The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1889-06-19
oIRcuMsTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
ZIG slory b q DeleclIre.

Tie story Of a Detective.
An English lawyer once said that
circumstantial evidence would hang
the King of England. While that
was putting it pretty strong: it is
admitted that chain of circum-
stantial evidence has often sent men
to the gallows. IF circumstance
can be explained away, it is but a
shadow. Ifit.can not be explained
away it becomes "a menace to the
prisoners life. A witness may be
bribed, abducted, or impeached. A
circumstance is lion in the path
demanding blood.
1t has often been asserted that
innocent men have been hung ON
circumstancial evidence. There
may have been such instances, but
they have been rare indeed. Inlmy
own experience in law and detective
work, / have seen some curious
things about circumstantial evil
dence. tits, in one sense, thestrong-
est chain that can be forged, in any
other the very weakest.
About twenty years ago was de-
tailed on a murder ease in a Ken
lucky town. 1t was not to work up
the case, but to save, if possible, the
young man arrested for the crime.
When I got the facts and details /
felt hopeless to accomplish anything.
He was young man of %, named
Graham, and was of respectable
family. he had been engaged to a
young lady of the highest respecta-
bility, but they had quarreled about
Common friends had
brought about a reconciliation, but.
a new suitor appeared upon the
scene, and Graham's jealousy had
provoked another quarrel. He had
not visited her for two weeks, when,
on the evening of Sunday, October
so, one Of Graham's friends met him
and said:
"Your rival is up to 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 said:
"He is an adventurer and an in
terloper. Let him look out for him
selfr'
An hour later he started for Loss
ing'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 something 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 blud-
geon. Conclusions are always jump
ed at. in murder cases. Two of the
negro servants were at once arrested.
but before noon they were set at
liberty and Graham was taken into
custody. The chain already con-
tanned several links. Others were
added the moment he was arrested.
he was dreadfnlly agitated, hesita-
ted 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 fether believed him a
murderer. 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, ard when murder had
come of it, as she believed, she felt
terribly conscience stricken and
anxious to believe in his protesta-
tions 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. 1 had to
acknowledge that I was without
hope. Indeed, I believed Graham
guilty. His own explanation rather
strengthened that belief. 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