Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-11-09
Chemistry In Crime.

The recent death in the State Peni.
tentiary Of South Carolina of W. W
| Ward, the former Sheriff of Williams
burg county, recalls the circumstances
that led to the discovery of his crime,
| which are the most extraordinary IN our
criminal annals. At the spring term,
1879, OF tine Court Of Common Pleas for
Williamsburg county, j. H. Livingston
brought suit against Ward to recover
the sum of 5000, money loaned on
Wards sealed note His Honor, Judge
L. J. Mackey, presided. and 10y consent
of counsel heard the ease without a jury
The plaintiff proved the execution Of the
note and then closed his case. War's
counsel produced the receipt of Living
ston dated two days previous TO the
trial, for the Who'll" amount due, princi
pal and interest, and witness testified
that he had seen the payment made III
800 bills aud four 500 bills to Living
ston himself on the day named III the
receipt The plaintiff took the witness
stand and on examining the receipt adj
mitted that il bore his true and genuine
signature, but solemnly protested that
he had not received one dollar from
Ward and had not entered Wards house
III his life for any purpose. He declared
that he and his wife would be made
homeless by a false receipt which he
could not explain, but which he never
knowingly signed. On cross-examina-
ton, Livingston, who WAS an old man,
admitted that his memory was very in
firm and that he had on previous occa-
sions received 500 from another debtor
which he afterwards denied receiving,
but which he recalled to memory when
shown his receipt.
The plaintiff and counsel at this stage
of the proceedings were i'll utter despair,
for their cause was apparently lost.
Judge Mackev, however, whose subtle
w Nd4
cape, and who follows crime through all
its windings, directed that the receipt
should he handed to him. He then or
dered the Sheriff to proceed To the near
est drug store and purchase drachn II
muriaiic acil and 1: small piece Of sponge.
On the return of the officer with the
articles named, the Judge said to the
plaintiff, ''Mr. Livingston, did you ever
write letter to the defendant, Ward,
demanding payment OF your money:
The plaintiff answered, YES, sir; i
wrote him many letters, but never re-
Mackey then observed Ia counsel, Il
perceive on the face of this receipt there
are several peculiar brown spots aud the
original surface of sizing of the paper
has been removed except in that portion
of the paper where the signature wa,
written. The body OF the receipt Is III
the hand writing Of the defendant. In
my opinion the defendant hes taken a
letter of the plaintiff ; aud removed the
writing with muriatic acid, and then
wrote the receipt above the signature.
| will now apply this acid 10 the writing
on the back oi the complaint in this ease,
and it will be seen that the writing will
instantly disappear and the paper will
at once exhibit several Drown spots
identical with those on this receipt.
The acid was applied ou the paper. and
As the writing disappeared, the brown
spots Were seen upon the surface and
the crime OF the defendant was clearly
revealed Ward, at this iuncture, looked
ss horror stricken as Lady Macbeth
when, gazing upon tcr fair hut murder
Gus hand. she exclaimed { : she vainlv
rubbed it. Out damned spot
The Judge immediately rendered his
decision III favor OF the plaintiff, stating
that it was the duty OF the solicitor to
have Wa~d prosecuted at once tor his
andacious forgery On the next morn
ing Judge Maekey left for Georgetown.
forty miles distant to hold court. While
there he received letter from a friend
warming him not to return to Williams
burg, as he had promised to do, in a few
davs, for the purpose of hearing an ar
gument at Chambers, as Ward had
sworn solemnly to shoot him down Mt
sight. The Judges record, however,
shows that he is not one To swerye from
the line of duty because of an armed
enemy in his path. He returned to
Williamsburg after an absence of five
DAYS. and meeting Ward upon the street
demanded whether he had threatened TO
take his life. Ward answered that he
had, but that he had abandoned his pur-
pose. At the next term of court Ward
was indicted and placed on trial for for
gerry. When the verdict Of guilty was
rendered, Ward rose and discharged his
pistol twice at Livingston. the prosecu-
ting witness, one of the balls passing
through his coat. He was instantly dis
armed and sentenced to seven years at
hard labor in the penitentiary. War,i
WIS man of wealth and good standing
in his community. He died in the peni-
tentisry, illustrating by his career the
truth of the scnpture:-"The way of
the transgressOr is hard.
|
Welded by Boot
Last year, seys fashionable shoe