St. Landry democrat., 1879-02-08


said his name was Henry Scott, told a
most astonishing story. He said that
when he went to the clubhouse the ped
dler had already gone to his bed, which
was high, old>fashioned tent bed with
curtains. Scott took bed at the oppo-
site end of the room. This bed had. cur
tains, too, as the room was large and
droughty. He placed his clothes on a
chair and flung his vslise, or holster, on
bit of carpet at the side of the bed.
When he put out the light he observed
that the moon was shining full into the
room. He lay awake for some time, and
presently heard footsteps in the room.
The next moment the curtain of his bed
was gently drawn and he saw a face
looking down upon him. He lay quite
still, though greatly alarmed. The face
disappeared and retreating steps were
heard He arose on his elbow and peered
through the curtain. He distinctly
saw two men at the further end of the
room near the peddler's bed. They
passed around the foot of it and disap-
peared at the other side. That moment
he heard scream and saw the face of
the peddler protrude from the curtain.
There was scuffie and suppressed cry,
and the next moment the peddler
bounded from the bed and ran, screaming
murder" toward Scott's bed, holding
his valise at arms length. The two
men followed the fugitive, and Scott,
Mortified and fear stricken, slipped from
his bed on the other side and hid him
self in closet. He heard the groans and
blows and the sound of retreating foot
steps, then all was still. The next in
slant, however, the door opened, other
footstepswere heard along the floor and
the curtains of SCOTS bed were hastily
drawn. The visitant, whoever he was,
uttered an oath of disappointment and
fled from the room.
After waiting some time Scott came
forth from the closet. and found the ped
dler lying on the ground dead, Scott
was in terrible dilemma and saw at a
glance that he would be suspected of
having murdered the peddler. Panic.
stricken, he hastily dressed himself,
picked up his valise from the floor, took
his horse from the stable and departed
from the inn, resolving to seek safety in
fight. It was daylight when he reached
Coninbro, and then for the first time he
discovered that ths valise lie had taken
from the floor was not his, but the ped
dler's, which he had no doubt dropped
when the murderers fell upon him, and
in place of which they doubtless seized
and carried off SCOTS, which lay on the
carpet close by.
This extraordinary story was not be-
lieved by the coroner's jury in the face
of the damning evidence against Scott.
1t was shown that he had,,seen the peddler
produce his wallet from the valise in the
blacksmith shop; that he offered to
accompany the peddler to Doncaster,
and that he had taken up his quarters at
the same inn, and slept in the same room
with the murdered man. Besides this,
he was captured with the valise in his
possession, and what better evidence of
his guilt could there be?
Scott was sent to jail, and in due
course tried fer willful murder. Out of
charity young lawyer undertook his
defense. The evidence for the prosecu-
ton was clear and convincing, and Mr..
O'Brien, the prisoners counsel, saw no
chance 1or his clients escape. The
principal witnesses against him were the
blacksmith, John Steele, his son Richard,
the men that were in the smithy when
the peddler and Scott first met, the
landlord of the inn, who swore that
Scott urged the peddler to 60 to another
inn, and the oficefs who found Scott with
the peddler's valise in his possession.
The hammer with which the murder
was committed was produced on the
trial, and shown to the jury. One of
them remarked to the court that it was
blacksmith shoeing hammer. Mr.. 'Brien
quietly asked to be allowed to look
at it, and he examined it closely. Then
he stood up and handed it to the pris-
oner. Scott glanced his eye over it for
moment, and then handed it back to hi
counsel. The next instant he clutched
it, drew it from OBrien's grasp and
scrutinized it with the most intense
interest. Then he leaned on the dock
and spoke in hurried tone to his coun-
sci. The latter, with flushed face and
hasty movements, made his way to the
side of the prosecuting officer, then spoke
with the Judge, and, after few seconds,
beckoned an officer and whispered him
few words. Mr.. Steele, the blacksmith,
was recalled to the witness stand by Mr..
O'Brien, who said:
"Mr. Steele, you are an old and ex-
perienced blacksmith, are you not?"
s'Yes, sir" Steele answered, with a
perceptible tremorsin his voice.
"Did you work at yourgtrade in Hold
,rness?" &
eyes, sir, when I was young man."
Anything peculiar in the manufac-
lure of horseshoe nails in that district.