Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1890-02-14


monstrances of the Iandlord-ln fact,
without paying the slightest heed to them
he went into the parlor and shut the
door.
@At this point, gentlemen, you will be
gin to be GstOunded by the bOldness with
which the crime that followed was
planned and executed. You viii learn
with surprise that the hand of sk1Ilful
confederate, one or more. was exhibited
In what next occurred, but in so mystic
riOus a way that I confess to yOu have
been bafhed to account for 1t.
@Was this whole affair a deep-laid plot
Of the prisoner, projected and carefully
prepared before he left Ipswich? Was 1t
suddenly conceived when he learned that
Robert BarnWeu was upon the road and
would stop at the Red Lion? And IN that
case did he have the tools at hand with
which to execute 1t?
Il do not know. w e may never know.
We are at a loss when we come to seek for
these mysterious accOmplices. There
were idlers enough about the Inn that
night, country people and one or two
seamen; but all my patient Investigations
have failed to give me a clue to the man
or men whose secret assistance enabled
the prisoner to execute his crime"
The speaker at this point went on and
detailed at much length, and IN manner
that riYeted the attention of all in the
great room, the particulars of the eXcla-
nations and noises in the parlOr; the
discovery by the landlord that the door
was bOlted, and, following that, the terri
flying discovery that doors and windows
had been locked and barred, so that those
in the tap-roOm We're close prisoners Tor
at least thirty minutes. After describing
the manner of their release and the total
ignorance of the hOstler and stable boy,
both OF whom were near at hand all the
time, as to what had occurred, the AttOr-
nsy General said:
$50 it will appear that all this locking,
barring and boiling was both swiftly and
silently done. But it was effectual! 1t
gave the prisoner full opportunity to
pursue his bloody work without mOlesta-
ton.
Let me call your attention to what was
actually heard by the landlord, proceed
ing from the parlOr.
SHe heard, in the voice of the prisoner,
the words, I never did! 1t IS false! 1 say
never did?
Then he heard Barnwell Indignantly
utter the rejoinder: DO you say SO? Then
you are a liar, as we'll as O bIack-hearted
| villain!
And the last words he heard were in
the sneering, scOfhng tones of the prison
er: Poor fool! 1 pass by your insults;
| you are beneath my contempt
I'VE cannot be at a loss, gentlemen, as
/ to what this meant. 1t was the prison
] q 3
| possibly of engaging his defeated rival
/ by his mOcking words into making an at
| tack upon him. We may not know. as to
/ this. The scuffie that followed, with its
! terrible ending, were hidden from NOR
| tai sight, as the prisoner had cOntrlved
! that they should be. But one significant
/ fact we do know. It is that Ralph
! COurtenay was armed, and the inference
/ is irresistible that he provoked that
| quarrel; that he gOaded on his dlsap-
! pointed and broken-spirited rival to at
tack him, intending to slay him-as he
| did-with his knife.
! Next the speaker gave rapid sketch
! of the search Of the landlord and his at
| tendants outside the house; of the find
! ing of the footprints on the beach, and
the evidences of a body having been
| dragged to the water, the feet blowing up
! the sand; the examination of the parlOr
the disorder the knife, and the blood
stains upon it, as we'll as on the carpet
! All this was recOunted in an impressive
and dramatic manner, of which the At
tOrney Generals long experience at the
| bar had given him mastery, which fair
| ~ thrilled his audience through, anC
some of the details of which made wOm-
en- sob and SILVER with fright.
The knife, gentlemen - the bloody
knifei" he uttered, in a sepulchral voice
as he held it up before them. Whose
was this weapon Of murder? 1t was thi
prisoners. Half q dozen witnesses vii
be produced who will tell you that the,
have often seen it in his possession a
Ipswich; one, at least, who saw him haV
it at Colchester On the I'd of September.
According to the best calculations tina
could be made, continued the AttOrne,
General, these transactions occupied til
about ten o'clock of that evening. Tn
prisoner disappeared. Where had h
gone?
. II ID IL
Buck would testify that about midnight
after his house was closed, he was aroused
by a man whom he afterward discOveret
to be Captain Courtenay. His dress wa
! disordered, his hair was tumbled ther
was blood and a slight scar on his cheek
He wished to wash his face, brush hi
clothes, make himself generally present
able and take an hours sleep. Tn
landlord admitted him without question
as he knew him, and received a guine
from him for this hospitality. At day
| light, when the landlord aWoke and cam
below again, COurtenay was gone. Whe1
he left, 1t was impossible to tell.
Incredible as IL may appear, said tn
speaker, 1T will still be shown that thl
man, with murder on his soul, with hi
victims body secretly and mysterOusl
disposed of, and with his blood jus
washed from his own hands, went on +
Pembroke Villa, met the unhappy woman
who has since become his wife, arraye
himself in full uniform, sat at the tabl
{ with her fathers guests, the lion Of tn
hour, and would actually have marie
her there, had not the appearance of tn
Sheriff, and his own arrest, put a sum
/ mary stop to his career"
Much more was said to excite the in
= dignatiOn of the jury, and cause them t
f see the accusation with the speakers eyes
3 Ralph COurtenay looked at him froI
time to time IN a maze of beWilderment
He had not conceived that so strong
case could possibly be made out agains
him. Much that he had just heard wa
perfectly true; much was absolutely falls
and there was great deal which, Will
r true in itself, did not mean what it ws
< said to mean.
Try to look cheerful, Mr.. Lascell
s whispered. And he felt the strOn
s pressure of his wife's hand.