The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-01-13


AZ n,r,ed with bin at the depot sola n I'LL
70 kcar, M his courage ana 70 VIZ t ~. W.
defence, while wouia at'sho " tpo ~
mainder. .,,,,a tho o,,,,os,,~ counsel
! core striving in every possible manner 70
| make an adamantine chain OF evidence Una.
sbonld immediately condemn the prisoner
bevond any shadow OF doubt.
III CHAPTER II.
Tn this way nearly three weeks had passed
since the murder, when | received tcie
gram from Lansing informing me OF his re
f,1rn to the city. All this time had beer
shut IN In nv Office, working-it must hs
confessed with little hope Of success.
| The dav that expected Lansang,s return
| 7 went TO the pIace where the body had bce'
f,,,nd. and examined carefully the marks OF
| tbe wall hut | could find none other tnai
| the ones / had seen before, 80 cohcIuoeS
that those were the only ones. AS Astooo
looking at them, however, saw Wilat seehf
| oil to be piece Of stone lying on the lool
! Of the cellar. AS detective sees cue IL
everything, picked it up. and touna' 10 N.
| surprise, that it was piece OF putly; "a: a.
| soon as / discovered tins l seatcneu III.
| whole wall to find where the piece ealnt
| from, ana at Iast ot1So'S,>
r,ortv near the others were filed with putty
I scrapcd the putty away, ana tue "hoie
cryptogram appeared as follows:
: T-1225-D
12t
A Firsi one.
fThe letters and figures in itlllcs had been
| concealed by putty.)
took another copy and went back to m,
1 4
| nittcd to the cellar.
Here. now. was another mystery ant
from the revelation which had just received
! was astonished into the belief that Albert
F;rstone had something to do with atht
crime. But yet the cipher was sill n'Ss
terry. ,,,,or,
While 7 was studying these new develop.
ments. Lansing c,me in. grasped his hano
| With pressure that made bin vince, as
showed him the other letters ! had found
| He looked at them moment, and then
Swinging from his chair. fairly shouted:
| birthstone is the murderer, and his name j:
the kew to the cipher!'
| And he showed me that the word CIR
stone" In my copy was separated INTO Two
words, and that the line read ga FIRST one.
Nv this KEY the figures read. "a b b e" ant
fine cjpher, with the addition of the part de-
| ciphered, read:
Stabbed
bv
A. Frestone.
| We did not either of us shout 'Eureka'
| or ANYTHING else. But looked at Lansing
| who was trembling like leaf, and said
" You ought to have been dctcctirc.'
| Having written out the cipher according
to his translation, and being convinced thai
| I had been oltwitted, or something of that
sort hv q lawyer, leaned back in my chair
and. I can't tell why, but burst OUT into 1
hearty laugh, which Lansing soon Joined.
After my risible powers were exhausted
rang the bell for the crrand-hoy, and sent 6
note like this to Denning:
| "Comc ND to my den this afternoon an(
bring some handy instrument for the dctec
ton of foreign substances, such as pieces o
stone in blood"
After sending this prevailed upon Lam
sing to 20 with me to luncheon. lii an loul
we returned, and found Denning with large
microscope aud several small walls. mme
! 1inteiy went to my desk, took out Roger Ly
on's knife, and handed it TO him, asking hin
TO see il there were any pieces Of stone il
the blood-stains which still showed on tht
knife, He knew my meaning in an instant
and, taking a vial, he carefully rinscd por
ton of the stains with its contents, letting
the liquid run upon glass slide which b
had placed in the suns rays. ...-......
I1nraticntly he watched and waited for tn
evaporatiun of the liquid. 1t was soon oil
gone, when he placed the slide in the micro
scope and turned the powerful sGn-gas
upon it. On looking in the lens, mlnu
paltc,es Of stone, some stained with blood
were plainly visible, thus proving that th
knife had been used to cut the stone Of tn
cellar after the blood had stained it.
"This is the result you wanted to reach, i
il not ?" asked Deuning, as he looked he il
the face.
"Ye=," answered.
Then. taking a piece Of paper, wrote TO
n moment, and then handed him what ha
written, with request that he would sig
II. which he did. IL WAS an affidavit certify
inr that, according to the best medical know
} ledge. the deceased must have lived som
J time after the fatal blow WAS received; ap
that from minute particles of stone whic
, adhered 10 the blade 1t must have been USE
bv some one. probably the deceased, to CT
stone with after the blood stains were on i
Here, then, was the evidence needed t
prove the innocence of the prisoner.
l
to DR.. Dcnning, and happier trio coul
hardly be found than were assembled in tina
: little downtown office.
The trial was commenced in about wcel
;; and, of course, we were impatient for til
l time TO pass.
, At last the day arrived. The courtroom
WIS crowded, and many Of the detectiv
force were present. After some other bus
ness, our case was called up. The judy
, asked:
Guilty or not guiltv?"
!, Lansing, in behalf OF the prisoner, brok
the silence with the words:
mot guilty." and added, 81 would az
cuse Albert Firstcne Of the crime charge
, upon my CLIENT
sat next 10 the criminal when the al
, nouncement was made, and rs the eyes c
the court were turned upon him bis sell
possession left him. And wien Lansing aske
that he should be taken into custody til
poor fellow fell over in tit, and was take
out by policeman.
(lamhridre Mass has fhe most resOlIlt