Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1873-11-07
Gelette0 AlisfeIIanp.
CONVICTED BUT INNOCENT.
AStory of Ciroumstantial Evidence.

Our district court was in session, and
in the evening, during the recess, small
party of us were assembled in the pri-
vate room Of the presiding judge, a man
fully up to three-score-and-teh, with but
one guiding light while upon the bench,
justice, strict and impartial; and to
while away the time, he told us story
as following:
Years ago, I was Prosecuting Attor-
ney for my judicial district. I was young
then, little more than thirty-but had
worked hard to instruct and improve my
profession. When I became District
Attorney / meant to do my duty, and as
| felt myself, in measure, pitted against
the whole bar, I gathered my strength,
and prepared to marshal all the forces
at my command.
cat length came what | long desired
IA capital trial. 1t was case of MUIR
der, seemingly of the most atrocious
character. The Attorney-General came
down to attend, but when he found how
well | understood the case, and how
thoroughly I had prepared myself, be
did not propose to bother himself He
would leave me to conduct the prosecu-
ton, holding himself in readiness to rem
der assistance, or offer suggestions, in
case of need.
"The case came on, and I presented
the Governments complaint, and the
grounds thereof. The prisoner at the
bar was Charles Ashcroft, young man
of neutrality-suspicious. and hand
some--and about the last man in the
world one would have selected as muir
derer. Yet he stood thus charged, and
the evidence was overwhelming against
him.
1.-THE facts as elected in evidence
were these: Ashcroft had been a teacher
in the academy of the town where he re-
sided, and where the killing had been
done. He had waited upon young lady,
named Susan Lattimer. and had evident
ly loved her very dearly; but it seemed
that Susan was not inclined to be con-
slant. A wealthy sutton presented him
self for her hand, and she cast off the
poor pedagogue and accepted the new
conner.
zone Saturday afternoon Susan Latti-
mer went on foot to visit an uncle who
lived two miles distant, and to shorten
the way she took the cart-path through
the wood that stretched down between
the two sections of the town. Shortly
after she was seen to enter this wood
Charles Ashcroft was seen to follow with
double-barrel gun upon his shoulder.
Susan Lattimer went to her uncle's but
finding only servant of the family at
home she started back at once by the
way she had come.
'1n the wood, on her return, she was
met by Ashcroft, who stopped her, and
upbraided her for her desertion of him.
Two girls-one fourteen years Of age,
and the other year younger-who had
gone to the wood for the purpose of gath
ering beech-nuts, passed the twain while
they were conversing, and heard Ash
croft swearing terribly" as they ex-
pressed it, at Miss Lattimer. They
heard him declare he that he eve Id as
lief die as not !" and they heard her say,
Don't kill me-" At this point the al
tercation frightened them, and they ran
away.
"Charles Ashcroft returned to his
boarding place, pale and agitated, with
both barrels of his fowling-piece empty,
but with no game. Later, the body of
Susan Lattimer was found in the wood,
not far from where the alteration had
taken place. She had been shot dead !,
the whole of one side of her face and
head having been shockingly torn by a
heavy charge of pigeon-shot, evidently
discharged with deliberate aim, and at
very short distance. Some of the shot
were extracted, and exhibited to store
keeper in the village, who unhesitating-
ly declared that it was exactly such as
be had sold on that same Saturday to
Ashcroft.
I'm response to this Ashcroft could
only deny, in the most solemn manner,
that he had not thought or offered harm
of any kind TO the deceased. He admit
ted the truth of the statement made BY
the two girls; and he admitted that ht
had purchased the shot as the store-kecp
er had said. His story was, that on tina
Saturday afternoon be had gone into th'
wood to shoot pigeons. He did not know
that Miss Lattimer had gone that way