Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-02-22

Gle. The body was shat OF = noticeable elderly
nan, thought to be about nifty i've years old,
sober ss ey e and n %
recognized by several persons as the strang T
Who had been seen in the village day or two
before, q qniet-loekine yet well-so-do pe'ies;
brown CATERS, and respects lie cane, had been
remarked BY all. Broad -br m and cane were
near by, but the man was lead, and nothing
| about his person gave any clue to his identity.
! Who killed him? A shoemaker's knife, bloody
1 on blade and handle, was found in the bushes
near By, and identified as Jake Moore's prop
| search warrant, Jake was found in his house
4 stupidity drunk, the girl scared and incoherent,
and In drawer in the hving-r0om . pocket
ty dollars; and the stranger was known TO have have
carried one like II, for he had paid for a pound
Of cheese and some biscuit at one Of the stores
rail, his daughter being permitted to 60 with
him, and the coreners jury render ell verdict
against him Of wiiiful murder OF the unknown
hen io.iowed the indie tment. and now the trial
was 20 come of, the murdered person, mean
tEsd- -. =.
"of course, il VIII be conviction as the case
now stands, ard the fellow very likely is gull
ty," ss.d Grandson; "but IL is 0Ir, business TO
get him OF. L want you to visit Humber view
me locality, and sift the witnesses. IL We can
get clue TO the Quaker we may II nd that some
one else was interested in his end, or at least we
may persuade the jury sou
But the pocket book said I, "isn't that
bome?" .aa.
20. no; the pocket book mag not be positive
iy identified, and, il 1t should be, Is proof OF
robbery only: Ii may have been lost, and found
after death; OF, in short, the book proves
very little. III Jake could furnish an alibi.
thered be no trouble; but the drunken brute
and don't care-is as good dead As alive
What dees the girl say?"
"Well-her testimony's worth nothing, and of
course she is not any help. She says THAI the
stranger gave her the poke tbook, after asking
her Tor drink or water-a very likely tale, OF
into the house.,
81 don't see how we are To defend him Mr.
Grandson -f
Neither do /; but if we 90 about it right we
,viu see, before the case is called. We have a
in a week. Tomorrow morning we'll have a
talk with Jake and the girl; the next day you'll
take my horse, ride over to Humberg, and as
certain all the facts. III you find clue, follow
il up regardless of time or money. I've a shot
in the locker ii there's need, and interesten gh
with the court to get Postponement should
some references to authorities which it will
be well for You to overhaul between this and
the trial. Young lawyers are always expected
to spout textbooks to the court and jury, you
know"
made little by my visit to the prisoner. He
was careless, taciturn, and refused to assist
either Grandson or me to knowledge of the
circumstances. 81 don't know ANYTHING about
it-drunk all that week-tlrunk when they
fetched me in here-wish was drunk now-or
dead. 1t don't matter wax-end, only for Sal
Sally sobbed, wept, wiped her eyes on dirty
apron, and whispered: '.He is ALWAYS that way
since he could not get any whisky. 1t is no good
to talk with him. But he did not kill the strange
gentieman-no, indeed" added she, looking up
into my face.
A dirty, puny, unhappy-looking, sallow girl
cared for, clothes tatrered and flthy-yet, what
pleading innocence and convincing frankness
in her wide, straightforward eyes,
Grandson beekoned her after him into the
tleman what you told me-
"Pappy was drinking harder than ever that
was full ON Monday. On Wednesday it was
empty, and he setting on his bench, savage
like, 50 that 1 was afraid of him, half. He didn't
sleep none the night before, and Mrs. NIcCaus-
land wOul DIN { trust me for the pint he sent me-
Tor. You know. and that made him mad. Then
it was after dinner, only j had none-pappv
wouldn't eat, and had only piece of cold corn
bread for my share-then the strange gentleman
come in"
That was "Wednesday afternoon, asked
..Yes. sir, "Wednesday, after dinner. he came
n-such a nice, neat-lOOking old gentleman,
and stands by the shop counter, and lays his
hand on e and says, Friend, will thee let thy
little girl fetch me drink of cool water from
thy well? and pappy, he don't look up, but
cusses the strange gentleman, and tells him TO
gn out Of there! So the strange gentleman was
II him to be quiet, and he went out, and took
my mug and went out the back door to the well
anil drawed him drink. and took it round to
And he said. Thank tiee,' and took the MAJ p.
And while he was drinking l saws to him
That's my pappy's shoe-knife you've got in
your hand, mister, amt it's And he saws
Verify. it is, but have need for ii more than
thee, and pray thee let me keep it, And l
says, 'Pappy II most cut my liver out when he
misses 1t, 30 you can't have it, And he saws I
did not mean to rob thee of il, but TO take il AT
a fair price. and viii give thee the money to
buy dozen like it, And with that he takes out
ms poeket-oook and studies over the notes like
then says, kinder to himself, Nay, her needs
seem 10 be great. and mine are none any longer.
Here. child. take AMI keep IL all. and NAV the
Lord bless thee f" And so he walked away, and
didnt see him no more, only heard he was
found with his throat cut. But pappy didn't .lo
it, for he kept the house all that day, and raved
so all night couldn't sleep, and early in the
morning took dollar out of the strange gen
tltman's purse, and run to Mrs. McCausland's.
and got the ing filled for him, and that Quoted
him; and be was home the same way, drinking
the constable. came and took him. And that's
all know about it, gentlemen, only that poor
paFpy hadn't anything to do with killing the
IL was agreed between Mr.. Grandson and
me that should make Sally's straightforw ard
vet very improbable tale the basis of my iHqui-
its at Tu1uDc1g- ana, III could IN any Wav
verify II, was then to push the search after
the OLD Quaker's antecedents. but YOU will
fail, said he; ''whoever heard of a Quaker
committing suicide, much less stealing knife
If there is ANYTHING to he found out. L will
End II" said j, c0nfidentIe; and the next morn
ing rode over to Humberg.
Tins forlorn place was mere fringe Of houses
on either side of turnpike road. at a cross
roads, and did not deserve the name OF village.
There were first Mrs. McCausand's store. and
opposte.it. Joline's; on the left again, a couple
OF dwellings and another store, kept by Wing
ling: on the right, the house Of Bent, the con-
stable: next below, the residence OF Stehlman,
coachmaker, and his sh Op. Still on the right,
the next house was the Old diSInantled tavern,
with its broken windows and creaking gibbet of
asign-board below that came DR.. Boards. a
long, low house, as shabby as its owner next
still OF the right was the house attached to the
toii-gate, kept by Holmes; then, in the middle
OF the road at its fork, the weather beaten log
bouse occupied by Jake Moore; on the left OF
AZ the comfortable doniicile of Williams a car
Penter; ON the right, the little cottage occupied
By Miss Strait, seamstress AMI gossip. The fork
of the road To the left from the turnpike led
straight to the stream, Potts Level, near where
the body was discovered.
My inquiries established that, about noon of
Wednesday. August shit was very hot. still
ana sultry-the stranger was first seen, coming
down the road, dressed as I have described; and
all who saw him noticed his white cravat. neatly