The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1889-03-21
TWO NARROW ESCAPES.

An English lawyer once said that cir.
scunnstantial evidence would hang the
Sing of England. While that was put.
ting 1T pretty strong, it is admitted that
chain of oircumstantial evidence has
Often sent men to the galows. If cir
cumstance can be explained away, it is
fout mere shadow. If it cannot be ex.
plained away, it becomes menace to
she prisoners life. A witness NAV be
olbred, abducted, or impeached. A cir
cumstance is lion in the path demand
ing blood.
1t has often been asserted that innocent
men have been hung on circumstantial
evidence. There may have been such
instances, but they have been rare in.
deed. In my own experience in law and
detective work 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 l was detailed
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 l got the facts and
details felt hopeless to accomplish any
thing. He was a young man of 23,
named Graham, and was of respectable
family. He had been engaged to a
young lady of the highest responsibility,
but they had quarreled about something.
Common friends had brought about
reconciliation, but new sutton had an.
l>cared upon the scene, and Graham's
:, 'aiously had provoked another quarrel.
. had not visited her in two weeks,
'hen, on the evening of Sunday, Octo-
Der 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 the 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 himselfln
An hour later he started for Lossing's.
He passed several people who saw that
he was excited. The house stood back
from the road in 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 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 the next day. Next
morning his rivals dead body was found
on one OF the drives. about half way be-
tween the house and the fence. He had
been struck down with bludgeon. Con-
illusions are always jumped at in murder
cases. Two of the servants were at once
arrested, but before noon they were set
at liberty and Graham was taken into
custody. The chain already contained
several links. Others were added the
moment he was arrested. He was dread
fully 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 own father be
lieved him a murder He was examined
and bound over and it 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 Jealous, and when
murder had come of it, as she believed.
she felt terribly conscious striker and
anxious to believe in his protestation OF
innocence.
When | came upon the ground, the
State had its case all worked up, ano
when | went over it to look for a flaw
1 Fin <1 IL LII.
that ] was without hope. Indeed, l be
lieyed Graham guilty. His own expla
nations rather strengthened that belief
Lossing's house faced the east The
highway in front ran north and south
The lawn was twenty yards wide, an6
one drive led from the north and the
other from the south end Graham ap.
preached from the north. He would
naturally turn IN at the first drive, but he
claimed to have gone on to the second
He followed it to the house, passed
around it, played for two or three min
utes with the dogs, and then circlec
about the fish pond, and took shor,
cut across the grove and struck the road
not hitting the north path at all. TIL,
dead man had come from the village a.
well, and on foot. He had come and at
tempted to return by the north drive.
If Graham was innocent who wa
guilty2
Not the slightest suspicion had beer
directed elsewhere. 1t seemed hopeless
to look. / questioned and cross ques-
toned him, but he could not give m,
the slightest foundation for clue or
theory. What ! got came by accident
/ asked to see the blood stained cloth
ing, and / found it to be a single daul
OF blood on a white vest. 1t was
curious mark, such as | had never seel
before, and when quietly investigated
further l discovered that the murdered
man had been struck on the back of tn
head and fallen forward on his face. H
had very thick hair, and, while the bloy
had crushed the skull, he had bled bu
little. The blood would not squirt frou
such blow. The body had not BEEF
lifted, and so how did Graham get tina
blood stain9 Accident gave me tn
knowledge. l was looking the groun,
over at Lossing's for the fourth or fiftl
time, when one of the dogs came an,
leaped upon me in caressing way. Los
sing observed it and remarked:
"old Fan was always very fond o
Graham, and believe she misses him
Here, Fan, let me look at you paw All
it's about as well as ever, isn't it,"
what allied her pawl" asked.
"She got terrible cut on piece {
glass few weeks ago."
"About the time Graham was al
rested"
eyes"
"Then it was her bloody paw ths
made the mark on his vest that night
'Good heavens, but it must hay
BEEN"
l had clue and hope. Everythin
changed in al hour, and l now believe