Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-06-17
CircumStantial Evidence.

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was putting it rather strong, it is adj
mitted that a chain of circumstantial
evidence has often sent men to the
gallows. If a circumstance can be
explained away it is but shadow.
If it cannot be explained away, it be-
comes n menace to the prisoners life.
A witness may be bribed, abducted
or impeached. A circumstance is a
lion in the path demanding blood.
1t has often been asserted that in
nocent men have been hung on cir
cumstantial evidence. There may
have been such instances, but they
have been rare indeed. In my own
experience in law and detective work
i have seen some curious things about
circumstantial evidence. 1t is, in
one sense, the strongest chain which
can be forged, in another the very
weakest.
About twenty years ago was de-
tailed on a murder case in a Kentucky
town. 1t was not to work up the
case, but to save, if possible the
young man arrested in the crime.
When l got the facts and details, 1
felt hopeless to accomplish anything.
He was young man of twenty three,
named Graham, and was of respecta-
BILE family. He had been engaged to
a young lady of the highest respecta-
bility, but they had quarreled about
something. Common friends had
brought about a reconciliation, but
new sutton had appeared upon the
scene, and Graham's jealousy had
provoked another quarrel. He had
not visited her for two weeks, when,
on the evening of Sunday, October
so, one of Graham's friends met him
and said:
"Your rival is up at Lossing's, and
seems bound to cut you out. Adele
seems sweet on him -
Graham truly loved the girl, and
this speech made him wild. He turn
ed pale, trembled, and finally said:
she is an adventurer and an inter-
loper. Let him look out for himself p
An hour later he started for Loss
ing's. He passed several people, who
saw that he was excited. The house
stood back from the grove of trees
and was approached by two paths or
drives from the front. Graham fully
intended to enter the house, but when
he came upon the ground his courage
failed him. He was afraid he might
say or do something rash in his mood,
and very sensibly 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 way between the
house and the fence. He had been
struck down with a bludgeon. Con-
illusions are always jumped at in muir
der cases.
Two of the negro servants were at
once arrested, but before noon they
were set at liberty and Graham was
taken into custody. The chain al
ready contained several links. 9th
ers were added as soon as he was az
rested. He was dreadfully agitated,
hesitated to acknowledge that he had
been near the place, and a blood
stain was found on the right sleeve
of his coat. Before he had been in
jail one day even his father believed
him a murderer. He was examined
and bound over, and it was only af-
ter that event that he began to pro-
test his innocence. The girl who had
been the cause of it came nobly to
his rescue. While she truly loved
him, she had been willing to make
him jealous, and when murder had
come of it, as she believed, she felt
terribly conscience stricken and anx-
ious to believe in his innocence.
When L came upon the ground the
state had its case all worked up, and
when / went over it to look for a flaw
l could find none. / had to acknowl-
edge that L was without hope. In
deed, believed Graham guilty. His
own explanation rather strengthened
that belief. Lossing's house faced
the east. The highway in front ran
north and south. The lawn was
twenty rods wide, and one drive led
in from the north and the other from
the south end. Graham approached
from the north. He would naturally
turn in at the first drive, but he claim
ed to have gone on to the second. He
followed it to the house, passed around
~, 1Ol GWO Vi I'LL &C
with the dogs, and then circled about
the fish pond and took a short cut
across the grove and struck the road,
not hitting the north path at all. The
dead man had come from the village
as well, and on foot. He had come
and attempted to return by the north
drive.
If Graham was innocent who was
guilty?
Not the slightest suspicion had
been directed elsewhere. 1t seemed
hopeless to look. questioned and
cross questioned him, but he could
not give me the slightest foundation
for clew or a theory. What l got
came by accident. / asked to see
the blood stained clothing, and I
found it to be single daub of blood
on a white vest. 1t was a curious
mark, such as 1 never had seen be-
fore, and when l quietly investigated