St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-05-15

WI iilitSS.
The time passed rapidly for me, and
the day before the one set for Mats trial
arrived without any further discovery.
On that day | went TO the village to
make some final arrangements for the
trial. had decided to do my best to
have the case continued. in the hope of
limiting some further clew To the real
murderer; but public feeling was so
strong against Nat that | WAS morally
certain of a refusal.
j a man was that day being tried for
& burglary, and. having finished the busl-
j ness (which had brought me to town, L
went up 10 the court room to hear the
Z trial.
The preliminary sparring had come
tn an end, the jury had been sworn and
the prosecuting attorney was just be-
ginning to state his case when / entered.
| learned from his statement that on the
very night of the tragedy at Winthrop
Place hole had been cut in the door of
the village store, the door had been UNI
bolted and all the valuables stolen.
Nearly $500 was taken, together with
; several revolvers. some cheap Jewelry
and other articles. The crime was COM
United at or near the hour of the murder
Of Mr.. Winthrop, for the Storekeeper
iNiidlHNu uIiil "''N'
the deed was discovered by Waterman
shortly after |. The evidence was pure
ly circumstantial, but unless the prlS-
oner could prove an alibi it looked dark
for him. if the prosecutor could prove
all he stated.
| watched the prisoner narrowly dur
ing the statement of the case, and was
struck by the attention with which he
listened. A hardened criminal, as his
appearance Indicated him to be, seldom
manfestS any interest in the proceed
ings against him; but he paid as 'clOse
attention as if this was the first ac
count he had of it.: He listened with
intense interest to the story of the
burgIary-the boring of hole in the
door, the saving out OF circular piece
of the door, the insertion of the hand,
the pushing back OF the two bolts, ana
all the details of the crime.
He was very large man, with I'M
menSe hands and feet, which were APP
parently as much in his way as are
those of bashfuI scheolboy.- | was
much impressed with the muscular 40
pearance of the great brawny hands, as
he moved them reStleSsly about. They
seemed 10 be just healing from recently
inflicted wounds. His eyes, shining
like those of beast beneath a tangle
of bushy eyebrows, had in them the
peculiar. crafty look of a man who Is
decefving his fellows and is greatly
pleased thereat. Breathlessly he lis
tened until the statement was made,
when he electrified the whole court
room by rising slowly and addressing
the court:
"May't please tn court, we might as
we'll cheese tn racket an save trouble.
Pm tn bloke as pulled th' shanty."
His counsel was Mortified, but the
judge asked Sternly:
ado you enter plea OF guilty."
You've said Ter, jedge. I'm tn cove
as done it,
In spite of this confession, his eyes
seemed to me to CLEAN with secret salts
faction; and there played about his
mouth smile which, | thought, had IN
it touch of pity for the stupidity or
mankind in general and of this court Ill
particular.
The court asked numerous questions
as to the motive of the deed, the manner
of performing it, and whether he had
? had any accOmpliceS. TO all these ne
Ipplied. with the same sly twinkle of
crafty satisfaction il his eyes-or, at
least. so thought. He needed money
to go to New Jersey to see his wife; ne
, had not had an accomplish: he had done
! inst as the lawyer had said-cut hole
: in the door, inserted his hand, shot back
, the bolts and entered. His sentence
was deferred until the end OF the term,
/ when ali the sentences would he an
nnunced. The spectators filed out OF
the court room and down the street, not
a few commenting, III my hearing. on
the case to be tried on the morrow. The
, prisouef was led back to his cell.
AS ! passed the store which Dix had
robbed curiosity PROMPTED me to stop
and take a look at the scene. Mecaah-
{ icaAsul pushed my hand through the
hofe where 4the thief had thrust his Oh
that eventful night. AS did so. a
thought struck me-a thought so novel,
so strange, so exciting, that could not
have been more agltated il the bolts
touched had been heavily charged with
electricity.
Like an insane man, as verify be
lieve some of the people thought me. L
rushed back to the temple OF justice.
When | again emerged. there was III the
hands of the sheriff subpoena. calling
upon the authorities to produce one
Samuel Dix as witness III the case or
State VS. Ford, on the 18th day OF June,
1871.
Not wink did l sleep that night. but
, lay awake perfecting my plan TOR the
morrow. 1t was a desperate one, but
the more thought of it the more L was
convinced that could pursue it sue
cessfully. ,.e....,
The hour of the trial came, and with
it a nervousness Oh my part before UNI
known. Nat was by far the cooler
whenw faced the vast thrOng assem-
bled to hear so celebrated. case. A
stranger would have taken me to be the
culprit.
showed me many | had known in other
DAYS. but the one which made my pulses
tingle was that of the gigantic Dix,
closely guarded by the sheriff.
Amid deathly silence the proceedings
began. The prosecutor stated the case
clearly and conciSely, dwelling at length
on the enormity of the crime, and pro-
ducing a noticeable impression on both
jury and spectators.
The examination of witnesses began.
Aleck, Aunt Pima and Hetty told their
stories. trying all they could to Snleld
Nat. None of the others knew anything
of the case.
The spectators stared. the lawyers
nudyed each other. and even the judge
looked surprised as declined to cross
question witness after witness. AT
length the prosecution was through,
and the defense was instructed to call
its first witness.
Samuel Dix" called.
Samuel Dix" yelled the deputy.
Dix came forward unheSitatingly, and
took the stand.
Nervousness was with me now a
thing of the past felt cooler, clearer:
stronger, than. for many day as l
faced him. -,
mir. Dix, do you know the prisoner?'
asked.
Yes" he answered.
/ do you know where he lives%'
I. i"YeS"
+ Were You ever there?"
No" He answered quickly and a
trifie uneasily. ,o,.
+ "You were never there after night?''
+ i"What in thunder'd go there fur?
No. / wasn't" This very irrtably.
/ ''Where were you, Mr.. Dix, on the
night of the 10th OF this month";