Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-06-16
A LAWYERS STORY.
How a Friend Was Saved from
the GallOwS.

How a Friend Was Saved from
the GaIOws
The most curious and interesting
case of circumstantial evidence in my
practice was that of Nat Ford. 1t oc-
Cured when 1 was a much younger
man than / now am. In fact, l had
never had a criminal case, and was be-
ginning to wonder if 1 ever should have /
one, when 1 received the following tele- |
gram:
81 am arrested on charge OF murder: You |
must defend me. Come at once. NAE" |
Nat Ford had been my friend from |
boyhood. Left an orphan at an early |
age, he had been adopted by bach |
.elor uncle who was said to be very
wealthy His home, called Winthrop
place, was like many southern man
.sions OF that period-very large, with
numerous wings, and a double piazza
on three sides. had visited Nat more
than once and remembered the house
very distinctly.
l wondered whom Nat could have
been accused Of having murdered. He
was rather of wild boy, but not at all
quarrelsome; and he never had an en-
envy in the world. 1t was of DO use
wondering; the telegram gave me no
cue and | must wait till l reached my
destination
In response to my telegram that
would arrive on the next train, 1 was
met at the station by old Aleck, the
-coachman, with the Winthrop ca rriage.
He greeted me very sorrowfully. L
could hardly wait till we were on the
way when began my questioning.
'.Aleck, what is all this trouble
about?''
IVY, bre SIS yo' soul Massa Harry!
Amt yo' done heard it?'' Aleck. looked
wonderingly at me. Somebody done
killed ole ~ ASA, an de hossifers says
twas Massa Nat"
| could not repress an exclamation of
horror.
Nat never cou Id have done such a
thing!' l said.
Goose he nebba; we all knows dat
You'll sabe him, Massa Harry, you'll
tell oe hossifers he didn't, won't your
1 assured the old man that would
do everything in my power. then
asked him for a detailed account of the
tragedy.
Nobody doan' know much bout hit
Ole massa was a-writin' in his room al
midnig wen de ole woman went dowr
kitchen fo' hot watah fo' her newralgy
Den bout nal1 nOuT dTteT we oOiAS
heard Massa Nat leave his room an
nebba heard i'm come back Mex
no'nin' we done fin ole massa dead or
de io, an rnafks on is neck wha' some
body done choke i'm"
'sHorrible!' Il exclaimed But VIII,
was it done?"s
''Fo' money. Dey say dere's heap
oh it gone"
4 Lon M
mainder of the fve-mile journey wa
made in silence.
l had expected to find Nat loolSin!
worried. but 1 was not prepared t.
meet the haggard, wild-eyed man whom
L found in cell at the Jail, when I raj
down there after su PIPER.
We had a long conversation. but
could learn little of Importance. Ma
had gone to the library for DO o.
about midnight or a little later on tn
night of the tragedy. He saw his uncl
writing in his room as he passed tn
door. After spending some time in sc
lecting book, he returned with it
his own apartments; and noticing as
passed that the door was closed and tn
light extinguished, supposed that h
uncle had retired. The deed mus
have been done while he was in tn
library.
At the inquest it had been show
that the old man had been strangled
his chair by some one who seized hi
from behind. There were no marks
violence except the hvid ingerprints c
his throat, and no sign OF any struggi
But the most damaging test1non
against Nat was the discovery Of h
scarfpin which had dropped down Il
collar of his uncle's coat, and was four
by the coroner. This, il was argue
could not have occurred unless Nat b;
stood behind Mr.. Winthrop in the POI
ton one must necessarily take to Col
init such deed
The safe door was standing aiaF, 6
sthe money and papers were missin
The drawers of the desk, too, had be,
,rihed.
This was bad enough, but question
sthe servants
Alexis wife repeated what Aleck h
said; that when she went TO the kitch
for hot water at midnight Mr. w
throp was writing in his room Short
after her re turn, they-both she a
Aleck-heard Nat leave his chant
aud go along the hall toward
uncle's room. They fell asleep shor
afterward. and neither OF them hes
him return.
>Qld Hetty, whose room was on t