Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-04-25
EVIDENCE BROKEN.

kAo&AsSo
but O shadow. II 10 cannot be explained
away, II becomes q menace to the pris-
oner's life. A witness p,ay DO bribed,
abducted or impeached. A circumstance
is a lion in the path demanding blood.
It has been often asserted that inno-
cent men have been hung on circumstan-
tial evidence. There may have been such
instances, but they have been rare in
deed. In my own experience in law and
detective work have seen some curious
things about circumstantial evidence.
II is, in one sense, the strongest chain
which can bc forged, in another the very
weakest.
About twenty years ago was detailed
on murder case in a Kentucky town.
II was not to work up tho case, but to
save If possible the young man arrested
for the crime. When Igot the facts and
details, felt helpless to accomplish any
thing. He was young man OF twenty
three, named Graham. and was of re-
spectacle family. He had bccn engaged
to young lady of the highest rcspecta-
bility, but they had quarreled about
something. Common friends had brought
about reconciliation, but a new suitor
had appeared upon the scene, and
Graham's Jealousy had provoked an
other quarrel. He had no, visited her
for two weeks, when, on the evening OF
Sunday, Oct. 30, one OF Graham's friends
met him and said:
Your rival is up at Loasin3's, and
seems bound To cut YOU ont. Adele
seems very sweet on him!'
Graham truly loved the gill. and this
speech made him wild, He turned pale,
trembled, and finally said:
HE is an adventurer and an inter-
loper. Let linn look oit for liimself!'
An hour L. /. Inc started for Lossing's
He passed several people, " 40 saw that
he was excited. The house stood back
from the road in a grove of trees, and
was approached by two paths or drives
from the front. Graham fully intended
to enter the house, but when he came
upon the grounds his courage failed him.
He was afraid he might say or do some
thing rash in his present mood, and very
sensibly decided to return to town and
defer his call till the next day. Next
morning his rivals dead body was found
on one Of the drives, about half way be-
tween the house and the fence. He had
been struck down with bludgeon.
Conclusions are always jumped at in
murder cases.
Two OF the negro servants were ut
once arrested, but before noon they were
set at liberty and Graham was taken into
custody. The chain already contained
several links. Others were added the
moment he was arrested. He was dread
fully agitated, hcsitatcd to acknowledge
that he had been near the place, and q
blood stain was found on the right sleeve
Of his coat. Before he had been in jail
one day even his own father believed
him murderer. He was examined and
bound over, and it was only after that
event that hc began to protest his inno-
cence. The girl who had been the cause
of 1t came nobly to his rescue. While
she truly loved him, she had been will
ing to make him jealous, and when MUIR
der had come OF it, as she believed, she
felt terribly conscience stricken aud anx-
ious TO believe in his protestations of in
nocence.
When l came upon tho ground the
state had its case all worked up, and
when | went over it to look for flaw
could find none. had to acknowledge
that was without hope. Indeed, be-
lieved Graham guilty. His own expla-
nations rather strengthened that belief.
-ossing's house faced the cast. The
highway In front ran north and south.
The lawn was twenty rods wide, and one
drive led in from the north and the other
from the south end. Graham approached
from the north. He would naturally
turn in at the first drive, but hc claimed
to have gone on TO the second. He fol-
lowed it to the house, passed around II,
played for two or three minutes with the
dogs, and then circled about the fish
pond and took short cut across the
grove and struck the road, not hitting
the north path at all. The dead man had
come from the village as well, and on !.
foot. lie had come and attempted to
return by the north drive
II Graham was innocent who was
guilty?
Not the slightest suspicion had been
directed elsewhere. II seemed hopeless !,
10 look. l questioned and cross ques-
.ioned him. but he could not give mo the
slightest foundation tor q clew or q
theory What got came by accident.
askcl to see the blood stained clothing,
and ! found il to DE single daub Of
blpyi on white vest II was curious
MARI such as had never seen before,
ani ~ l"n ! quietly investigated further
dl,'.N"itri tia, the murdered man had
bn - -irurk un the back II his head and
faii .tlJ. "a ! on lis face lie had very
tn 4, hair. and. Willie the blow had
cnis .,'d the skull, he had blcd but little
The h!oud would not squirt from such
llow The Iody had not been lifted, and
10 how did Graham &c, that blood staini
Accident gave me the knowledge.
was looking the ground over at Loss
ings for the fourth or fifth time, when
one Of the dogs came and leaped upon
me in carcssing way. LOSING OBJ
served II and remarked:
"Old Fan was always very fond of
Graham. and I believe sho misses him.
Here, Fan, let me look at your paw. All!
it's about as well as ever, isn't it;'
"What allied her paw I asked.
"She got terrible cut on piece Of
glass few weeks ago"
About tho time Uranam was ar
rested"
"Nes"