Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1889-04-13
A CASE OF MURDER.
Strong Circumstantial Evidence
Against an Innocent Man.

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
O chain OF circumstantial evidence has
often sent men to the gallows If a cir
cumstance can be explained away, it
is but n shadow II it can not be ex-
planned away, it becomes menace to
the prisoners life. A witness may
be bribed, abducted or impeached. A
circumstance il a lion in the path de-
manding blood
1t has been often asserted that inno-
cent men have been hung on circum-
stantial evidence There may have
been such instances, but they have been
rare indeed. In my own experience in
law and detective work | have seen
some carious things about circumstan-
tial evidence. 1t is, in one sense. the
strongest chain which can be forged, in
another the worry weakest
About twenty years ago l was de-
tailed on a 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-
colnplish any thing He was a young
maa OF twenty-three, named Graham,
and was of respectable family. He had
been engaged to young lady Of the
highest respectabilit, but they had
quarreled about something. Common
friends had brought about reconcile
alton, but a new suitor had appeared
lpon the scene, and Graham's jealousy
lad provoked another quarrel. He
had not visited her for two weeks, when,
on the evening of Sunday, October 80,
1ne 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 turn
sd pale, trembled and finally said:
He is an adventurer and an interlop-
or. Let him look out for himself"
An hour later he started for Loss
ngs. He passed several people who
saw that he was excited. The house
stood back from the road in grove Of
.rees, and was approached by two
paths or drives from the front Gra-
IAN fully intended to enter the house,
but when he came upon the grounds his
courage failed him. He was afraid he
night say or do something rash in his
present mood, and very sensibly decid-
d to return to town and defer his call till
he next day. Next morping his rival 8
lead body was found on one OF the
lrives. about halfway between the
louse and tho fence. He had been
struck down with abludgeon. Conclu-
ions are always jumped at in MUIR
Ter cases. Two OF the negro servants
we're at once arrested, but before noon
they ere set at liberty and Graham
was taken into custody. The chain ul-
ready contained several links Others
were added the moment he was arrest
ID. He was dreadfully agitated, hesi-
tated to acknowledge that he had been
iear the place, and blood stain was
found on the right sleeve OF his coat
Before he had been in Jail one day even
bis own father believed him a murder
or. He was examined and bound over,
and it was only after that event that he
began to protest his innocence. The
rirl who had been the cause OF it came
nobly to his rescue. While she truly
loved him, she had been willing I'd
make him jealous. and when murder had
come of it, as she believed, she felt ter
ribly conscience-stricken and anxious
TO believe in his protestations of inno-
cence.
When l came upon the ground, the
State had its case all worked up, and
when went over it to look for flaw
could find none Ihad to acknowledge
that was without hope. Indeed,
believed Graham guilty. His own ex-
plantations rather strengthened this be-
lief. Lossing's house faced the east
The highway in front ran north and
south. The lawn was twenty rods
wide, and one drive led in from the
north and the other from the south end.
Graham approached 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 minutes with the dogs,
and then circled shout the fish pond,
and took short cut across the grove
and struck the road. not hitting the
north path at all. The dead man had
come from the village as we'll, and or
foot. He had come and attempted tc
return by the north drive.
If Graham was innocent who was
| guiltyp