Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1872-11-23

room
Eyes"
"Was the closet, or cupboard, or what
ever you may call il, opened once, or
twice, while it stood there ?"
A pause-no answer.
81 will call it TO your recollection.
After Mr.. Smith had taken the medicine
out of the closet, did he shut the door,
or did it remain open 2"
He shut it."
"Then it was opened again for the
purpose OF replacing the bottle, was ii?
"Do you recolect how long it was
open the last time 2"
"Not above a minute"
"The door when open would be OK
/ actly between the light and the window,
would it not?"
"It would"
Il forget whether you said the closet
was on the right or left hand side of the
window ?"
"The left"
"Would the door of the closet make
any noise in opening?"
"None"
Can you speak positively TO the fact
Have you haver opened it yourself, or
seen Smith open it?"
| have never opened it myself"
Did you never keep the keys?"
"Neyer."
"Who did ?"
"Mr. Smith, always"
AT this moment the witness chanced
to turn her eyes toward the spot where
the prisoner stood, and the effect was
almost electrical. A cold, damp sweat
stood upon his brow his face had lost
It's color; he appeared living image OF
| death. She no sooner saw him than she
shreked and tainted. The consequence
Of her answers flashed across her mind.
She had been so thoroughly deceived
by the man;er of the advocate and by
the little Importance he had seemed to
attach 10 her statement, that she had
been led on by one question TO another,
Till she had told him all that Ee wanted
to know.
During the interval, (occasioned by
her illnes~), as 10 the proceedings, the
solicitor for the prosecution left the court
IL was between tour aud five o'clock
when the judge resumed his seat upon
the bench, the prisoner his station at the
bar, and the housekeeper hers in the
witness-boX. The court III the interval
had remained crowed with Spectators,
scarce one of whom had left his place,
lest during his absence it should be seized
| by some one else.
The crosseXamining counsel then ad-
dressed the witness: Il have a very few
more questions TO ask you; but beware
that you answer them truly, for your lite
depends upon a thread. DO you know
this stopper"
81 do"
4" To whom does it bclong?"
"To Mr.. Smith"
"When did you see it last ?"
"On the night of Mr. Thompson's
DEATH"
At this moment the solicitor for the
prosecution entered the court, bringing
with him upon tray, watch, two
money bags, a jewel-case, pocket-book,
and bottle of the same manufacture as
the stopper: and having no cork in it !;
some other articles there were in it not
material to my story. The tray was
placed upon the table in sight of the
prisoner aud the witrees, and from that
moment not doubt remained in the
mind of any man Of the guilt of the
prisoner.
A few words will bring my tale to
clos. The house where the murder had
been committed was between nine and
ten miles distant. The solicitor, as soon
as the cross-eXamination had discovered
the existence of the closet, and its situa-
ton, had set off on horseback, with two
sheriff. officers, and after pulling down
part of the wall of the house, had detect
ed this place of concealmpnt.
The search was we'll rewarded. The
whole of the property belonging to Mr..
Thompson was there, amounting in value
to several thousand pounds and to leave
no doubt, bottle was discovered, which
the medical men instantly pronounced
to contain the very identical poison
which had caused the death of the untor-
tunate Thompson. The result is too OBJ
vious to need explanation.
The case presents the perhaps unparal-
leled instance of man accused OF nnr-
der so defending himself as to induce the
judge aud jury to concur in verdict Of
acquitial, but who, persisting i'll calling
a witness to prove his innocence, was,
upon the testimony of that very witness,
convicted and executed.