Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-05-10
TWO NARROW ESCAPES.

An English lawyer oncc said that cir.
cumstantial evidence would hano tbc
King of England. While that was mt
ting 1T pretty strong, it is admitted that
CLAM OF circumstantial evidence has
often sent men TO the gallows. If n cir:
cumstGnce can be explained away. it is
p9t mere shadow. If it cannot be cx.
piained away, it becomes menace TO
the prisoners life. 4 witness may be
Diofed, abducted, or impeachcd. 4 cir
ing blood.
IL mas often been asserted that innocent
men have been hung ION circnms;antiol
evidence. There may have been such
instances, but they. have been rare in.
ueed. In my own experience in law and
uetectivc work have seen some curious
.hihSs ABOUT circumstaatial evidence. IL
49,. IN one sense the strongest chain
which can be forged, IN another the very
weakest '''S
ABOUT twenty years ago l was detailed
9n muruer case in Kentucky town
II was not to work up the case, but to
snvc II possible the young man arrested
.or tnc CRIME. When got the facts and
ue.aiis ielt hopeless to accomplish any
ln'hg lie was young man of a:,
canned Graham, and was of respectoblc
family. lie had been engaged to n
young lady of the highest respnectability.
Dut they had 'Guarrclcd about somethinr
Common friends had brought about a
reconciliation, but new sutton had mn.
penfed upon the sccnc, and Grdha,n's
leaiously had provoked another Quarrel
lie had not visited her in two weeks
when, on tho evening of Sunday. Octo.
Der 30, one of Graham's friends met him
and said ''''''
Nour'rval is up at Iossing's, and
seems bound to cut you out. Adele
seems very sweet on him."
Graham truly lored the girl, and this
speech made him wild. lie turned pale.
trembled,' anti finally said:
"lfe is an advcnturer and an inter.
topper. Let him look out for himselfp,
An hour later he started for I.ossinr's.
lie passed several people who saw that
he was excited. The house stood back
from the road in grove of trees. and
was approached by two paths or drives
from the front. Graham fully intended
10 enter the house. but. when he. came
upon the 'grounds his courage failed him.
lie was afraid he might say or do aome
thing rash in his present mood, and ycry
senslbly decided to return to town and
defer his call till the next day. Next
morning his rivals dead body was found
on one OF the drives. about half wav be-
tween the house and the fence. He had
been struck down with bludgeon. Con-
cluslons are always jumped at in murder
cases. ,Two'of the servants were at once
arrested, but before noon they were set
at Liberty anf Graham. was taken into
custody. The chain already contained
seTeraf links. Others were added the
moment hc'was arrested. lie was dread
full y agitated, hesitated to acknowledge
that he had been near the place, and a
Pood stain was found on the right
sleeve OF his coat. Before he had been
IN Jail one day even his own father be-
lieyed him murder. lie was examined
and bound over, and it was only after
that event that he began to protest his
innocence. The girl who had been the
cause : OF 1t came nobly to his rescue.
While she truly loved him, she had been
wiling to make him Jealous, and when
murder had come of it, MS she believed,
she fclt terribly conscious strikcn and
anxious to believe i'll his pro:estation Of
Innocence
When came upon the ground, the
state had its case all worked up, and
when l went over it to look for a flaw
could find none. had to acknowledge
that was without hope. Indeed, l be.
lieyed" Graham guilty. His own expla-
nations rather strengthened that belief.
hosslngs house faced the cast. The
highway IN front ran north and south
Inc lawn was twenty yards wide, and
Other from the south end Graham ap
pToached from the north. lie wonld
{ naturally turn IN Mt the first drive, but he
claimed to have gone on to the second
He followed it 10 the house. passed
around it. played for two or three min .
utes with the dogs, and then circled
about the fish pond, and took short
cut across the grove and struck the road.
not hittlng.the north. path at all. The
dead man had come from the village as
well, and:on foot. He had come and at.
tempted to return by the north drive.
II Graham was innocent who was
guilty.. ~
Not the slightest susp cion had been
directed elsewhere. 1t seemed hopeless
to look. l. questioned and. cross .oues
tioned hun, but he could not give me
the slightest foundation for clue or q
theory. What ! got came by accident.
asked to see the blood stained cloth.
ing, and found it TO be single dauh
Oh oleod on white vest. It was /;
curious mark, such as had never seer
before, and when l quietly investigated
lufthcr.t discovered that the murdered
man had been struck on the; back of tht
head and fallen forward on his face. H,
had very,thick hair, and, while the blow
mad crushed the skull, nc had bled bu
little. The blood wonld not squirt from
such blow. The body had not beer
lifted, and. so how did Graham get tina
blood, stainl Accident gave me tn
knowledge. I was looking the eroun,
over att .ossing's for the fourth or fift]
time, when one of the dogs came an,
ieaped upon me in a caressing way. Los
sing .obserYed it aud remarked -