Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1889-04-19

A CASE OF MURDER.

An English lawyer once said that cir.
cumstantial evidence would hang the
King of England. While that was put
ting it pretty strong, it is admitted that
q chain Of clrcumstantial evidence has
often sent men to the gallows. If cir
cumstance can be explained away it is
but a shadow. If it can not be ex-
planned away, it becomes menace to
the prisoners life A witness may be
bribed, abducted or impcached. A cir
cumstancc is lion in tho path demand
ing blood.
Ii has been often asserted that inno-
cent men have been hung on circum-
stantial evidence. There may have been
such instances. but theyshaye been rare
indeed. In my own experience in law
and detective work | have seen some
curious things about circumstantial evil
denaa II lie, i'll one sense, the strong
est chain which can be forged, in an
other the very weakest.
About twenty years ago was de-
tailed on murder case in Kentucky
town. 1t was not to work up the case,
but to save if possible the young man
arrested for the crime When got the
facts and details | felt helpless to ac-
complish anything He was young
man of twenty-thrce. named Graham,
and was of respectable family. He had
been engaged to q young lady Of the
highest responsibility, but they had quar-
relied about something. Common friends
had brought about reconciliation, but
new sutton had appeared upon the
scene, and Graham's jealousy had pro-
voked another quarrel. He had not
visited her for two weeks, when, on the
evening Of Sunday, October 30, 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 very sweet on him
Graham truly loved tho girl, and this
speech made him wild. He turned pale,
trembled and finally said:
"He is an adventurer and an inter
loper. Let him look out for himself |"
An hour later he started for Lossing's
He passed several people who saw that
he was excited. The house stood back
from tho road in a grove Of trees, and
approached by two paths or drives from
the 'front.' Graham fully intended to
enter tho house, but when he came up
on the grounds his courage failed him.
He was afraid he might say or do some-
thing rash in his present mood, and
very sensibly decided to return to town
and defer his call till tho next day.
Next morning bis rivals. dead, body was
found on one Of the drives, about half
way between the house aud the fence.
He had been struck down with bludg-
con. Conclusions are always jumped at
in murder cases. Two of tho negro ser
wants were at once arrested, bat before
noon they were set at liberty and Gra-
ham was taken into custody. The chain
already contained several links! gOthers
wcrc added the moment he was arrested
He was dreadfully agitated, hesitated to
acknowledge that he had been near the
place, and blood stain was found on
the right sleeve Of his coat. Before he
had been in Jail one day even his own
father believed him u murderer. He
was examined and bound over, and il
was only after that event that he began
to protest 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 jeal-
Gus, and when murder had come Of it,
as she believed, she felt terribly con-
science. stricken and anxious TO believe
in his protestations of innocence.
When | came upon the ground, the
State had its case all worked up, and
when | went over it to look for flaw
could find none. | had to acknowledge
that was without hope. Indeed, | be-
lieved Graham guilty. His own expla'
nations rather strengthened this belief
LossiDgs house faced the east Tn
highway in front ran north and south
The lawn was twenty rods wide, an
one drive led in from the north and tn
other from the south end. Graham ap
preached from the north. He woul
naturally turn in at the first drive, bu
he claimed to have gore on to the second
He followed it to the house, passe
around it, played for two or three mil
utes with the dogs, aud then circle