The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1881-07-06

:.
JULY 6. 1851
more determined to procure his 'ac.
quittal if il was s!en the cards.
sMhile returning. to, my office, an
idea struck me- | asked the girl il
Henry hadiany more handkefehiefs
like the one found among the goods;
she said he had aSnumber, she had
hemmed them for him. She also
told ne.tbaton the;night e6the ball
she had taken Henry's handkerchief
and tied d Sety small knot in One
corner, u knot commonly called by
young people a ''lepe.kn6t.w 1t was
so small that itwould hardIy be no,
ticed, and she desired me ,tSSlook at
the handkerchief found, abtlle first
opportunity, and see il there was
such d knot on ite forif itl&as hot
there, sthensit was not Henry's, Nj
The. hearing beforeahe magistrale
was 20 take place the, next day, and
Isents hets hUnie with.fpstrnction ons u
EHlias IA eResff ha haIlfls sefehiais
no one iknogfit. She estafteds home,
and | went TO my office TO think.
And while Ellen has gone after
the. handkerchief, let me ask 6f-sthe
public, that may be disposed to Judge
me harshly, u few questions. (
WhatTight has the State, for the
sakeof The price paid for a license,
to grant tile proprietor Of the United
States Hotel the privileges of'tempt-
ing young men to get'dsunk. and in
consequences thereof to become crimi.
nails? What right has the State to
authorize anyoneto sell insanity, or
give to another loathsome and
deadly disease? Has a druggist a
right TO sell or give arsenic or prus-
sic acid to one he knows will be in
jured by the poisors? Has the State
right TO grant a license to dos be.
cause'it puts money in the public
purse? We punish the defaulter to
the government who has stolen or
embezzled the public money of which
he was the custodian. Is 1T any
meaner or morewicked to steal from
the government, than for the. gov
ernment to rob the citizen Of his
health, his money, and''his reputa.
ton, by the license privilege which
does all these and much more? Had
the government a right through its
legalized emissaries to ruin the poor
widows son and break her heart for
for the purpose Of increasing the
public revenue? Is the legal maxim
true: "Actus legis nemini facit inju-
riam" C"The act of law is prejudicial
to no one?") No, it is not true; it is
specious lie, and will be SO long as
such laws exist.
But Ellen has returned with the
handkerchief, and we will proceed
Win our story.
The hearing was before A. c., q
magistrate in our city, There was
d long high desk All one end df his
office beside which.he sat during the
examination. | stood behind the
desk atone end. The prisoner, wit
nesses and audience were in 'front.'
L had procared a newspaper, which
| opened and spread upon the top Of
the desk, and stood reading it while
the prelininaries were being arran.
ged. The handkerchief was produ.
ced, and while | was cross.examining
the principal witness, l carelessly
spread it over the newspaper had
been reading, and with u pin | pune
tured the handkerchief and the pa
per around the margin Of the blood
spots. This | did-while l was cross
examining the witnesses and "quar.
reling" with the District Attorney.
When the examination had con.
cluded and the defendant had been
held under bail for his appearance at
court, requested the magistrate to
enclose the handkerchief in an en-
velope, and keep it until court. |
did this because | feared some one
would discover the love knot, which
| found as Helen had related. Ithen
returned to my punctured newspa-
per, making complete map Of the
blood spots. Next, spreading out
the handkerchief Ellen gave me, and
the panctured newspaper over it,
with tuft Of cotton, | busted red
lead over the pin holes and on remov.
ing the paper there was a map of the
spots on the handkerchief. We had
chicken for dinner that day, and a
vial of blood found its way into my
Office. With the blood and small
brush saturated the spots marked
on the handkerchief, let it dry, and
laid it away, and awaited the result
of the trial.
The trial came at last, in the
month of August. The jury was
empaneled, and the District Attor-
ney opened the case. By the side of
the prisoner sat his mother and afi-