The Indiana State sentinel., 1876-01-17
THE TESTIMONY
That Sealed the Fate ofLapage--Sen-
fenced to Death for the Murder
Of Josie Langnaid.
THE SCHOOL GIRL MURDER.

THE SCHOOL GIRL MURDER.
THE Evidence ALL IN AND THE CASE SUMMED
UP B9 BOTH sIDEs-THREATs OF LYNCH
LAW IN CASE THE JURY SHOULD ACQUIT OR
DISAGREE.
The Concord correspondent OF the New
York Sun gives the conclusion of the trial of
Lapsge, charged with the murder of Miss
Josie Lsngmsid. and now under sentence OF
death for the crime, as announced in the
telegraphic columns of the Sentinel: The
usual complacency of the auditors in the
certainty of the conviction of the prisoner
gave place to an anxiety bred not little of
dstrust of the II men to whom the
life of Joseph Lapage has been COM
mitted. They fear that the jurors
NAV have beeOme infected with the doubt
with which they are hardly able to deny the
evidence for the defense had influenced
their own judgments. They have watched
the prisoner to-day with more attentive in
terest than before. As usual hundreds
were unable IN obtain admission to the
court room. The prosecution first called for
the rebuttal George Julius, John Demas
and Edward Gamslain. They rode to Joe
Daigu ault's house in one of Joe Daignault's
teams, arriving there az l2:3O P. NJ. on the
day of the murder. The employees of Daig
nault, who drove the team, had testified
that they found LaTage there talking to
their employer. The sbOve-nsmed wit
nesses swore that, with equal opportunity
to see whoever was talking with Dalgnault,
they did not see Lapage.
BAD FOR PRISONER.
William Il. Cole testified that he was
hauling dirt on the road between Suncook
and the academy on the morning of the MUIR
der, and Lspsge passed him at $50 A. NJ.
going toward the academy. The detectives
were then recalled, and swore that Lapage
invariably told them that Joe Dlignault was
shoeing horse when he arrived there. Joe
Dsignault, when on the stand, swore that he
shed no horses until the afternoon of Octo-
Der 4. The prosecution again rested at this
point, and the defense called in Tebuttal
Gilbert Ralph Rickwood, of the McGill Uni
versity, Montreal. The witness took his
degrees in London, although he had pursued
his studies in Germany well. He testi-
fed that the blood OF men, horses, sheep,
COWS, and goats can re distinguished under
the microscope when fresh, but after it has
become dried the distinction is a mere mat
ter OF opinion, and wholly untrustworthy
as evidence. The ecross-exRminatiOn elected
that the professors opinion was based
from the present advancement of blood
science in Canadian schools. It might be
better understood in Germany, where IL
originated, and wherever mechanical ad
vantages equal to those OF Germany can be
OBJ aimed. The defense rested here, and Drs.
Chase and Hsiles were recalled to show that
the mechanical spectroscopic. microscopic,
and scientific advantages OF Boston are be-
yond criticism. The examination lasted un-
til the noon recess, and both sides resting, it
came to be generally known that the sum-
ming up would begin at P. NJ. Those who
desired to hear that part of the cRse-and
they were about all that had obtained seats
kept their seats with praiseworthy sslf-de-
NAL during the recess of an hour and half.
The prisoner, the jury, and those within the
railing of the bar retired, but those who
counted that their early coming would make
them proprietOrs OF the seats of retiring
auditors were generally disappointed.
SUMMING UP FOR THE DEFENSE.
Counsellor Samuel Page summed up for
the defense. His reputation as a politician
is at least state wide, but general confidence
was INDUCED in that his ADVOCACY of the
prisoner would amount TO nothing, that
Lew Clark, as the attorney-general is ia
miliarly called, could not easily demolish.
AS Mr.. Page proceeded with his argument
a manifest unessiness took possession of the
audience. They eyed Lapsge in way that
indicated that they were growing less as
sured of the certainty of conviction. Coun-
sellor Page pointed out the missing links in
the chain of circumstances with consum-
mate skill. The different identihcations of
Lspage, he contended, were rendered GER
tain by the well-disssminated fact that
the prisoner was confined in the
first cell in the Concord jail. Those
who wished to put nail
into his cofiB were led directly TO that cell;
and so men nearly blind with optical disease,
like Mr.. Towle, spoke certsinly, although
they could not recognize neighbor as far
as they swore Lspage was from them. The
only person who saw Lspage pass the acad-
emy was Miss Gault, although over hun
dred boys and girls wor- playing just inside
the open fence. She swUre that he passed.
The wood choppers who sWore that Lapsge
visited them at A. NJ. in Cofin's lot were
four, to three who swOre that they saw him
there between II and /. This very differ
ence among the canadians, he argued. fully
answered the imp9tatiOn that those citizens
had combined to swear their countrymRn
out of trouble. From these witnesses the
advocate claimed that the prisoner mad es-
tablished, not q sentimental doubt, but one
that almost excluded the hypothesis of his
guilt.
MUTTERINGs.
Those who listened to Mr.. Page from the
outside of the closed windows, by some
sort of magnetism, became aware that he
was shaking the faith of many earnest be-
levers in the prisoners guilt. Those dis
appointed in obtaining access to the court
room heard these rumors with somethi nQ
akin to dismay. "Thst jury isn't the sort
OF one TO try a case like that" said one
man. "Why, the clerk Just told me that a
juryman, while at supper the first night,
broke up his fish balls in his coffee, think
ing they were doughnuts. He ate the mess,
too, just saying they make the cookies pow
erful salty like down here in Concord" I"
Such juryman, the criticising Daniel de-
clared, was unworthy of trust. Doubt soon
bred determination, and not a few said
openly that ii Lspage should be acquitted IL
would not do him much good. He won't
live to get far from town. Men were even
found who advocated the same sort of
speedy settlement of his case, even
in case the jury disagreed. Attorney
General Clark began his summing up
at o'clock. Hecommented upon the evil
dence that the prisoner was in the academy
road just before the time the girl was MUIR
dered. If the jury believed this evidence
kIn~~ xwwf.e .