, 1891-07-26


comment 1t to the credence OF the jury.
Miss Raven had admired the dagger al
his studio, and the prisoner had resolved
to make her a 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 Rayen 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
p~reoccupation he had forgotten on his
departure to take the dagger away with
him. He had zone from Mr.. Trents
house to his own studio, n had there
spent the night; and this would sufi-
GENTLY account for his disheveled appear
ance the neXt morning. But surely a
murderer would have fled, and as surely
he would not have left behind him such
a piece of evidence as tine fatal dagger.
But, on the other hand, the real muir
derer who used the dagger had the best
of reasons for leaving it in tn wound;
for to do so would be to divert Suspicion
from himself. And who was the real
murderer? Unquestionably the short
llhl Will Iut hhIh DtdTu aWLDIH MIS-
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.
N for the jury TO bring in n verdict
against the prisoner would, therefore, be
TO add another murder to the one already
committed. Let the short mar with the
lark beard be found and the mystery of
Harry Trent's death would be n 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 vas
conceded; the possession of the dagger
was conceded; a dispute on a matter in
vOlving n woman'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 We're 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 nave in
the jury's eyes. But he fancied il 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 n crack Of a door. and had
thought it was "A short man with "A beard.
But he might have been sitting down,
and a shadow might AVE 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 OF a voyage
of discovery after a 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. 1t was "A ter
rible thing that Il man of his position and
training should be guilty of IA crime SC
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
NnrlF thapa xFnu 1p,t .,,,. 1,r, Co.. - ~, ,-,l
poor, for gentle and simple.
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
true, but the jury could not consider
them. On the other hand, the testimony
as to the short man with the dark beard
should receive their careful attention. il
might be Of Importance. All the eyi.
dence against the prisoner was circum.
stantial. There had been instances OF
such evidence being fatally mistaken,
but such cases were as one to ten thou,
san where it had been correct, and il
was sometimes eve preferable to direct
evidence itself. His address was short
and impartial, and at its close the jury
retired for deliberation.
They remained out eighteen hours,
When they re-entered court the room
was nearly empty. In answer to the
clerks question the foreman said that
their verdict was guilty of murder in the
second degree, generalization not having
been established. 1t was, as some of the
jurors afterward explained in interviews
with the reporters, a deed done in the
heat of passion over the refusal of Trent
to listen to Darke's proposal-the hasty
outcome of n quarrel between two men
both loving the am young woman
The judge senteuced the prisoner tc
Imprisonment at hard labor for life.
Motion for II new trial was denied.
The prisoner was taken back TO tht
Tombs, and arrangements We're made Il
send HIM to Sing Sing that night.
ITO be continued