The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-01
CHAPTER VII.
THE VERDICT.

;,+arest to the " VSeNo -
II tbe police had failed in unear.nrns Any
u 49, that could throw new light upon Une
fac's .4' ard the evidence brought forward
suDJ' .,1,Cst identical with that given at the
was r,. inouest; the council asked great
coiOu'l arsstions, but elected no new facts
niAn. .artorce: the only witnesses called
u i .ha defense were those as to character,
Io- on ore after another the officers OF Mer-
aou orir,ant came forward to testify that
W s9 emipently popular, and that they
ne "a n,vor obser we'd in him any signs of
madness. -. o,,+ ~
i.itc and was in the habit of Withdrawing
spH. .a,s from their society, and that on
ni-i.,'e a,oosions he not infrequently went
tneE T,,,c. Tides. and was absent many hours;
ioi -ono perhaps, what might be called
ne %" 1,,aer but certainly not IN the slight
IA Jogree mad. Old servants OF the family,
and manv neighbors gave testimony 70 ehe
s .,,T effect. and DIR. Arrowsmlth testlneo
9bot he had attended him from chlldnood,
and that he had never seen any signs VI III
sanitv in his words or actions.
Pnib Rad escaped the one question which
.ha dreaded. whether she had seen anything
o. sn tSo room that would afford a clew to the
discovery of the perpetrator of the crime.
So had Thought this question over nun
"a times and she had pondered over the
onsrer She should give She was firmly
~osolvoj not 10 tell an actual lie, but either
20 evade the question by replying that when
~ rocovered her senses she made straight
IN the door without looking round; or, If
forced to reply directly, to refuse to answer,
1Tbatever the consequences might be. 1t
,yas then with a sigh of deep relief that she
left the witness box, and took up her station
az tbe point to which the policeman made
wayf her. AS she did so, however, he
Whispered
"Tthink you had better go out, my girl.
Idon't think this is fit place for you. You
1ook like TO drop now" but she shook her
head silently. and took up her station in
the corner. grasping in one hand something
done up in many folds of paper in her
pocket.
The same question had been asked other
witnesses BY the counsel for the defense,
and he had made considerable point of
the fact that the constable and DR.. Arrow
smith both testified that they were standing
one on each side of the looking glass, and
although the room had been carefully
searched, no half-burnt match had been
discovered. In his address for the defense
he had animadverted strongly upon this
point.
1T was dark night, gentlemen. A dark
night in November. gu will remember we
had the evidence that whoever committed
this murder must have moved about the
room noiselessly the evidence shows that the
murderer drew down the clothes so gently
and softly that he did not awaken the
SLEEPER. Now, as intelligent men, you can
not but agree with me that no man could
have made his way about this absolutely dark
room with its tables and its furniture and
carried out this murder in the way stated.
without making some noise; it would bs an
utter impossibility. What il the conclu-
sionl He was either provided with a light
or he was forced to strike a match aud light
candle.
I'm the latter case he must have been
provided with silent matches or the noise
would have awakened the sleeper. OF one
thing you may be sure, Capt. Mervyn had
not provided himself with silent matches
but even had notthe sound of an ordinary
match being struck awakened the sleeper.
surely tie sudden light would have done so.
ask you from your own experience
whether, however sourdly you might be
Sleeping, the effect of a candle being lit in
your room would not awaken you; there
lore l think it safe to assume that in the
nTSt place, because no match was found.
and IN the second place because had O. can
die been lit it would assuredly have awak-
ened the sleeper, and we know that she was
not awakened, that no candle was lighted
In the room
How, then. did the assassin manage after
entering the room to avoid the dressing ia
pie the chairs. and other furniture, and
10 see 10 manipulate the bedclothes so gent
~ ~ Ihat the sleeper was not awakened.
why, gentlemen, by means of the nipple
TenV carried by every professional burglar
mean, OF course, dark lantern. Open
ing the slit slightly, and carefully abstain
ing from throwing the light toward the
oeu' the burglar would make his wav to-
war9 1t, show sufficient light to carry out
aio HlaooHcaI purpose and then opening it
neey 10 examine the room, open the
t IanAet box, and carry away the valua
lne counsel for the prosecution, gentle
4L, mas not even ventured to suggest
s soav 5he prisoner, Capt. Mervyn, was pos
b"So ol such an article His course has
i Tvcn Traced through every vii
n.y. se - though which he rode,
49, ep ~ ~ O'Clock at night, by which time
bs sSo suop mad long been closed, and had
vro ISoppeu anywhere to buy such an article
foro Should surely have heard Of it. There
foct' sonSemen, maintain that even if this
Of tbo I ~ alohe, 1t ought to convince you
ranIT +bluocence OF the prisoner. In his
.gply, the counsel for the prosecution had
to ~ ltseo that some weight must be at
n @sl1u 10 THIS point, but that it was quite
mi-be Vnat whoever entered the window
an -. nave felt on the table until he found
hind tbetIc and lit it, STOPPING down be-
and ~ Saoie, or at the bottom of the bed
Igbt 90 Snadlng it with his coat that its
face WOULD not fall on the
the noi III the sleeper. AS for
fonn5 -uO made that no match had been
it. tbs ~ great weight could be ATTACHED to
pockat prisoner might have put it in his
Wben ~ .nrOwn 1t out of the Window
COUNSEL eT f tne defense.was concluded, and the
the feoI, w me prosecution rose to speak,
Prisoner 3 Ill 0he court was still against the
po in al that had been said the evidence
author 90 alhst him, and him only. as the
had been S SIe crime; no hint of suspicion
and the usopped against any other person.
been co,,n manner IN which the crime had
was committed indicated stronoiv that ,t't IL
ousy 'l9 act OF person actuated by Zeal
mere b, y. amnesty, rather than that of q
strongir gar. This view of the case was
prosecutor c{ brought on by the counsel for the
said, mot ott tpy Of the prosecution is,n he
While in tb .1lae e TINS unfortunate gentleman
slew thie i IuS Iull possession of his senses
lated ana ny, 70 whom he was nearly re,
asincera a. aor whom he HAD long cherished
heard pi,,i.c [lon-the character Won have
Would cart oH nm by so many witnesses
man p cara ilnly seem to show him to be q
isthat ti Sni OF such crime. Our theorv