The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-09-10
THE LEFT HAND.

.s- THE LEFT HAND.
How 1t Figured in Mysterious Murder-Two
Feet, Two Knees, but Only One Hand-An
Innocent Man Accused of tho Crime-Cir-
cumstantial Evidence Which Brought the
Guilt Home.
The murder of DR.. Hunston, of Wis
beach, England, in 1898, presented some
very unusual points of circumstantial
evidence. DR.. Hunston was a physician
and a naturalist. and was wealthy. He
lived alone, and was Of somewhat misery
habits. He had an illegitimate son whom
he had brought up with care, who was
apparently worthy youth. DR.. Hun.
ston's house stood In the suburbs of the
rural town, with trees around it. Very
near to it was the residence of lawyer,
named Terwhit. DR.. Hunston was orig
inally very successful surgeon in Lon
don, but during an autopsy he cut his
right hand with an operating knife, and
to prevent fatal consequences, Immediate
~ submitted to the amputatlon Of the
arm. The dwelling occupied by the doc
tor had been purchased many years be-
fore the date of the crime to be narrated.
From time to time he had added to it,
until it was a rather peculiar structure.
In wing reached by five steps from the
parlor was the doctors bed room; beyond
that was his workshop, and beyond that
again, in an odd angle, his study. JAM
med into what appeared to be passage
just begun and left unfinished, was the
desk in which the doctor always kept a
quantity Of loose cash, and some old jew
els Of great value, hirelooms Of the Hun
ston family, from which he was descend
ed. A coachman, a gardener and a groom
lived IN the yard right below the win
dews Of the doctors apartments, and he
was in the habit of saying that they gave
ample protection to the dwelling in that
direction. In his workshop
A1AReE BLOOD MAsr1FF:
always slept, and the windows of the
parlor were supplied with strong shutters
which we're carefully closed every night.
When Lawyer Tcrwhit joked with DR..
Hunston about his chances of being
robbed, he was wont to laugh and say
that it would require very expert thieves
to get an entrance, or, having got an en-
trance to get out again safe and sound.
1t was the 18th of August, 1928.
Young Hunston had returned from Col
lege and gone to London for a visit to
friends. Lawyer Terwhit had sat with
the doctor until nine o'clock. Then the
latter saw that his servant closed up the
house, and soon afterward retired. DR..
Hunston was an early riser, and when he
failed to be stirring at eight o'clock next
morning, surprise was excited among the
domest1cs. BY nine o'clock they were
alarmed, and by ten resolved to send for
Lawyer Te1whit and ask his advice. The
lawyer suggested the forcing Of the deor
leading from the parlor to the bed room
of the doctor. This was done, and the
lawyer and the domestics entered.
A DREADFUL SPECTACLE
was disclosed. DR.. Hunston lay on his
bed in his night clothes. His arm was
thrown out so as tc hang out over the
side of the bed. His head lay over the
bolster, and his throat was cut from ear
to ear. An ordinary kitchen knife,
sharpened like razor, lay on the left
side of the bed, and in the bolster on
the same side was a cash. The doors
through the orkroom into the Doctors
study were open. The dog lay peace
fully sleeping. The desk in the study
had been
RANsACKED OF EVERY THING
Of any value. There had been difficulty
in opening it, and the person forcing the
lock had worked to the right side Of the
desk as it stood, for there were marks on
the wall showing where: he had rubbed
of the whitewash. The windows of all
the rooms were examined. All were
fastened except one IN the workshop. OF
this the cords had been broken, for when
the broken sash was raised it fell with a
crash.
Right below this window was flower
bed. In the soft mold there were prints
of mans knees and Ct his LETT hand.
There we're also marks as if his toes had
struck the soil. The servant-men who
slept near the spot had heard no noise in
the night except what sounded like the
banging of a shutter, and as there was
wind blowing they thought nothing of
that.
Lawyer Terwhit was very shrewd
man and a clever criminal expert. The
authorities were duly notified Of the dread
ful crime that had been perpetrat
ed, and measures were taken to find a
clue to the guilty person or persons. The
motive was clearly plumber. The perpe-
traitor or perpetrators knew that the doc
tor kept valuables in his apartments. It
would seem as though they also knew
where there vas defective window. The
points presented in the case were numer-
GUS and pregnant.
THE POINTS IN THE CASE.
1. There was no possible means of &C
cess to the apartments of the doctor ex-
cept by the window already spoken Of
That this had been used was evident.
TWAS twelve feet from the ground. There
were marks Of feet on the coping Just be-
low, as though some one had walked
along 1t from the corner, clinging to the
windows, on purpose to avoid leaving
traces. Immortality below in the soil
there were no marks of feet, and no i'm
preston Of any sort other than those al
ready mentioned, namely: the marks OF
the knees, the toes, and the left hand