playing;
and the date he likes corresponds
with Mr.. Courtney's murder
but what is more important, l
have ascertained that Charles
Courtney is the owner of the
coati"
''Let US at once proceed to the
druggis is, 'springing from my chair
and snatching up my hat.
We were soon there.
stPlease examine that parcel |
said, putting it into the druggists
hands. .Etyz
He did SO carefully opening the
papers and examining their con-
tents. They contained three
white powders.
"How do they correspond with
those you made up for Mr.. Court
ney," I inquired, "and for which
others seem to have been SO mys-
teriously substituted p
"They do not correspond at all,
they are the same he answered.
"The same |! how do you know
that pa -
"By these figures" he replied,
pointing to the inside Of one of
the papers. l bad made calcu.
lation that day, on the sheet of
paper, part of which I used in
putting up the prescription bought
by Mr.. Edward Horton. The re.
mainder l have preserved, not
knowing but it might become i'm
portant. Here it is, and you
see how this piece and the figures
fit.
They did exactly. The chain
of evidence was complete.
| need hardly tell how the trial
ended. Charles Courtney was
called by the prosecution, to prove
some unimpol tant point. The
counsel, whom / had retained for
the defense, asked him but three
questions on cross examination
'Had he accompanied the pris-
oner from the druggist's?"
"Had he lost his overcoat that
day?"
"Was that it,"
The questions were very simple,
but the effect upon the witness
was most remarkable. He trem-
bled, and turned pale. He knew
his secret was out. and that lying
was useless. He answered all
three questions in the affirmative,
but in q voice scarcely audible. Be-
fore the next witness was called,
he slipped from the court, and was
never heard of afterwards.
With the testimony of the de-
tective and the druggist, not for
getting that of the thief, who
stole the overcoat, we made short
work of what had promised to be
ga beautiful case of circumstantial
evidence"