The banner-enterprise., 1883-05-31
SOME SINGULAR STORIES.
STRANGE INSTANCES OF MrsLEAD-
ING TESTIMONY.
The Danger of Circumstantial Evidence
Instances of Persons Hanged for Crimes
They Had Not Committed.

Mr.. David Graham Adee. in til
Washington Republic, gives some il
teresting instances of the mislealin
character of circumstantial evidence
In l742 a gentleman on his way t
Hull was robbed by a highwayman. II
stopped at the next inn, and in describ
ing his loss stated he always market
his coins. Shortly after retiring to
private parlor he was waited on by TIN
landlord, who, informing him he haC
heard of his 1.-THE travellers adventure
asked the time of the robbery, and saiC
he suspected his hoStler, who of late
had had plenty of money. Continuing
he said that shortly before he had sent
the hostler to change a guinea, who re
turned after dark, saving he could moi
change it. The landlord noticed the
coin was not TIC one he gave him, but
before he heard of the robbery he has
paid it to a countryman. He suggested
that the hoStler. who was then asleep
under the influence of liquor, bt
searched, which, beingdone, the marked
coins, minus one, We're found in his
pockets. lie was tried and hanged,
but years afterward the landlord, being
at the point of death, confessed he did
the robbery, managing to reach his inn
by a short cut, and, having paid out
one of the coins before finding they
were marked, he took advantage of an
errand he had sent the hostler on and
his drunken condition to place the
marked coins in his pockets, and the
evidence of the countryman hanged
him.
The east of the innkeeperi in Oxford
shire, Jonathan Bradford, has often
been told. Late one night two guests
heard deep groans proceeding from an
adjoining apartment, and, repliring
there, saw Bradford. with a long knife
in his hands, standing over the body
of guest named Hayes, who, earlier
in the evening, had admitted that he
had a large sum of money in his posses
sion. Bradford stoltly maintaine | his
innocence, claiming he hal been at
tracted by the groans IF the victim,
and had Just drawn the knife from the
wound when the other guests arrived.
The evidence, however, was strong
against him, and he was hanged. The
real facts of the crime did not come to
light for some years, but Bradford was
not innocent of the intent, if of the
de5d covert act). The murder had
been perpetrated by Mr.. Hayes own
foJtman, who, knowing that his
master ha a large amount of money
with him, determined upon his death
and robbery. Going to his room,
therefore, he had stabbed him, ritled
his saddle-bagS, and made his way in
to his own apartment only, a
it must have been, ten seconds before
the innkeeper himself arrived upoa
the tragic scene. But, strange to re-
late, Bradford left a confession, which
hal been kept secret, that, although
innocent of the murder, he had stolen
to the room of his guest with the mind
of etfecting his death. He had heard
Hayes boast of his money at supper,
had deliberately planned to kill and
rob him. and was stricken with amaze
.ent when he found that the deed hal
been done. lie had been an
ticipated by but a few minutes in the
execution of his murderous design.
In Edinburgh, in the year l12l,
lived William shaw, an upholsterer,
with an only daughter named GathT-
inc. The girl was to be married to
one John Lawson, a jeweler, toward
whom her father bore all the hearty,
honest aversion known as scotch
nate John had been a wild lad, too
fond of "hot Scotches" and the %lasSes,
nut was entirely devoted to n lass
his engagement to Catherine
shaw. Old shaw had sworn that
Lawson should never enter his family,
md with violence forbade him to come
lear the house. There was the son Of
friend of the family, named Robert
ION, however, whom the father urged
lis daughter to marry. The girls lot
vas hard enough, what with her love
or Lawson and the harsh treatment
ncted out to her in order to bring
bout her consent to wed her parents
hoice. This state Of affairs had eX-
sted Tor some weeks, when one evening
,haw returned home in wrath, and
,eremptorily ordered Catherine to ac-
ept of young Robertson without fur
herdelay, and prepare for marriage at
early day. The girl angrily refused
o comply, preferrng death to the al ;
ernatiye of sacrificing happiness. The
uarrel had waXed SO violent that it
vas overheard by several neighborS, I
nd when Shaw left the room one
AIMED Morrison heard him shut and ,
)ck the door and 60 down stairs TO the ,
treet. All was still in Shaw's rooms .
fter this for awhile, but soon the
Ound of low groans fell upon Morri- I
Dn's startled ar. In terror he ran [
, the neighbors, giving the alarm,
nd telling them Of the previous furious
ltercation. A crowd assembled about I
he upholsterer's door, and GATHERINGS
dice was distin ctly heard t. murmur: {
"Cruel father, you are the cause of /
~ death. You have killed me !"
The door was then broken in by a :
Unstable who had been summoned. ,
nd Catharine Shaw was discovered
upon the floor bathed in blood d,
nd with a bloody knife besidehe her, and I,
led without another word. At this :
instant Shaw himself came up :
he stairs and into the room. Al eyes
'ere fixed upon him. lie trembled J
then he bcheld the horror at his feet, ]
rev deadly pale and seemed as if !
bout to faint. His guilty consterna-
on was apparent.
ITO prison with the murderer! OFF
nth him to jail" shouted the threat
ming throng, and William Shaw was
urried before q magistrate and at