The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1882-09-15
Oiroumstantial Evidence.
THE PLOT THAT A QUARREL BROUGHT TO
LIGHT.

/
dence occurred in the seventeenth cen
tury. One Thomas Harris kept an inn
in l64l about eighteen miles from York,
England, on the road to Newcastle.
He had man and maid servant.
The man, whose name was Morgan, he
kept in the tbreefold capacity OF waiter,
hostler and gardener. ....
One night a blacksu...:.a,. :. smed James
Gray, travelling on foot to Edinburg,
stopped at Harris, ''supped and ay
there The next morning, very early,
Morgan set off and went secretly to
neighborine Magistrate and gave in
formation that his master (Harris) had
just then murdered James Gray, the
traveller A warrant was issued and
Harris was apprehended He positive
ly denied the charge, and Morgan as
positively affirmed it, deposing that he
saw Harris on the strangers bed
strangling him ; that he interposed, but
came too late to save him that Harris
excused was1that the deceased was in a
fit, and he was only assisting him. Nor
gan further swore that he instantly re-
tired and made feint as if going down
stairs, but, creeping up stealthily to an
adjoining room, he there through key
hole saw Harris rifing the pockets of
the dead man. "...
Harris denied every part of the
story, from beginning to end, and the
body being examined and no marks of
violence appearing upon it, Harris was
about to be discharged, when the maid
servant desired to be sworn. She de-
posed that almost directly after her
master came down in the morning from
the travellers room, as she supposed
she saw him go into the garden, she
being, unknown to him, in wash
/ house in the rear overlooking it, He
took some gold out of his pocket,
wrapped it in something and buried it
in corner of the garden. Harris
turned pale at this accusation, and
would give no direct answer as to the
alleged burying of the money. An of
fcer was sent with the girl, and cash
to the amount of thirty pounds was
found in the spot pointed out by her
Harris then, with much hesitation, ac-
knowledged the hiding of the money,
but answered questions concerning il
with such unwillingness and want of
candor that all doubts of his guilt were
removed, and the Magistrate committed
him for trial. He was brought to the
bar at the York Summer Assizes, in
1912 Morgan testified the same as
when before the Justice. The officer
and maid servant deposed to the cir
cumstance of the unearthing of the
money, and the Magistrate gave testi-
mony to the confusion and hesitation
of Harris on the discovery of and the
questioning about the hiding of the
gold.
Harris in his defense, asse rted
that the whole of Morgan's evidence
was false. He PERSISTED in the declara-
tion that the money which he had
buried was his own property, honestly
come by and buried for security-that
his confusion before the Magistrate
arose from the shame of acknowledging
his natural covetousness and not from
the consciousness of guilt. The Judge
summed up the evidence of the hiding
of the money and the weakness of the
prisoners reason for so hiding it. The
jury, after consulting exactly two min
utes, brought in their verdict-guilty.
Harris was executed pursuant to his
sentence, preserving in his declarations
of innocence, but warning all persons
to guard against an avaricious disposi-
tion, for it was that sordidness of TEN
per which, he said, had led him into
general distrustfulness, and so into the
expedient of burying his money, which
circumstances had alone furnished the
means to his enemies-why they were
so he said he knew not, but forgive
them of bringing him to an ignomi-
NOUS death.
After his execution Morgan and the
servant maid, who had been sweet
hearts at the inn, went to live together,
but in the beginning of the year 643
they got to quareling, and between
their mutual charges the truth about
Harris came ont. He was entirely in
nocent. 1t seems that the girl had by
chauce seen him burying something in
the garden, and privatly acquainted
Morgan of the fact He being gard
ner, had an opportunity of digging for
1t without beng suspected by Harris
The something proved TO be five
gulneas. Morgan left them undisturb-
ed, telling the girl about it. Between
them they concluded not then to touch
the money, because they thought Har
ris would b" sure to add to it. When
1t had amounted to a good sum they
agreed TO plumber the hiding place to
gether, marry, and with the spoil set
up III some sort of business.
All happened as they expected. They
watched Harris, aud saw him add con
tinually to his little store, but they left
1t until it should amount to large sum
Matters were at this pass when one day
Morgan and Harris got into a quarrel
and the latter struck the former several
times
Morgan determined on revenge
When h" was in this mood, the foot
pad James Gray arrived, and being
struck with apoplexy in the night, ex'
pired Instantly.
Going to cal him in the morning
Morgm, finding him dead, immediatel,
conceived his diabolical plan of revenge
1t was to charge Harris with the mur
, dering aud robbing of Gray, and Will,
Harrl' was in prison, of stealing tn,
buriei Treasure. He confded hi
scheme to the maid, she agreed to hell
him thereupon Morgan gave informa
ton to the authorities in the name
alrea y described Harris in his indig
! natio at the unjust charges against
him, declared that when released h
5 would have Morgan punished for per
jury, The girl, in her alarm at thi
, prosp' ct, ina moment hit upon tn
e idea "f sacrificing the gold, and ais
the life Of her employer in order to say
: her lover, She therefore supporte
his accusation with fatal success. Bot
j Morg1n and the girl were arrested il
A consequence of these facts leaking on
v in their qlarreliug,
4 They psnaned the nnblic nnnishman