Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-01-16
HANGED TOO SOON.
What Circumstantial Evidence
Did for an Innocent Man.
Executed for tho Murder Of . Man Who
Turns Up Alive and Well Two Years
After His Chum's Death-A
Lawyers Thrilling Story

AItOr mis- ChuEn'6 DO3th-A
Lawyers Thrilling Story.
The lawyers were talking about cfrcum-
stantial evidence and several remarkable
cases, in which innocent persons who had
been condemned were mentioned, saws the
Brooklyn Citizen
Perhaps the most singular case OF the
kind, said a lawyer, ''ls one which is re-
corded in the books and is pretty old. 1t gave
rise, as understand, to the change in the
law requiring the body of a murdered per
son to be found before any one can be pun
ished for the crime.
Two merchant sailors went to an inn in
an English seaport. To make the story
clearer, I'll call them Jack and Tom. Jack
pulled out well-filied wallet to satisfy the
landlord that he and his friend could pay
their way. They invited the landlord to
drink with them, and Tom produced a big
jack-knife curiously handled, to cut his to-
bacco. The inn was close on the harbor.
The front door opened upon the quay, and at
the side was covered way which led to the
sleeping rooms in the rear. Near by on the
quay were stone steps going down TO the
water for the accommodation of boats
AFTER the two men had had good time
they retired to one of the rooms in the rear,
where they were to occupy bed together.
They were both just sober enough to know
what they were about. The next morning
spots OF blood were observed upon the floor Of
the covered way, from the door of the bed
room occupied by the sailors to the quay.
The landlord went to rouse up his guests,
but found only one of them there. 1t was
Tom, and he YVES fast asleep and required
good deal of arousing. When asked where
his companion was he appeared confused and
alarmed and said he didn't know
HOn the bed-clOthes and f100r thare xuer0
large spots of blood. The water in the
basin was bloody, and the towel showed
that bloody hands had been wiped upon it,
The jack-knife, seen the previous evening
in the possession of Tom, was found upon
the table, and was likewise stained with
blood. Under Toms bolster at the side
next the wall wallet was found filed
with money, aud was identified as that
which jack had exhibited the night before.
Every thing so far pointed to murder, and
to Tom as the perpetrator Of it. The au-
thorities were notified and Tom was ar
rested. He told very remarkable story.
"He said that when he andJ Jack were about
to get into bed Jack suggested the idea of
robbers, remarking that it wouldn't take
very clever fellow to get In at the window,
and, as they were ilzoly to sleep soundly
after their carouse, it woAld be easy for
thief, if he got into the room, to rob them.
Tom had already got into bed, and was
lying next the wall, so he suggested that all
their money should be put under his pillow
1t would be a comparatively easy task, he
said, for thief to draw the wallet from
/ jacks pillow, but it would be much more
likely to rouse one or the other of them if a
thief attempted to reach over and take the
| money if it were under Toms pillow. This
| suggestion was adopted, and the wallet be-
| longing to Jaek was placed under Toms pill
low. Soon after they got into bed Jack COM
| planned that his nose had began to bleed,
and arose. He poured some water into the
| bowl and tried to stop the bleeding.
! Then Tom arose and assisted Finally
Tom said that he had heard that cold metal
placed at the back of the neck would stop
bleeding at once, and thereupon he got
his big jack-knlfe, opened it and placed it
against jacks neck 1t was dark, and they
were both a little muddled with drink,
so that their movements were not particu-
larly careful, and thus the blood got upon
the floor, the table and the knife Finding
| that the bleeding would not stop Jack grew
somewhat alarmed and this probably So
bered him, for he said that he would put on
his clothes and walk down to the quay, as
the exercise and fresh air might stop the flow
! of blood. Tom said that he lay down, and
the last he remembered was Jack leaving
the room to carry out his purpose.
I" This story was considered very clever
concoction as it fairly accounted for every
| thing but the absolute disappearance of
| Jack. Toms theory was that he had fallen
| into the water and been drowned, and that
| his body had been carried out by the tide
| The theory of the authorities was that
Tom had murdered Jack for his money and
| carried his body to the water and thrown
| it in. The fact that Tom had not attempted
to- aC,a ~
| crime did not give the officials much con-
Germ. He might, they said. have felt conf
dent that his story would be believed or
| be might, after the deed, have been over
come with the liquor he had taken and laid
| down, or he might have imagined that he
| would have opportunity enough to get clear
before any alarm was raised in the morn
| ing. Tom, anyhow, was held for the mur-
| der of Jack, and in due time was indicted
by the grand jury. On the trial every
thing was made to tell strongly against
the prisoner, and he was convicted and
| hanged.
Now comes the sequel to the story. Two
years or more after sentence had been exc
| cHted upon the unfortunate Tom, Jack ap-
! peared upon the scene once more, alive and
well. Then for the first time he heard Of
| his own murder and the hanging OF his
| shipmate for the crime. He was greatly
| shocked, and gave an account of his disap-
| pearance which in every particular sub.
stantiated the truth Of the statements made
| by Tom.
! In addition he said that, after quitting
! the bedroom his nose continued to bleed,
and he walked down the covered way
toward the quay, keeping his head well for
ward, so that the blood might not stain his
clothes On reaching the quay he turned
| to the left, and, just as he came opposite
| the stone steps already described, press
| gang sprang Hpon him, gagged him, carried
him to a boat and rowed him, along with
| others similarly captured, on board man-
| of-war lying at anchor in the roads, 1t was
| war times, and sailors were badly wanted,
| and the press gang was resorted to for
supplying the navy, merchant seamen
being always, of course, preferred. Jack
had no chance of communicating with any
| one on shore, for the very next day the
| man-of-war sailed for a foreign station.
where it remained cruising nearly all the
time until its return to England"
The First Cantilever Bridge.
The most unique bridge in Japan is the
monkey bridge that one sees in the Kofu-
kaido before reaching the town of Kofu,
writes ST. Louis Giobe correspondent 1t
| spans narrow chasm over a roaring
stream, and is the first cantilever bridge in
| the world, antedating the Niagara patented