Weekly Trinity journal., 1879-02-15
CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
Ii IL the Only Evidence that Never
Lies.


Circumstances do not lie they are
trustworthy rs far MS they go, and the
only thing required to render their evi-
dence indisputable, is that ne link in the
cham shall be lacking.
To be sure there is liability to error,
but it is not through danger tast tho cir
cumstances may pr owe thus treacherous,
but that witness may be mistaken in
his direct evidence, or testimony. Alb
solutoly and truly, direct testimony-the
recounting of what man has himself
seen or heard-is always to be accepted
with caution and it not unfrequently
happens that such testimony, given in
the utmost good faith, proves false and
t:eacherous.
Let me tell you story to illustrate
what l mean. II transprod abou. twen-
! ty years ago on the shores ofthe Hudson.
a young LADY, forget tho name, but
we will supply hctitiously-Mary Adams,
was missed from her home. Her disap-
pearance caused intense excitement, and
that excitement ran wild when il was Mt
length announced that she had been
murdered. Her body had been found on
the shores of a tributary OF tho Hudson
River, with bruises upon her head, which
gave ample evidence that her death nad
been violent one.
SLch bruises might have been gained
by falling upon the rocks about tie spot
whore tho remains were found, but thore
were other circumstances that pointed in
another and more CHASTITY direction.
A young man named William Clay
pole was arrested under accusation of tho
murder Of May Adams. A preliminary
examination before Justice afforded
sufficient evidence to bind him over to
appear before II grand jury. Claypole
had waited upon Miss Adams for year
or more, and during the two or three
months past their intercourse had not
been of the happiest kind. She was
proved to have been gay, laughter loving
With a light, volatile dispos tion, heart
warm and impulsive, and impatient of
restraint. Claypole, it appeared. had
been exceedingly jealous and exacting,
prone to fault finding, and ready to make
his nflianced m miserable and fearful if she
dared to look smilingly upon another
man.
1t was proved by several witnesses that
Claypoe had threatened Miss Adams
with terrible vengeance if he ever caught
her doing certain trlling things again ;
and man of the town--a man respecta
Bile and reliable-hsd seen tho twain to-
gother in angry discussion on the very
night of tho disappearance.
He had been on his way home on foot,
and walked leisurely along by the rivers
bank, not hundred yards from where
the dead body had been found. He had
heard Claypole Use language Of terrible
significance. and one sentence, spoken
loudly and distinctly, he could repeat
word for word. and swear to IL.
II was bright moonlight evening,
and he had gained but short distance
man grasp the arm and fercely exclaim
I'D rather kill you and throw your
body into this cold food than live under
such torment as YOU We made me suffer
the last few weeks. Beware l tell you
woman, / am desperate"
To this the man swors most positively I.
Ho remembered the circumstance and
the exact date, and that was the evening
on which Mary had left her home not to
return. William Claypole was commit
ted for trial, and in due time he was
brought before tho jury.
If anything, the evidence before the
, jury was mere conclusive ;hnn had been
the preim mary evidence. There was
moro of it, and it all pointed directly to
the accused. In fact, Il Mary Adams
had been killed, it was an absolute i'm
possibility that any one else could have
done il. That she could have killed her
self was a proposition not to be entertain
ed at all.
William Claypole told his story
Most Of tho evidence no had heard he
acknowledged true.
lie had been exceedingly jealous and
he had threatened the GIRL and though
ha could not clearly remember all thai
he might have said under the influence
of strong pass ion, yet he wo1ld not deny
that the man who had reported his last
terrible speech upon the rivers bank
had reported it correctly.
He said he had been there with Mary
on that evening, and he remembered
that he saw witness on tho road. After
seeing witness he spoke tho angry, i'm
pulsive words to Mary. He could only
swear to the simple fact that very
shortly after using tho language just
presented, he had become startled by
his own fierce passions, and had sent
the CIR, from h him-had bade her go to
her home, telling ter that ho hoped he
might never see her again. With that
, she had left him, and he knew no more
, Caypole's story bere the stamp oi
, truth in everything save the bearing
r upon It of tho facts already stated
Every body was sorry. Nobody beloved
that William Claypole yer nourishet
, murder in his heart. 1t had been ba
the creature Of dreadful impulse.
Yet the evidence was all against hin
AL, all-and net point whereon to hans
a doubt, and he was found guilty 0
murder.