The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-24

A ST. LOUIS LAWYER TALKS
ABOUT THE MURDERER

The Pathetic Meeting with His
Father-A Ruse by Which Young
Lady Proposed to Liberate Him
The Recipient of Many Feminine At
tentions.
From the PHILADELPHIA NetCs
81 had a chat the other day with an old
friend from st. Louisa lawyer, and init
mately associated with the famous Maxwell
case His impressions of the man convicted
of Preer's murder and his knowledge of
the unwritten history of the case, are in
terestng-doubly so, now that his execu-
ton seems inevitable. My lawyer friend
shall talk to you to-day.
you know, of course, that Maxwells
name is not Maxwell This was one of the
many aliases he has assumed during his
flight from st. Louis. His real name is
Hugh Mottram Brooks. He has chung to
Maxwell however, with strange persistency,
and even now, when there is no question as
70 his identity, he prefers his fraudulent
cognome0 and uses it alone. 1t is 10y this
name that he will always be remembered.
IF chirography reveals character, Max
wells moral stamina-or want of its
pictured in his signature He is fond of
NllbillB II, anu - DulieTel by u request lfll
his Scrawl. His signature is without char
acter or purpose; it suggests o frivolous
mind and an OVerwcen1nE concert. | have
seen dozen of them, and no two are alike.
There is always a material change in the
formation of some important letter. In his
chirography, as in all other things memory
to bin is an unknown gift He writes it
Wv. II. Lennox Maxwell 1t is imposing,
but strikingly egotiStical.
Il was present at the meeting between
Maxwell and his father. shall never forget
1t. None who saw it ever will.
Maxwell had persistently denied his
identity. He had stated positively, and
under oath, that he was not Hugh NJ
Brooks, and that his arrest was attributable
TO mistaken identity. Every means known
TO the private machinery Of the law was
used to force the truth from him, and he
still persisted in his denial. There was only
one way to prove the matter beyond per
adventure. The prisoner and the father of
Hugh NJ. Brooks would have to be brought
face to face.
There were anxious weeks of waiting,
and then the aged father came 1t had
needed persuasion, for there were loval
hearts in the little house at Hyde, and the
gray-haired father refused to believe his
son a murderer. He came anxious, but
full of hope. He went back to his unhappy
home old beyond his years.
1T was an anxious moment when the old
man, accompanied by Sheriff Harrington.
entered the jail His face was painfully
white, and his lips treInb.ed but there was
a look of resolution In his eyes, and his step
was firm and confident. ! think even then
that he expected that his long Journey was
to be in vain.
Maxwell was sitting where the light
from one of the tall windows fell across his
face He was still unshaved and his beard
md hIteh xro oh IL,
He had been reading a paper, but it had
fallen from his hands and lay upon the
cement floor. He seemed distracted, and
the entrance of the party was apparently
unn ticed.
when the old man caught sight of the
prisoner he started as though he had been
stung. The change that came over him was
startling. He had been pale; he became
CHASTITY. His eyes had teen confident; they
became CLASSY.
Hugh, Hugh" he cried, as he tottered
toward the prisoner-'it is, indeed, you
my poor boyr
The effect upon Maxwell was electric
The well-known voice breaking upon the
stiffness of the jail, unexpected, and filled
with an anguish unspeakable, startled him
out of his reserve. For once his shallow
heart was touched. He could not deny his
father
LIT is I, father; it is !, he cried"
HE started forward. A great sob came
into his throat, and the watchers at the sad
scene turned away their heads The en-
brace of father and son should be sacred
But Maxwell did not throw himself into
his fathers arms. With an apparent effort
he controlled his emotion. A hard, cold
look came into his face, and he sank back
again into his chair. The heartlessness of the
man after the first exhibition of feeling,
alike with his suddenly assumed noncha-
lance, were wonderful. No actor could
have played his part better.
The revulsion of feeling was stunning
to the old man. He tottered and would
have fallen but for the support of those
around him. They gave him char, ana
for time he sat gazing at his son. What
passed through his mind in those few mo-
ments of anguished thought seemed to age
him visibly. His eye dimmed, his head
dropped forward on his chest, his hands
clutched nervously at his breast
Presently he spoke again His voice
trembled, and he spoke scarcely above
whisper; but in the intense silence of the
Jail every word seemed scorchingly distinct.
81 did not expect to find you here, Hugh.
thought it must be a mistake. But you
are here-here on charge of murder-aud
God knows, Hugh | shall be the last to be-
heve you guilty No-no-I will never be-
heve that. And yet, Hugh, it was better
you were dead than here"
"He paused. Sobs choked his utterance.
He wept conYulsively for few moments
Then he staggered to his feet again. and
walking over to Maxwell laid his hand upon
bis shoulder.
"'Good friends he said, with a look at
his boy that was unutterably sad, Il want to
be alone with him a little while, only a little
while. You will go, will you notr
SILENTLY they went out-lawyers and
guards and reporters-went out and locked
the iron doors upon the father and son.
What they said TO each other belongs to
themselves But the prosecution had been
indicated. In recognizing Maxwell Samuel
n. Brooks had condemned his son.
Maxwell, like many ether interesting
murderers, was the recipient of numerous
feminine attentions during his trial AL
though, so far as known, he had scarcely
more than half dozen acquaintance in
St Louis, he was constantly in receipt of
handsome bouquets and he rarely appeared
in the court room without a boutonniere.
Many of the floral gifts were the fragrant
bearers of perfumed billetdoux. while dainty
boxes, with daintier presents of linen and
high-priced hose gave practical air to the
admiration of his unknown friends.
Among the regular attendants during
the trial WAS slender, fair-haired young
woman of 25 or less She wore a shabby
suit of black, made in style obsolete for
half decade. and her face was always
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