Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-01-25
as t he jury should pronounce my client

as ne jury Snoulu pronounce lny ciieut
not guilty.
Thomas, the servant, was first called.
He swore to the quarrel between Mr..
Richards and Burton; that he heard
Burton threaten Mr.. Richards life.
Notwithstanding L closely cross-ex-
amined him, | failed to make him con-
tradict himself, and when he retired
nearly every one in the court room
was doubtless certain that Howard
Burton was guilty. The next witness
was the hotel clerk, who testified that
Burton came into the hotel while he
was attending to the guests from the
train that arrived in c. at about half
past o'clock. Then followed the ex-
animation of the bank cashier, who
swore that the package of SO, 900 found
on Burton at the time of his arrest was
deposited in the bank on the afternoon
of the murder. After calling several
other witnesses, whose testimony was
of minor import, the prosecution rested.
I then followed, and, after brief open
ing address, called the painter, who
swore to seeing Mr.. Richards send
Burton on the errand; also to seeing
Mr.. Richards in the cigar store after
six O'Clock on the evening of the mur-
der. When l had finished with him,
he was submitted to a severe cross-ex-
animation, in which he acquitted him.
self very creditablv. Then l called
the conductor, who swore to seeing
Burton on the train on the night of the
murder he also swore that the train
lett on time--6 o'clock. The cigar
store man was next examined, who
swore to talking with Mr. Richardr at
6:l5 o'clock: also to seeing him leave
for the bank with Thomas.
Witnesses were all cross-examined
thoroughly, but did not contradict
themselves in any particular. l then
closed my case, and after few remarks
from the prosecution, the judge charg.
ed the jury, who retired, and in fifteen
minutes returned with verdict of not
guilty.
AS soon as quiet was restored, the
sheriff approached Thomas, the servant,
and said in a loud voice:
Thomas Healy, / arrest you for the
murder of Mr.. Richards
The excitement in court, caused by
this unlocked for and sudden proceed
ing, was intense. The prisoner was
Immediately taken to Jail, followed by
a crowd that were loud in their ex-
preston of denunciation-the same
crowd that a little while before had
marked Burton as the murderer.
Well to finish the story / have to
add, 1 was retained by the bank off,
GERS to prosecute Thomas Hearty, and
he was convicted of the crime. He
protested his innocence almost to the
last, but thesnight before he was exc
cuted, he made full confession, stat
ing that he had determined to rob the
bank some evening when Mr.. Rict ards
was there alone. 1t was Mr.. Rich
ards custom, he explained, to 60 to
the bank in the evening, and when he
and young Burton quarreled, he,
(Thomas) saw his opportunity. His
determination was strengthened by
hearing Mr.. Richards remark on the
day of the murder, as he sat at dinner,
that there was au unusually large
amount of cash on hand. The note in
the case was one that Miss Clara had
given him to give to her father some
days before, but Mr.. Richards coming
home before Thomas found him, it had
not been delivered as intended. By
the aid of this note he had got Mr..
Richards into the bank, and while he
was reading it he struck him with the
stove poker and then cut his throat.
He got no money as reward for his
crime, as the vaults had been locked.
q Howard Burton was made cashier
of the bank and married Clara Richards
within a year.