National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1871-05-19
HOW TO PROVE AN ALIBl.

HOW TO PROVE AN ALIBI.
lnc Sunday, about ten years ago,
f1nd myself at Carlisle. was consider
,ly acquainted there, and had been there
r-,ttv often on business; but my being
tsere at this time was the result Of an ac-
.lrnt merely. had been three hundred
mite. west OF this, trying in vain to find a
due 10 the whereabouts Of an abscondine
itaulter. and coming back to take fresh
! .tft. found that food had submerged
fe track for several miles east of Carlisle,
ana that there would be no getting away
/ t Monday, at the least So | made a
virtue Of necessity, and telegraphlng my
detention and its cause to my family,
vent up town.
after dinner at the hotel, dropped in
NJ he office Of the district attorney, with
/ whom ! was well acquainted. ! found
4 m arranging the details Of II number OF
rmnal cases which were to be tried at
tfe court which began on the following
Monday.
Anything OF importance 2" asked ra-
4 tier carelessly.
.Ore at least he replied, Joe Slifer,
snctorious scoundrel, is to be tried for
tzhway robbery. The victim was dragged
olt Of his buggy on lonely road, beaten
naasible. and robbed of thousand dol
ar> lie identifies Slfer positively as one
the rufiians"
what's the defence ~
Il can't imagine. don't think there is
81, n reality.
Maybe he'll prove an alibi," jocosely
.l.gcsted. He shook his head
THEY'LL hardly try that" he said.
The facts are too clear"
After some more unmportant converse
tion with nun, is"-----, - ,-4-', q,
whore speat the remainder of the day.
Tle p,Xt day wa, Sunday. awoke
o. onits early, and found the promise OF
1e,ltiul summer day, SO good that
ue>>ed myself and sailed out for walk
Nobody was stirring yet about the hotel,
and the streets were perfectly still. |
walked around several squares. and re-
turned to the hotel, meeting only one per-
son on the way.
That person was standing in the door
way Of a basement saloor as ! passed. |
looked around casually, and saw him stand
Hg there in his >hirt-seevcs. His hair
Ma, tumbled. and he was gaping, as if Just
awakened. | did not discover that he was
'long anything particular there | thought
qterward that it was quite likely that he
had been left in drunken tit on the floor
oron the bench in the bar the night before,
and that, waking up at this early hour, he
lad taken the wrong door in seeking for
l' lodgings and had gone out OF doors in
stead Of going to bed. My look at him
was merely side glance, but that was
enough to photograph his face in my mind.
y was thin, bilious face, perfectly
smooth, with long nose, much twisted to
4le SIDE, and red scar over the left eye.
marked 1t instantly as the face of ras-
cal.
Howl could do that | can't explain
oaF business learns us to read faces as most
ogn read books, and the glance had at
Iiit lace told me that the man was law
e> fellow. His actions confirmed the
9Fihlon. Sleepy as he looked and acted,
10 sooner had he seen me passing than he
move back through the door and slammed
it to
instantly understood him. "a scamp, |
yu some lay or other, and don't want to |
We seen, was my thought. And walked
on with his photograph in my mind, but
ceased to think anything of him or the cir
Vu.l'tances before | reached the hotel.
=, me day passed, and bright and early
pohdav morning | took my satchel and |
went down to the depot. But it was to
uo purpose; the office was closed, and a
pi4cald on the wall informed the public
Tuesday.
went back to the hotel, too much out
~. sorts to enjoy my breakfast did not
.1g -1iig'eIStand, till the day was some hours
nv y.Ief, That | was needed more here at Car
's,e 'han anywhere else, just then.
Went from the breakfast table into the
ieaulng room, and after | had read an
'VuI' heard one man say to another:
>. Lets 60 over to the court house
-iey re trying Joe Slifcr" They went
,b' I,' and remembering my little talk with
1l>'rlct attorney, my curiosity was eX-
N'ed, and followed them.
Aen L entered the court room, the
tIo''m u. OF the robbery was on the stand.
bis was plain, simple old man, and gave
H. evidenoe with apparent truthfulness.
snrsd, testified that he was stopped about
fms some months before, while passing
s.1G og Isrlisle to his home with one thou
t--i -'ll dollars he had drawn that afternoon
tloI t'oI The bank. 1t was a lonely spot, and
I1o ~ was not house within sight of {.
G,L. was Jogging leisurely along, when a
mn - wagon drawn by two horses dashed
nsn NJ beside =; his buggy, and three of the four
IoII M IN IN 1t jumped out, while the fourth
0ro & tne reins. They were all masked.
snS o. them seized his horse BY the bit
i,na. -e stopped him, the second .natched the
inr eI Iron from his hands, and the third climb
the rl .rrn INTO the buggy, and taking him by
tb,, o. I'M ms demanded bis money. He said
cari, nI ne instantly shouted as loud a. he
bloa. When the ruffian dealt him a savage
bi,n win a slung-shot which knocked
sci, senseless; and when he came to him
pon. 'eain' both robbers and money were