, 1880-06-06
WHITTAKER'S PROTOTYPE.

WHITTAKER'S PROTOTYPE.
How Daniel Webster Exposed a Man
Who Shot Himself Through The Hand
After Robbing Himself on the High
way.
A curious light is thrown on the case Of Whit
takcr By story which Mr.. Curtis tells In his life
Of Webster Of the alleged robbery and wound-
ing of Maj. Goodrtdge, of Massachusetts, sixty
years ago, as investigated and exposed by Mr..
Webster. Mr. Curtis narrative is SO clear and
interesting that we reproduce it in his own
words:
Goodrtdgc was person OF previous good cbnr-
bnve been robbed Of largo sum Of money Mt
about . o'clock In the night Of Dec. 10, 1Sl6, on
the road between Exeter and cWbMryport, soon
way from New Ham pshire into Massachusetts,.
Among the proofs of the robbery was pistol
shot through his left hand, received, US he said,
before the robbers pulled him from his horse, he
and one OF his nssailants dscharEtng their pistols
at each other On tho same instant. He was then,
according to his account, dragged from his
beaten until be was senscleas. On his recovery
he went back to tho toIl-houso on tho bridge,
where he appeared to be for time in state OF
to return to the place Of the robbery With some
persons who accompanied him with lantern,
where his watch, papers. and othor articles
were 1ounQ 5CnILcFCu On tIC kEuuIA ou lA0
following day he went to Sewbutyport aud re-
nnainod there i'll. Mt intervals in a stnte Of
real or simulated frenzy tor several ~ weeks. elt.
covcry Gov, ~ Of the robbors: and 80 general was the
sympathy. for him IN very orderly community
that his plans '.ero aided by tho Innocent zeal Of
wns against The Kennistons, two poor men who
dwe1t in the town Of New Market, y. f., on the
other side Of the river; In their cellar he tound
ha5 5fe So q s& Ge pneo on ali s
$40 note which he also identified As his own.
The Kennstons wore arrested. examined, md
held for trial He next charged tho toll toll.
and on his premises. with tho aid Of
vitch-hnzel conjurer, he also found como
Of his sold and papers IN which it had
been wrapped. Pearson was arrested, exam
fncd before two magistrates and discharged
Goodrldge then complained against one Tabcr,
person whe lived N bo;tc71. Finally h. fol.
New York, In whose house he swore that he also
discovered some of h:E marked wrappers The
machinery Of nm Executive reQutsiton Was put
into motion and Jackmnn was brought into
Massachusetts and lodged in Jail. He and Taber
and the keanistons we're then indicted for rob-
berg In tho County OF Essex. SO cunnInkly had
this man cOntriycd his story thnt tho popular
belief WAS entirely with him. The witch-hazel
Of his evidence probably did not disincline the
populace to believe him. But 1t Is oven said that
there were few members Of the county bar
who did not regard the case Of the kennistons
Us desperate There we1o some, however, who
believed GoodFdses ster{ to be fa!se and these f
defense OF tho accused. The Indictment against
Taber Has noue pressed. That ngalnst the Ken
nistons came on for trial at Ipswich in April,
1877. They had nothing on which to rely but
their prcviou: good character. and tho negative
fact that since tho supposed robbery they bud
not passed any money l nor were @ seen en- TO % have
cate could develop In the story of Goodrfdgo.
The theory of tho defense was that Goodridge
wns his orn rubber, and had fred the pistol shot
through his hand.
In the power OF fcroAs-e1amtnlng witnesses Mr..
Webster had no superior Of tho day, and MS rep
utation In this respect doubtless aided the Inn
precision which he produced upon the jury.
There were traditions which had come over the
border from New Hampshire Of his terrible skill
in battling the deepest plans Of perjury and
fraud, which excited the jury to the closest at
tnntton to bis method OF dealing with Goodridge.
They saw his well-concoctcd story laid bnre In
Pm r
ttons which would be set of agairst tho theory
that tho latter meant to maintain But whom all
the evidence for and against Goodrldgc's narra-
tive had bcon drawn out, and 1t caEnc to the
summing up, there remained two obvious ditl-
culttes III the way Of that hypothesis. One 1T
them MAS TINT no motive hsd boen shown for
80 strange AL act as d mans falsely pretend-
Ing to have been robbed and charging
the robbery upon innocent people; tho
othfE that tho theory ct Goodridgc beng him
believe that he had proceeded in this fraudulent
manufacture Of proofs to the extremity OF shoot-
PIT 1sf 1c6 f n h"n o aa e
evidence, ri Administered in our criminal tl1ris-
prudence, very properly regards the absence Of
motive for an not thc coEa1ni:sion OF which tln-
portant things to be weighed in favor of tnno-
ecnce: anda, to the .hotrng,i 1t was ccrtnlnly in
himself in otder to maintain a false statement
that ho had boon rohfsetl and mptncd By some
one olse. But IL gr"ppl,inEA g. With these &c: DIN.
rungc OF hunlnn motives Ia utmost tnt1nit; TINT
II de.ulrc to avoid payment OF his debts IT he
owed debts, or whimsical ami hilton for disttnc-
ridges conduct, and that, having once announced
himself to community ms 2 man who had been
robbed Of a large sum and beaten nearly to
With the m act. Thls vas correct reasoning, but
Still no motive had been shown for the original
rrctense; and if there had not been some de-
cIsivc circumstances developed on the evidence
It IS not easy TO say how this casc ought to have
been decided. These. circumstances make it
necessary to believe TINT. although :Gootirtdge
w was til that the ' pistol ' Of % the 'l'l roh6er a
81 The aco6rnF Ts e # w
Of the physicians who attended him there were
no marks Of powder on tis hand; and the ap-
That The muzzlc Of tho pistol must have been
three or fcur feet fr,m his hand. while there
wore no marks Of powder on the sleeve Of his
cont. and the ball passed through the coat as we'll
as the hand.
This state Of evidences justified Mr. Websters
remark that *'ali exhibitions nre subject to ac-
cidcut; whether serious or firclcal rhev do not
always proceed exactly as they ought to do
Go,drfdgc. he argued, intended To shoot the bali
through his cont-.leevc, and,it accidentally per-
forated his hand also.
G0.s1ridEe. however, returned to the CHARGE
J Jacx n,nn was put on trial nt the next term Of
the court and the jnry disagreed. At his Sec
oud trial hr. Webster defended him. and be was
acquitted. These criminal proceedings were
followed by an action for malicious persecution,
instituted BY Pearson against GOodr7dge. MIR.
Webster wae OF counsel for plaintiff in this
case. The evidence WAS now still more clear
against GoodridEe: verdict for 4 large sum
was recovered against him. and the public ut
last saw tho fact tudiclally established that he
bad rTsaebtsd himself. He left Now England u dis
gTaced uAn; but no Glow to his motive was over
discovered.
Twenty years afterwards Mr.. Webster was
travelling In tho western part Of the State ot
SeT York; he etnprc,t al n tnvern and went in
10 n@k for Ela~@ OF water. The man behind the
counter exhibited great agitation the traveller
Approached him. md when he placed the glass
II water before Mr.. Webster his hand troubled
but he did not speak. Mr. Webster
frank the wuter, turned without saying another
Tord and Feentcred his carriage The man VAS
ioodridge.
ATurkfsh Horem In Paris.
New Fork Home journal.
More than thirty yeslr5 since there came to re-
5dc In Paris certaf: Nehmoud Benayod Pnsha,
wealthy Turk, who invested an immense sum
,f Y,opny IN the nnrchnSa frf nrar1,{xra II, thu