Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1874-10-17

1. c., to show to the satisfaction of the
court that he was elsewhere than in the
bank at the moment of the crime, when
Suddenly, to the unspeakable astonish-
ment of all present, queer voice from
distant part of the room exclaimed
But can tell where he was."
Everybody turned to look at the
speaker, who was none other than our
friend Dan. He stood with his mouth
wide open, clutching his cap with one
hand, and with the other nervously
poking his tousled hair. Everybody
laughed. .-..-
"Silence II roared the crier, in a
fierce tone, and then, assuming that the
boy intended to make sport, he ordered
him to sit down.
"No," drawled Dan, "I guess I
won't"
OF course that set the crowd into a
still louder uproar of laughter. The
crier made an attempt to get at the
boy.
"Stop p cried the Judge, in voice
that was heard in all parts of the room.
As soon as silence was obtained, he
turned towards Dan, who was still
standing.
"Young man, do you know anything
about this case ?"
"Yes, sir" replied Dan, slowly. 81
know"
81 don't want to know that yet" in.
terrupted the judge. "Come this
way" The shrewd magistrate knew
the youngster well enough to surmise
that he would neither care nor dare to
be fooling at such time.
Dan, all stained and spotted, picked
his way out of the crowd and walked
forward to the bench. A curious
spectacle he was, with his uncouth
form and dress, and his mass of white
hair.
The Judge leaned forward and said
something to him ia very low tone,
and then Dan whispered back to the
judge. Soon the people saw the Judge
smile and nod his head.
"Ah," said they to one another,
"our Dan has turned up something
new. It's just like him."
Their surmises were turned to GER
tainty when the judge announced,
"This young man will produce i'm.
portant evidence for the defence"
Dan made his way out of the court.
room and disappeared. In ten minutes
he came back again breathless. He
had never been known to run before.
In his hand he held paper as large
as the cover Of a geography. This he
handed to the judge. The judge look.
ed at it curiously. Then he looked al
the prisoner. Then at the paper again.
In moment he looked up and said, -
"Clerk, administer the oath to this
boy"
Dan was sworn.
l cannot repeat his testimony here
but be sure it was drolly-worded, and
disjointed enough. 1t made rybody
laugh, even while it interested them
profoundly. The substance of it was
that on the day when the forged check
was passed, he was taking photographs
between 10 M. and three O'Clock in the
afternoon. Among other pictures, he
made one of man who was standing
in the window of building on the
opposite side of the street. The mar
that he photographed was the prisoner
at the bar.
Immediately there was general buzz
in the courtroom. The prisoner s pale
face flushed, and he gazed upon Dar
with look of joyful gratitude.
But there was still very important
question to be settled. "At what time
exactly was that photograph taken ?"
Dan took the picture and looked at il
closely.
"There's the clock on st. Luke'l
church, up in that corner there" sale
he, pointing to the place, and handing
the picture back to the Judge.
The judge looked again, holding the
paper up to the light and turning i
carefully round.
"By the dial here" said he, cit wal
just one o'clock at the instant when thu
picture was taken"
The jury and the counsel now ex
amined the photograph minutely. I
could not be disputed; there was thu
identical man, and there was the proc
that he was not in the bank at the mo
ment when the forged check wa
passed.
The teller was once more placed upoi
the stand. He was confused by thu
evidence he had heard, and was b,
no means as positive as he was before
At last he reluctantly admitted that h,
might be laboring under a mistake
And upon that he retired into the crowt
with an appearance of great chagrin.
Dams triumph was complete. FL
was a hero. People forgot his strang
dress and his wild-looking head, ant
actually "lionized him. The prisone
was discharged. He instantly went t.
Dan, and seizing both of his hands, ex
claimed,-
"You have saved me. You shal
have any thing you want. I cannot d
enough to show you my gratitude.
From that moment Dams star bega
to rise. He had money to continue hi
experiments, and he eventually discoy
cred a process by which he succeede
in obtaining the richest and mos
durable photographs that are no.
taken in Wexford. He still keeps th
old camera that made his fortune.