Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-08-28
AN ALIBI.
Being False It Gould Not With.
stand Investigation.
IN. Y. World.

The man who sits down to deliberately
plan crime works every point and detail
70 one common center-an aliti. The law
has common sense enough in this one par
ticular TO presume that a 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-
slant 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 theen
of the thread in hand, was put forward in a
case in Iowa about twenty years ago. The
situation was this: In a small village in
the western part OF the State lived Miss
Clarinda Moore, q spinster about forty five
years Of age. She was worth fifty thou
0Rnd dollars, and she had adopted q boy
named Byron Fergus. At the date Of
which ] am writing this boy was no longer
boy, but young man Of twenty-three.
He was employed as a clerk in a dry goods
house, and boarded and lodged at 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 the village.
Fergus was a 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 a widow and lived
alone, with the exception of having the
company Of a 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 q July
day Fergus drove away on one of these
trips. There were 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 bit nervous, but
probably this would never have been
Thought of but for what came to pass.
a thunderstorm, and an insurance agent
who was on the road between the 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 horse and buggy
came along The driver was so enveloped
by waterproofs that the agent could not tell
whether he 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 the beast found the mud
too deep and could only proceed at a 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 the cooper's
horse when on a walk When trotting he
held up his head and kept his tongue back
The agent identified the horse TO his perfect
satisfaction, and called out to the driver,
asking who he was. Instead of hating 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
hos afraid am highwayman, laughed
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 looked 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
Moore, she perhaps being wanted for an
emergency. This theory satisfied them
until about four. o'clock In the afternoon,
when one Of them returned to gather a
bouquet of flowers. She then noticed
bloody fngor-marks on the back door, and,
trying the door, found it unlocked. She
dared not enter the house, but two or
three men were summoned to make an in
vestigation, aud In a few moments it was
discovered that a murder had been commit
ted. The dead body of Miss Moore was
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.
Twas visiting the sheriff at this time, and
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 I kept
the people out until could make an inves
tigation. The murderer had not obtained
forcible entry 10 the house. Not o single
article of value had been removed, nor had
any ransaclCing been done. The woman ha6
Been struck down where the body lay, but
her hands were clenched as IL she had
grasped the weapon of death and it haC
been pulled away from her. The palm o
one hand was torn and bleeding. / did no
irnoy either the dead woman or Fergus
but I wanted authority to arrest the latter
When this fact became known Twas regard
cd as an idiot or q lunatic A general or,
went up that Fergus could no more be sus
pected than an angel in Heaven, but while
the sheriff was left to secure the necessarI
papers drove out to interview the younl
man and break the news to him. II Fergu
was guilty his defense would be an alb
and he had carefully arranged the details
he would be expecting the news, and b
would be braced up to play part.
found him making ready to hitch up Il
drive back. He had never seen me before
and he did not know my profession. As.
entered the barn he looked startled ant
turned pale, but recovered himself after ;
minute, and asked the nature of my bust
ness,
''You know, of course, that Miss Moore
IL deadw / carelessly replied
"How-how should know i'll" he ex
clrimed, turning very white.
swell, sheis dead, poor thing"
"And do they charge me with itP'
with what"
"Her murderi"
II hadn't said she was murdered. told
you SIMPLY that she was dead. How die
you know she had been murderedp'
He saw the trap he had fallen into, and
he gasped and stammered and did his best
TO smooth IL over. pretended not to lay
itup as a point against him, and speedily
arranged that he should return in my We
hicle and leave the cooper's rig where il
was. After the hrst shock he braced ~
wonderfully, and his demeanor on the wal