Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1871-03-16

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tons he replied, after a short pause.
Mother says that you assured her--that
| you positively assert"
Albert seemed to be at n loss to express
himself in tis.ing terms, while the painful.
ness of his position portrayed itself ON his
face. l regarded him anNiously, and fun
! of expectation,
| Did you sleep at any time during our
absence last evening" said Albert, recon.
mencing his attack, but on different
point
"No"
Are you sure Of it?'
" | can give you my word Of honor; but
why do you ask such a strange question:"
Because you must have been asleep
"Whyy'
Otherwise you would have seen and
| heard the thief
The thict!' replied, astonished.
Yes, the thief Some one has alb.
straeted valuable papers ard sum of
money from my room.
Impossible"
Yet such is the case, and it is perfect
enigma how it could have happened"
Perhaps you omitted to lock your
doorn
mo; the door was locked SO that no
one could have entered my room except
rob06 vours ?"
Impossible!' reiterated
THAT wash-stand there" continued Al
bert "must have been showed aside
THAT wash. stand Theoretically | was
lust going to tell him that | had really
found 1t rs he said
d" | do not know what to think. You
continue to assert that Won were awake Mi
the evening"
was undecided how to reply. had
half "A mind to confde Ia friend A Inert the
ruse had emnloyed. but | knew him to
be the greatest tattler in town, and once
in ppssession of auy secret he would max,
mo most ridiculous hetnrn MI NV friends
and ncnnnintancrs So ! tried Ia stnpr a
Jitlrrrnt coursc
"By lhe way come to think or II he.
licve / was unconscious for n short timr y
while saving his fplt the effect nf Al
berl's piercing eve as it seemed to read nv
thoughts
:" AT what time was this 2"
Some time before eight O'clock"
"Rathcr strange he replied "the theft
must have taken place at u later hour, for
the clock on my bureau, which has stopped
by being thrown down, points to nne
o'clock"
" can give you no more information" ="
replied, angrily. "As | Just told you,
fell into a state Of unconsciousness, and /
cannot say for certain how long it lasted. -
The countcuaucc OF my colleague here
expressed very suspicious perpIcxity.
"Ihe court will hardly be satisfied with
your explanation he continued. 81
have already announced my loss TO the po-
lice authority | really regret very much
to have been obliged to use such harsh
measures.
| WIS about to give Albert piece Of
my mind aid display MI the energy that
n false accusation could call forth in me,
when heard mems footsteps In the hall.
way, A moment later and | was arrested
in the name of the law. Naturally, | pro
tested and assured them Of my Innocence,
but the agent Of hcpoiice only shrugged
his shoulders and said The court will
decide as to your guilt or innocence.
The iudge before whom was broupht
was at the same time humane and shrewd
lie inmrdinlcly suspectrd n mistakn Lnt
when he questioned me discovered that
the chain of circumstances WAS ycry
strong against me. and | began 10 trcplble
for the Consequences of my white lie. /
thought the matter over in my mind
reflected and Conjured up all possible
means of cXoncratioD, but came at last 10
the conclusion that but one method Of
saving myself from the iron grasp Of the
law existed
My only hope lay in proving an alibi.
But how this was TO he done was the
question that pcrpleXcd me, No one had
seen me leave the house, every inmate
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