Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-08-21
AN ALIBI.
Being False It Gould Not With.
 stand Investigation.


 stand Investigation.
 Tho man who sits down to deliberstel, plan crime works every point and detail to one common centcr-an aliti. The law has common sense enough in this one par ticular to presume that O man who is in Boston, for instance, when a murder IS committed in Cincinnati could not have fired the shot or struck the blow. There fore, let one accused of crime prove to the jury that he was at some other point at a certain critical hour, and he must be de- clared innocent. This knowledge makes the alibi favorite defense. If not clearly proved, it always raises doubts and affords opportunity for argument. On the other hand, however, when an alibi is fairly beaten by the prosecution, then circum- stantial evidence becomes the death trap of the accused, and he has no show.
 One of the best laid alibis ever ran up | against in my career as a detective, and one of the easiest to work out after got the end | of the thread in hand, was put forward in a case in Iowa about twenty years ago. The situation was this: In small village in the western part of the State lived Miss Clarinda Moore, a spinster about forty five years of age. She was worth fifty thou sand dollars, and she had adopted boy named Byron Fergus. At the date of which am writing this boy was no longer a boy, but a young man of twenty-t thSe. He was employed as clerk in 6 dry goods house, and board ed and lodged a t home He was adopted at the age of twelve, and on the day he reached his majority Miss Moore made will leaving him every thing. This fact was known to all in tho village Fergus was model young man. No one could point out single bad habit He was trusted and respected by all, and had he been accused of the slightest dishonesty no one would have believed the charge.
 Ina smaller village six miles away Fergus had an aunt who was widow and lived alone, with the exception of having the company of servant girl. He was in the habit of going over there about once in two months and remaining over Sunday. On these trips he drove horse and buggy be- longing to the village cooper. The horse had peculiar habit which will be described later on. One Saturday evening of July day Fergus drove away on one of these trips. There wete two Or three women at the gate in company with Miss Moore when he drove away. The only thing out of the usual run was the remark that Byron looked rather pale and seemed a bit nervous, but probably this would never havo been thought of but for what came to pass.
 At eleven o'clock that night there was thunder storm, and an insurance agent who was on the road between tho two villages, with horse and buggy, drove into fence corner and sheltered himself as well as possible with the waterproofs. In the midst of the storm horso and buggy came along. The driver was so cnveloped by waterproofs that the agent could not tell whether ho was old or young, large or small, white or black. At that spot the road had been lately graded up and was Very soft. The stranger was urging the horse to trot, but tho beast found tho mud too deep and could only proceed at q walk. As the strange horse came opposite there was long, vivid flash of lightning, and the agent saw that the animal had his head turned to the right and his tongue out. This was the peculiar habit of tho coopcr's horse when on walk. When trotting he held up his head and kept his tongue back. | The agent identified the horse to hls perfect satisfaction, and called out to the driver, asking who he was. Instead of halting or replying the man struck the horse sharply | with the whip and was out of sight in a moment.
 ''That's old Shepperd (the cooper), and | he's afraid I am a hiShwayman," laughed l the agent, and, the rain now beginning to cease, he made ready to resume his jour- ney.
 | Miss Moore was an early riser, and more- | over never missed church services. As the | day was fine and she was not seen at | church, two or three of her friends called | at the house on their way to ascertain her | excuse. They found the curtains down and the doors locked. As they knew of young | Fergus going to his aunt's the evening previous they reasoned it out that he must have returned during the night for Miss l Moore, she perhaps being wanted for an l Cnfi jeff in6 har until about four o'clock Ill the afternoon, l when one of them returned to gather a bouQuet of flowers. She then noticed bloody finger-marks on the back door, and, l trying the door, found it unlocked. She dared not enter the house, but two or l three men were summoned to make an in- vestigation, and in a few moments it was | discovered that murder had been commit ted. The dead body of Miss Moore was l found in the sitting room at the door of her bed room. She had been struck three ter rible blows with club or other blunt | weapon, each one breaking the skull.
 l was visiting the sheriff at this time, and l we were driving through the village when | the first alarm was sounded. was, there | fore, at the house among the first, and
 being placed in charge by the sheriff kept | the people out until could make an inves
 tigation. The murderer hid not obtained
 forcible entry to the house. Not single
 article of value had been removed, nor had
 any ransacking been done. The woman had l been struck down where the body lay, but l her hands were clenched as if she had
 grasped the weapon of death and it had
 been pulled away from her. The palm o
 one hand was torn and bleeding. l did not
 know either tho dead woman or Fergus
 but wanted authority to arrest the latter
 When this fact became known 1 was regard
 ed as an idiot or Q lunatc. A general cry
 went up that Fergus could no more be sus
 pected than an angel in Heaven. but while
 the sheriff was loft to secure the necessary