The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-10-30
DANGEROUS WEAPON.
g Man on Circumstantial
Evidences.

-, NAx York Sun, IN clrcoHlslaltial eNl-
-. Twenty years service as detective
..tisfied me that il Furnishes a thousand
80 nan where it wrongs one. Now and
- there is q newspaper talk about this or
-, nersou having been sent to his death
- 20 inBocent of the crime, and young law
W. ill shake their heads and declare that
, s."s,,nstsntial evidence Is dangerous
cNon " the innocent suffer now and
w.. through this cause, they also suffer
t.L.a,,oh the perjury of witnesses and other
'1aSs man perfectly Innocent OF any
'-r3ou cannot possibly be convicted in open
court of a crime.
IL If nersonally occurred in Virginia
80 after the close of the war. In some
soet,,res il resembled the Blrchall case. A
49, Island soldier hand returned to Vir-
- after being mustered out of the serv-
= and had invested some money in lands.
T-'Sa5 other money to invest. and made
.rirs T. different parts of the st tie,
ba ging his headquarters at Staunton. Near
| Charleston, ". Va, lived young lady
H;th whom this Rhode Islander, Stephen
| chase by uame, fell IN love. The girl had
Sad two or three other admirers, and there
.eas more or less hard feelings bsJween the
nan On one occasion, when all met
- the house, there were some hot
I'D between Chase and young
80 named Talbot. There would have
Iaen a fight but for the girls interference.
roth mea had something to say about
citing even with each other, and their ex-
Sressons had great weight few weeks
sft-rward when related by witnesses IN
coprt. The unpleasantness occurred of a
sunday afternoon. Ga the following
Wednesday Chase started out from Charles
RI anoin visit fhA GIRL
The horse came back. next morning with
Mood on the saddle, and the matter was re-
,orted TO the authorities and a search was
instituted.
chase had not reached the farm house
moi dav 1t was nearly a week before his
boiy was found in a thicket ten rods off the
rad. He had been slot through the
hart as he was riding along, and his body
had been carried into the woods aud hid
ien
fund. was the one who had found it. 1t
had been robbed of all personal property,
md coat, vest and shoes were missing. For
two or three days believed the object of
ia murder was robbery. Then l learned
what had passed between Chase and
Talbot, and l had another clew to
work on. Things came about curiously. I
found two men who had seen Talbot near
the spot where the murder was committed,
and at about the hour. / found others who
hai seen him in possession of a large roll of
bills There were yet others who said he
bad told contradictory stories. The young
LADY was powerful witness against Talbot.
On the evening Of the murder he had come
othe house in an excited state of mind. He
looked pale and there was fresh cut on
his cheek, which he said he had got by a
fall He was i'll at ease, and when he rose
togo be said: .---.-.
People about here suppose me to be
polr, but am not. | saved several thou
sand dollars during the war and / can keep
wife in luxury"
He exhibited the roll of bills to her. and
she laughingly admitted that he was good
catch Inside of week | had sufficient
evidence to warrant his arrest. He had
gone to the home of an uncle on Elk river,
aJout ten miles away, and it was there I
found and arrested him. He was sitting on
the porch alone when | drove up, and as
soon as | announced my errand he grew
very white and gasped out:
What am | charged with?'
Murder
Good God But who-who-"
The murder Of Nathan Chase"
But when-whereT
"On the afternoon of the 18th. You
And you lay killed Chaser
That's the charge"
Thank heavenl I'll go with you will
mgly. had no more to do with his death
than you"
He was lodged in jail, and evervb 1dv be-
Aeved him guilty. He had no parents, and
vas about rs years old. He was trying to
est bllso a real estate and insurance bust
aeSS IN Charleston, assisted to some extent
a W M Uncle, but things were so disorgan-
i1ed that be made but poor headwav. When
81 arrested he had over $4,000 in greenbacks
& On his lelson. Chase was known to have
n mad about this sum with him. When oues-
Vlontd about this money by his friends he
cOuid make no satisfactory answer He
81 llhelly claimed to have found it on the high
NJ way. lie had to admit that he was seen
Lear the spot where Chase was killed. but
strehnously denied having ever seen the vic
tim that day.
"hen his case came to trial we had moth
- OUT clrcumstantial evidence. but were
~weu salts. ed it'll that. What conld he
#stronger9 Known to be Jealous Of Cbase
Eand his enemy, seen near the spot suddenIv
possessed OF considerable wealth; takes no
&parI IN the search; steals away from
Charleston 10 let the matter blow over.
furnishes every proof In his deneanor that
NC Is guilty., refuses to account for his time
III me Gay OF the murder; gives no salts
{aoeoiy account OF the money in his DOS,
.ession Further than this, had disooyered
tr naU he g. eht nearly all that dav in the
%oous' ana that on his return to town his
Sio.nllg was torn and muddy. There was
iusD one point ID the case where we yvere
ET uane Chhse weighed $50 pounds. and
Ioot was dapper little fellow who
niunt balance quite 15S. He had no
s tico ,r uiu'Iie onan woman, and the oues-
Nroad va" We now he got the body from the
H. ap ~ an'o Ine thlcket There had been rain
& ~ Jay LAY before, and the ground was soft,
,oo , .ouno the prints of feet, and these were
~ ~ large Tor Talbot We could not find
H. SoV ne ,oody had been carried in there on
~ ~ SADDLE, neither had it teen dragged over
sl lo eaFsn. 1t was question that vexed me-
8 60 uay and nights and the only wav
q Fry, Toie satisty myself was by figuring that
sida.oS uao confederate All things CON
roteu this did not seem likeIy And
a.. | remembered his words and his con-
fsG mneh arrested. He was almost terri
foor wnen charged with murder. but as
Nsttaa SAID that it WAS the murder of
30. au Chase he exhibited instant and
4 hon. . .HeI. There was something Queer
~ mat, and it bothers me.
a'Vo0 lad lawyer from Richmond who
e 10y. 9uuea him ably and well. but withont
80 OF success. The Young man cla;,,oeJ
nlm that he found the money ard that
EonId O ~ 'ne DAY In the woods. Further he
+ Ia s ar noG or would not go. Previous good
eourso ''o ,n ana general reputation were. of
inlrbt' - I'se1 IN defense, but the lawyer