Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-01-08
a peex OF rosAcoo


n, ssr.a<s sse-y ma We fsaA - -
OsA Gssrsia Dssssssv~
4 ptsrs Of Plug tohaece
A DE sentsocs 10 ths penitsoriAry-
Nos . very striking analogy. surely. -
thRsby hangs . tais-
II followed tae business Of deseefWe TOT
n I,o> sims. y aid an Old hand n ths oos'r
pep q. he pu6sd his cigar IN mug cosn9
Of ths Sa.sou house. but one OF the mos
u..uIiar cases ever struck Was IN Geor2'A
tovn nox more than . hundred u'tlss from
Atlanta
..One day received . telegram from .
orumiueus Young man Of the place. notify
ing tus that his father had been murdered
and rubbed in the streets, and asking me 70
come and work up the case. The next train
bors me to the town. and as ! stepped OF the
car. | met the town marshal He bad .
badge and sort OF club stick. and | asked
him Il be Was the marshal
".Yes, and an looking for an Atlanta
detective
~ guess FlS your man
"'Ail right Let's get into the bus and
drive up town
mo. ia rather walk up and talk about
the casa
We'll. I'm In q hurry. The coroners In
quest is going on, and arm the first witness
..Tha, remark struck me At once, aud put
me on my guard
"'Who do you think did itf
".Well | have no idea | have not heard
any guesses made yet, but | think you had
Just as well turn your attention to the ne
groez- No white man did that deed
"'Why do you think sof
-'Because no white man would have taken
everything from mans pockets, - the muir
derers did from his
What did they takef
Everything. They even took . little
piece Of tobacco. about that long-neasur1ng
on his finger-and you know no white man
would have cleaned him out ike that
"'Did you search the bodyf
"sNo: his son told me about 1t, is how
came to know
by this time We hal reached the place
where they were holding the inquest, anu
cautioniug him not to reveal my identity,
left him
.-On the next day met the murdered man :
son. Heidi not know that was detective,
and began To ask about the murder, and
among other things casually asked what the
robbers had taken,
"'Wby, they took his watch. his knife, the
buttons out Of his shirt and his pockstbook-
Just cleaned out his pockets.'
THAT allf
$50 far as know They just took every
thing they could find, it seems'
"'Did he have much money!
He must have had q considerable SUM-
as it was Saturday night.
What did you say just now about that
piece Of tobaccof
~ didn't say anything about it, but since
YOU have mentioned it Iremember, now, that
he must have carried a small piece Of plug to-
bacco. He was a very economical man, and
, he always kept the crumbs cleared out of his
boxes in tile store during the week, but on
Saturday night he wonld cut off a little piece
and put it in bis ptehet TO chew on Sundays.
That was his practice, Invariably, and he
must have had q piece with him, but none
was found when we searched his pockets
d" That is a little strange, and maybe the
murderer OF murderers took that also
They must have done SO, for it was such
q rule with him that know he did not leave
the store without his Sunday piece Of plug
tobacco
II let; ,Ao young man and set TO work in
good earnest then. The marshal came to my
assistance, and was very s,lctous about
catching the criminals We secured the town
and community for some clew, but the more
We sought TIE i.sore the mystery deepened
"For two DAYS we worked like beavers, and
at the end Of the second day | became fully
| satisfied in my mind that | had the thing
dead Going down town found the marshal
and placed him under arrest. Then arrest
barkeeper Us his acconf1hce The news
spread like witlfire, and the citizens were al
most ready to mob me, but | had the two
men committed To Ill.
when the trial ca.ii- on the twelve jurors
were not out twenty minutes before they
brought III verdict Of guilty of murder
with a recommendation for mercy The rec
ommendation WAS urge'i and carried by the
| twelfth man, Who would not agree to render
a verdict Of murder pure ard simple on cir
curistantiai evidence.
In delivering sentence the judge toll the
| marshal that were it not for the rcc"iatnen-
taton, which left him no discretion, he
would put tie extreme penalty Of the law
upon him. well satisfied was he OF the guilt
| Of the prisoner at The bar
And he went up for lifefr
YES, and spent six years in the penten-
| tiary But Governor Stephens pardonetl
| him out as As he was elected. You see
| he believe in the innoceace Of his Client 50
he used the pardoning power to set him at
| liberty
And the piece Of tobacco was the first
| ciewf''
"Ies. as soun as the marshal mentioned it,
| the iea occurred to me that he must have
| known a great deal ABOUT j. tn have been able
| to describe even the s.ze OF it, although he
did not search the pocket, and hal no reason
| for knowing that the murdered man carried
| such piece unless he too, it from his pocket
| after the murder " Atlanta Constitution.