The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-04-26
CONDEMNED BY A CLOCK.
By WILLIE COLLINS.


man was found murdered in field near a
certain town, in the west Of England
The name of the field was g Pardon'S
Piece
The man was Il small carpenter and
builder in the town who bore an inditler
ent character On the evening i'll Que>
ton a distant relative of his. employed as
farm bailiff by gentleman in the neigh
borhood, happened to be passing a stile
which led from the field into the road,
and saw gentleman leaving the field by
way of this stile rather i'll a hurry. He
recognized the gentleman (whom he
knew by sight only as Il Mr.. Dubourg.
They passed each other on the road i'll
opposite directions. After certain lapse
OF time-estimated as being a half hour
the farm bailiff had occasion to pass
back along the same road. On reaching
the stile he heard an alarm raised and
entered the field to see what was the
matter He found several persons run
ming from the further side of Pardon'S
the back of a cattle shed, in remote
part of the enclosure. screaming with
terror. At the boy feet lay, face down.
ward, the dead body of a man. with his
head horribly beaten III. His watch was
under him, hanging out of his pocket by
the chain. 1t had stopped-evidently in
consequence of the conclusion of its
owners fall on tat $50. The body
was still warm. All the other valuables
like the watch. was left on it. The farm
bailiff instantly recognized the man as
the carpenter and builder mentioned
above.
At the preliminary inquiry, the stop
page of the watch at $50 was taken as
offering good circumstantal evidence
that the blow which had killed the man
had been struck at that time.
The next question was. if any one had
been near the body at $50? The farm
bailiff declared that he had met Mr.. Du-
bourg hastily leaving the field by the
stile at that very time. Asked if he had
looked at his watch. he owned that he
had not done so. Certain previous cir
cumstances. which he mentioned rs hav-
ing impressed themselves on his memory
enabled him to feel sure of the truth of
this assertion without having consulted
his watch. He was pressed on this i'm
portant point, but he held to his deelara
ton At $50 he had seen Mr.. Dubourg
hurriedly leave the field. At $50 the
watch of the murdered man had stopped.
Had any other person been observed i'll
OF near the field at that time?
No witness had been discovered who
had seen anybody else near the place,
Hal the weapon turned up with which
the blow had been struck? 1t had not
been foHud. Was any one known (rob-
berry having plainly not been the motive
of the crime( 10 have entertained a
grudge against the murdered man? 1t
was no secret that he associated with
doubtful characters, male and tc.aale:
i,nt suspicion failed to point to any one
Of them i'll particular.
In this state of things there was no
alternative but to request Mr. Duboufg
well known in and out of the town as
young gentleman of independent for
tune, bearing an excellent characterize
give some account of himself.
He Immediately admitted that he had
passed through the field. But. in con-
tradiction to the farm, hailift he declared
that !.e had looked at hi, @aiGh ut the
moment before lie crossed the stie, ti.d
that the tine by it was exactly S.13.-
Five minutes later. that is to say. ten
minutes before the murder had been
committed. on the evidence of the dead
mans watcl-he had paid visit to a
lady living near Pardon Piece. and bad
remained with her until his watch, colt
suited once more OF, leaving the ladys
house, informed him that il was So.
Here was what the defence called an
~.alibi." 1t entirely satisfied Mr.. Du-
bourg's friends. To satisfy justice also
it was necessary to call the lady rs il
witness. In the meantime anotherpu
formal question was put to Mr.. Dubourg.
Did he know anything of the murdered
man!
With some appearance of confusion,
Mr.. DIbourg admitted that he had i,aai.
induced by friend to employ the man
ON some work. Further interrogation
extracted from him the following state
ment of facts:
That the work had been very badly
dom: that an exhorbitant price had been
CHARGED for it: that the man. on being
demonstrated with had behaved i'll Il
grossly impairment manner: that an al
tercation had taken place between them:
that Mr.. Dubourg had seized the man
by the collar of his eGaf. and had turned
him out of the house: THAI H. bad called
the man an internal scoundrel tje!ng i'll
Il passion at the time) and threatened to
-:thresii him within an inch of his life =
Cor words 10 that effect. if lie ever pre-
snmed to come pear the house again:
that he had sincerely ,cgretted his own
violence the moment he recovered his
Seif-DOssession: and lastly, that. OF, his
oath (the alteration having occurred six
weeks ago he bad never spoken to the
man, or set eyes Oh the man since.
As the matter there stood. these cir
cnnlstances We're considered a. being
unfortunate circumstances for Mr.. Du-
bourg-nothing more. He had his
>. ami " to appeal to- and his character
10 appeal 10: and nobody doubted the
result.
The lady appear red 81 witness.
Confronted with Mr.. Ds.honrg on the
question of time. and forced &c answer.
She absolutely contradicted him on the
testimony of the clock on her OWN man
tel-piece. IN substance. her evidence was
simply this: She looked at her clock when
Dubourg entered the room. thinking it
rather a late hour for visitor to call on
her. The clock (regulated by the maker
only the day before) pointed to twenty
five minutes to nine. Practical expert
ment showed that the time required
to walk the distance. at rapid pace. from
the stile to the iady's house. was just five
minutes. Here. then. was the farm
bailiif Oimself d respectable witness)
corroborated by another witness of cx-
cellent character The clock on being
examined next, was found to be right.
~ Il q / I. L
that he kept the key. and that there had
been no necessity to set the clock and
wind it up again. since he had performed
both the acts on the day preceding Mr..
Dubourgs visit. The accuracy OF the
conclusion on the evidence was ire
sistible. AR. Dubourg stood convicted
of having, by his own admission. had a
quarrel, terminating in an assault and
threat on his side, and, lastly. OF having
attempted to set up an alibi by false
statement of the question of time
There was no alternative but to commit
him to take his trial at the assizes.
charged with the murder of the builder
in Pardon's Piece.
The trial occupied two days.
No new facts of importance were dis
covered in the interval. The evidence
followed the course which it had taken at
the preliminary eXaminations-with this
difference only that it was more carefully
sifted. Mr.. DHbourg had the double adj
vantage of securing TIE services of the