San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-06-09

had given his true name to the porter at
the club, and had left him with the
avowed intention of going to seek Mr..
Trent at his house. Again, he had an
nounced himself by name to the care
taker, Simpson. Persons neditating
murder do not act in this way. AS re-
garded the dagger, the prisoner frankly
admitted it to be his. He had taken it
with him to Mr.. Trent's house that
night for peculiar reason, which from
its nature was not susceptible of proof,
but the very simplicity of which should
commend it to the credence of the jury.
Miss Raven had admired the dagger at
his studio, and the prisoner had resolved
to make her present of it.
He had accordingly taken it with him
on the evening in question, intending,
after his interview with Mr.. Trent at his
club, to call upon Miss Raven at her
house and give it to her. But, contrary
to his expectation, he had not found Mr..
Trent at his club, and again, contrary
to his expectation, Mr.. Trent had refused
his assent to his suit. In his distress and
preoccupatiou he had forgotten on his
departure 10 take the dagger away with
him. He had gone from Mr.. Trents
house to his own studio, and had there
spent the night; and this would suffi-
GENTLY account for his disheveled appear
ance the next morning. But surely
murderer would have fed, and as surely
he would not have left behind him such
a piece of evidence as the fatal dagger.
But, on the other hand, the real MUIR
derer who used the dagger had the best
of reasons for leaving it in the wound;
for to do so would be to divert suspicion
from himself. And who was the real
murderer? Unquestionably the short
man with the dark beard whom Mrs.
Simpson had seen between eleven and
twelve o'clock. The presence there Of
this man had not been accounted for.
Yet the fact of his presence there had
been sworn to, and that fact was irrecon-
cilable with the guilt of the prisoner.
And for the jury to bring in verdict
against the prisoner would, therefore, be
to add another murder to the one already
committed. Let the short man with the
dark beard be found and the mystery of
Harry Trent's death would be mystery
no longer.
The district attorney, in asking for a
verdict against the prisoner, said he
should have been well pleased had there
been better evidence to offer in his favor.
But really there was no defense. The
visit of the prisoner to the house was
conceded; the possession of the dagger
vas conceded; dispute on matter in
volving a womaa's love was conceded;
the fact that no one else was admitted
to the house was conceded. AS to the
prisoners explanations about the dagger,
even had they been matter of legal
evidence, they were utterly futile and
ridiculous. No sensible man would
credit them for a moment, and it would
make no difference as to the probability
| Of the prisoners guilt if they were cred
itel. With respect to the conflict of ev'
idence regarding the identity of the
prisoner with the person whom Mrs.
Simpson thought she saw. the district
attorney was far from wishing to dimin-
ish whatever weight it might have in
the jury's eyes. But he fancied it would
have very little.
The old lady had been asleep and was
still only half awake when she went up
stairs. She had had a glimpse of some
one through crack of door. and had
thought it was a short man with beard.
But he might have been sitting down,
and a shadow might have caused the APP
pearance of a beard. The jury would
have noticed that Mrs. Simpson, in the
witness box, had worn spectacles. She
certainly was not likely to have worn her
spectacles to bed, however, nor to have
put them on to go up stairs on voyage
of discovery after candle. Consequently
that glimpse of hers through a crack in
the door was likely to have been a very
blind glimpse indeed. But it was I'M
necessary to pursue the subject or to
weary the jury with further details.
Everything pointed one way, and that
was to the prisoners guilt. twas ter
rible thing that man of his position and
training should be guilty of a crime so
hideous, but it was the jury's duty to
pronounce as to the facts. And their YER
dict, besides avenging the death of an
honorable and honored citizen, would
show the world that in the city of New
York there was but one law for rich and
poor, for gentle and simple. ...r.
The judge, in summing up, said that
the jury must confine themselves to the
legal evidence that had been produced in
court. The statements of the prisoners
counsel regarding the prisoners motives
and explanations did not come under
this head. They might or might not be