Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-03-24

crty. The President OF the bank accept
ed one bag CT gold and then bailcd
Heinrich out The case was before
Justice Hogan, and l remember il very
well.
TWO MURDERS AT SEA.
"Tll tell you of thing that saved a
mans life, and ! didn't even have to
tell lie to do il either. In 1864 q man
Griffin was mate of big ship.
Hc wanted 10 bc Captain, and so he in
duced the steward, man named Lees,
TO help him kill the Captain. They
rubbed blue vitriol OH the edge of a
drinking-glass, and in this way poisoned
the Captain, who died. The owners
were notified, but instead of promoting
Griffin they hired another Captain from
the outside. Griffin was wild over his dis
appointment, aud he killed the second
Captain in the same way. Again the
owners went outside for a man to fill tho
vacancy. The Mate made an attempt
to poison the Captain, but the owners
OF the vessel suspected what was the
matter and had the bodies of the two
murdered Captains exhumed. Traces
of poison were discovered and both
Griffin and Lees were arrested. Lees
confessed, and when Griffin was tried
in New York l defended him. The
court was in Burton's Theater, in
Chambers street, on the very spot where
the American News Company's build
ing is to-day. My wife wanted to hear
me defend Griffin, and she came to
court with her little baby in her arms.
Well, the trial went on. / made Lees,
the steward, admit that he had terrible
dreams, in which the scenes of the MUIR
der haunted him. Upon this mainly
/ based a theory that Lees was
tho real and the only murderer. aud
that he was trying to implicate Griffin
to save his own neck. When / got up
to sum up the case / felt shaky. /
wanted to awaken some emotion in the
breasts of the jurors, and yet COULDN'T
SEQ my way clear. While Twas talking
my eye happened to alight upon my
wife and baby sitting in far corner of
the room. 1t was an inspiration. Point
ing at Thorn l cried: oh, gentlemen!
gentlemen Will you make that moth
er widow and that innocent babe an
o gphan? Can you look upon those
gultless ones and send this man to an
undo served deathp'
Tho jury was moved to tears, and I
need not tell you that Grifiin's life was
saved. My wife, who was too far away
TO hear my words, never could under
stand why she suddenly became the
center of attraction for all the eyes in
the room. may as well tell you that
Griffin was unmarried. The present
Judge Andrews was Assistant United
States District Attorney in the case.
The baby is now the mother of five of
my grandchildren.
A BANK OF ENGLAND BURGLAR
"Of course you've heard of Melon
aid, the great Bank of England forger,
WAC is now sc wing out life sentence
well. knew him well. He used to
pract &C his p ofession,, in this city. He
was mean man and would screw his
lawyer down to the last cent. Even his
alb lities can never make me admire
such man. McDonald's greatest game
was this: He would hire cheap house
on South street, which in those days
was poor neighborhood, and would
put up on the front of the house sign,
such as Buggins & Co., commission
OF Muggins e. Co.. shipping
merchants. Then he would order whole
shiploads of goods from Canada and
other distant places. Sometimes his
victims would make proper inquiries
about Buggins & Co. and would refuse
to fill the orders. Other firms would
Jump at the princely style of the orders
and would send on the goods. Of
course Buggins & Co. would instantly
sell the goods, pocket the cash and dis
appear. Mcdonald got Sl,700 worth
of umbrellas from Spencer II. Smith, O
The swindle was discov-
cred and Mcdonald was arrested. AL
though the umbrellas were taken to
Police Headquarters the prisoner made
an assignment of them to me, together
with Some furniture he owned Nc
Donald was arraigned before Judge
in the Tombs, and dis
charged"
"How?"
"Oh, in consequence of his innocence.
Good heavens, what question:"
What did you do with the UNI
brellasp"
when I went to get them found
that Spencer Ii. Smiths lawyer had put
an attachment upon them. I.offe. ed to
and take half of the UNI
brellas, but the other fellow wouldn't
give up one. The result was that they
rotted in Police Headquarters, and, for
all know, the frames are there now.
THE STORY OF AN ALIBI.
"Some criminals are well versed in
n 1or IL. pAipf A
man named Page and pal broke into
q house in Surrey, England. and got
away with mass of valuable plate.
They were arrested, and had them
balled out Now albis concocted by
burglars arc generally very weak, but
Page was an extraordinary fellow, and
he executed a very shrewd trick. He
took Two friends out in buggy. drove
them across London Bridge and stopped
at a hotel called the Elephant and
Castle. The three drank wine, and
Page swept the empty glasses from the
table. When the waiter returned he
asked who broke the glasses. Il did
with my cane said Page. 'Wnyp'
said the waitar. Because 1 wanted to,
roared Page. The result was that Page
palu lor the glasses. ZIG ucNJ took MS
friends to Merton, where they had din
ner. Page gave the waiter a bad
guinea, and. after dispute. substi-
tuted q good coin. Then they went to
epson. where they entered a gypsy's
tent and cut the tent strings. would
here observe that they got boating
which they didn't bargain for. On the
day of the trial Page swore that when
the burglary was perpe rated he was at
Epson. He then called his two W.T.
nesses. who told the story of the trip /
have described, s.mpy substituting the
date of the burglary for the real date:
Tho subtlest cross examination failed
to shake their testimony, for they only
had to tell ono little lie and all the rest
was the truth. y
Haven't criminals often suggested
false alibsp"
Eyes, but they are very unsafe. Be-
sides that, they arc immoral. John
Flood, tho celebrated murderer. once
asked me to take poison into tho Tombs
so that he could commit suicide.