The Bossier banner., 1879-04-10


murderer had left no clew behind. but
after the surgical examination a discoy-
cry was made that startled every, one
present. ---...--. t,,1szfsi s'.,,.-,,
Lying upon the desk, and almost en-
tirely concealed beneath mass OF legal
documents, was a piece, of legal cap,
upon which was traced, in a spasmodic
hand, these words: 'el7f,' .s.-'ls'', -, +,
3 "Jason Bowers did this!'' '''"'''A
Below this brief but startling sentence.
which seemed at once to fix the identity
OF the assassin, was what appeared to
be an attempt of the writer to. affix a
signature, but after a 81 -. the pen
made . long mark, which the, beholders
could follow across the desk to the very
walnut edgiEg. - :, = S,,-,t 49, :
M Itseemed that death had suddenly
stricken the writer in the act of signing
his name, and the broken pen in the
Judges ilifeless hand pointed almost
positively to the writer. ~. ',,'t~oa,ua'A
There was such man as Jason Bow,
ers. He was not Q resident of B --.
For some time past he, had been an in
mate OF the County Jail--held there on
a chargesof forgery. On the day prior
to the night of the Judges murder this
man Bowers had been acquitted by the
jury selected to try him, and at the mo-
ment of the commission of the crime he
was a free man. He had never been
heard to say aught against the Judge,
more than to remark that he thought
that in the charge to the jury he L(the
Judge) had favored conviction. :. 'lAt
homs the young man bad not borne an
irreproachable character, having en-
gagged in affairs of questionable honor;
but the trial for forgery was his first ap-
pearance before criminal court. .s-,r-.i
Upon the evidence of the writing on
the~pePery~which was pronounced bY
all to be in the late Judges chirogra-
ply, and beyond doubt the last.work of
his life, the Sheriff resolved to take
Jason Bowers into custody If he was
still in town. The young man was not
difficult to find, as he was in the crowd
below, and ON the charge Of malicious
murder he was forthwith arrested and
lodged in Jail. -s'es F'sL 800
We now come to the most mysterious
part Of our narrative. ,i5saa it htf,' .''',aa'
At the Coroner's" inquest but little
light was thrown upon the crime.
Jabez Throck, the janitor, said that
he found the outer doors of the Court
house locked from the inside; and taat
he had been obliged 70 inter through
the, coal-cellar, Of which he alone car
ried the key. It was not an Uncommon
thing for the deceased d to remain in his
room till IL o'clock at night during a
session of court, and upon such occa-
sions he locked the Courthouse when
he left for home. Upon the janitor's
testimony the theory that the murderer
had been concealed in the building was
started, but this was injured by the va
rious county officers, who swore that
they had locked the iron doors leading
into their Offices immediately after the
adjournment OF court, which gave. the
murderer no place for concealment but
the stone corridors. ~ }a Ssh "a 4 .a' s,,af'
The Courthouse was on the second
street running parallel with the. river,
and one of the town sewers connected
it with the stream. There was q bare
possibility that small man might have
obtained ingress to the building by the
sewer, but an examination of its mouth
dissipated this theory. The courtroom
was situated on the second floor The
murderer, to reach the Judges apart
ment, was compelled to cross the COURT
room, which, when wrapped in dark
ness, as it was. when the murder was
committed, was no easy task for one
unacquainted with the. arrangement of
the furniture, etc. If the assassin had
traversed the room just described, he
had failed to displace single chair,
several having been placed in the aisles,
as the Sheriff testified; and the mode
and manner of his exit were also left in
the dark. <glf 8t u H3iA ti,ta@s@
There was nothing to point to the
evil-doer save the piece of paper already
twice mentioned, and by the major part
of BIS inhabitants it was regarded
as conclusive. Jason Bowers was ab-
jured to confess, but to the surprise of
all he protested his innocence, and de-
clared that at the proper time he would
prove an alibi. 5ae 'it,i a" '.''
A new Judge took Blakely's place,
and the session was resumed. "A new
Grand Jury was summoned, which in-
dicted Jason Bowers with wiliful mur-
der, and after the disposal of several
grand larcenies the young man was put
1ponarAbfdr hk lifS- ESAS' ~
The DISTRICT Attorpey,sasp who
had won many eulogiums for his rigor-
GUS prosecution of criminal cases, was
summoned to B.. to look after the in
terest of the State. After an investiga-
ton of the case he declared that the ju-
ry would deliver verdict of tssg4iltygH.
without. leaving their boxes and the
trial Commenced -Sl .Z-@2 s.s~ '--sA ~
1t is called to-day ''the great trial" at
h, though 16 years have passed
away, and the old Courthouse has Civ
en- place to a n6w one. 5..-.. -..si.,;f d