The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1872-01-26
Condemned by a s1eeA.
BY wnKlE COLLINS.

field near certain town in the west
Of England. The name of the field
was ,.paldon's Piece"
The man a small carpenter and
builder in the town, who bore an In
different character. On the evening
in question:, distant relative Of his,
employed as farm baiHff by gem
tleman in the EeigIborllood, happen
cd to be passing stile which led from
the field into the road, and saw q gen
tleman leaving the field by way Of
this stile rather III hurry. He re-
cognized the gentleman, whom he
knew by sight only, as Mr.. Du-
bourg.
Tlie two passed each other on the
road in opposite directions. After a
certain lapee of time.-estimated at
being half an holr-tle farm bailiff
Ind 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 matter.
He found several persons running
from the further side Of Pardon's
Piece" towards u boy who was stand
ing at the back Of the cattle 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. IIiSwatch was under him,
hanging ont of his pocket by the cllaln.
1t lad stopped-eyidcntly in eonse-
d,letce of the concussion of its owners
fall on it. at half past eight. The
body was still warm. All the other
yal,mbles, like the watch, were left ON
it. The farm bailiff instantly recog-
nized the man as the carpenter and
builder mentioned above.
At the preliminary inquiry. the
stoppage of the watch at half-past
eight was taken as Offering good cir
cnmstancial evidence that the blow
that had killed the man had been
struck at that time.
The next question was-had anyone
been seen near the body at halfpast
eight? The farm bailiff declared that
he had seen Mr.. DubOurg hastily leav-
ing the field 1T that very time. Asked
if he had looked at his watch, he
owned that he had not done 80. Ger
tain previous circumstances, which he
mentioned as having impressed them
selves on his memory, enabled him to
feel sure of the truth of this assertion
without having consulted his watch.
lie was pressed on this important
point, bnt lie lea to his declaration.
| At half past eight he had seen Mr..
Dubourg huriedly 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 had been discoveId who
had seen anybody else near the place.
Had the weapon turned up with which
the blow had been struck? 1t had not
been found. Was any one known,
robbery having plainly not been the
motive of the crime, to have enter
tanned a gridge against thee murdered
man? 1t was no secret that ne
associated with doubtful characters,
male and female; but suspicion failed
to point to any one OF them IN par
ticular.
In this state OF things there was no
alternative but to request Mr.. Du-
bourg-well known IN and OUT OF the
town, as q young gentleman OF inde.
/ pendent fortune, bearing an excellent
| characterize give some account Vi
himself. :,
He admitted that he had passed
through the field. But in contradic-
ton to the bailitf, he declared that he
Ind looked at his watch, at the mo-
ment before he had crossed the stlie,
and that the time by 1t was exactly
quarter past eight. Five minutes
later--tlnt Is to say, ten minutes be-
fore the murder lad been committed,
on the evidence OF the dead mans
watch-he had paid visit to a lady
living near ''Pardon's Piece" and had
remained with her until his watch,
consulted once more on leaving the
lady's house, Informed him that 1t was
a quarter to nine.
| Here was the defense called an
'talibi." 1t entirely satisfied MIR. Du-
bonrg's friends. 10 satisfy Justice al-
so, it was necessary to call the lady AZ
witness. In the meantime another
purely formal question was put to MIR.
DubOurg. Did he know anything OF
the murdered man?
With some appearance Of confusion,
Mr.. Dub0nrg admitted that he had
been induced tby fliend) to employ
the man on some work. Further in
terrooation extracted from him the
following statement of facts:
That the work had been badly done;
that an exorbitant price had been
chorcefl f;w n flat the man on being
demonstrated with, had behaved IN q