San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-04-18

MS innocence in court Young and mex
perienced as | was, the responsibility was
greater than liked to bear. and | asked
Nat to let me bring in an older lnWycr
His reply was most emphatic NEGATIVE.
his reasons being that no other man would
believe him innocent, and therefore no one
else would put his whole heart into the
work. EXpostulation was in vain; must
work out the case myself
Court was at that time in session. and
Mats case was set for Friday of the FOLLOW.
ing week During the days that followed
| worked as no man ever worked before to
find some clew to the murderer. There
were not wanting detectives to ply their
SKILL but all in vain. Nat passed the time
in sort of stupor, seemingly too be.
numbed to realize the awful turn things
were taking.
Hoping against hope that the sound
Hetty had heard had had some connection
with the deed, | looked for the twentieth
time for some indication of it's cause
Every inch of the piazza floor near her
room went over, and was at last reward
ed by finding very slight clew-rery
slight indeed, but in darkness such as
mine it seemed ray of light.
VII piazza iOOt ulSSoNCiSu b"ONNAI
Gus little indentations, one on each side of
pillar and very close to it. They were In
the form of tiny horseshoe, with the toe
toward the edge of the piazza, as if some
diminutive pony had left his tracks i'm.
pressed on the soft pine floor. 1t might
have been done by children at play, but
that was not likely, for could find but
the two To me they seemed like the dints
81 H..l cels
vent their running down" They were in
the very spots where a mans heels would
strike if he should slide rapidly down the
pillar from the floor above
To be more certain, | told Hetty to go
into her room and listen. l then went up
to Mr.. Winthrop's room and stepped out
on the piazza Swinging over the edge,
clasped a pillar and slid down, striking
sharply on my heels. They made impress
sionsin the same relative positions on the
floor, and Hetty avowed that $50 de Lawd,
dat was jis' SIGH Mise as she'd done head
de night ole massa was killed"
This might prove to be clew. Now If
could find the man who made those tracks!
informed the detectives of my theory, but
they considered it worthless.
The time passed rapidly for me and the
day before the one set for Mats trial az
rived 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 finding some fur
Their clew to the real murderer, but public
feeling was so strong against - that !
was morally certain of a refusal.
A man was that day being tried for bur-
glary, and having finished the business
which had brought me to town l went up
to the courtroom to hear the trial.
The preliminary sparring had come TO
an end, the jury had been sworn, and the
prosecuting attorney was just beginning
to state his case when ! entered. learned
from his statement that on the very night
of the tragedy at Winthrop Place a hole
had been cut in the door of the village
store, the door had been unbolted and all
the valuables stolen. Nearly 500 was
taken, together with several revolvers,
some. cheap jewelry and other articles.
The crime was committed at or near the
hour of the murder of Mr. Winthrop, for
the storekeeper remained until nearly mid
night, and the deed was discovered by
Waterman shortly after l. The evidence
was purely circumstantial, but unless the
prisoner could prove an abb it looked dark
for him if the prosecutor could prove all he
stated.
Watched the prisoner narrowly during
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 manifests any
interest in the proceedings against him,
but he paid as close attention as if this
was the first account he had had of it. He
listened with intense interest to the story
of the burglary-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 and all the
details of the crime.
He was a very large man, with immense
hands and feet, which were apparently as
much in his way as are those of a bashful
schoolboy. was much impressed with
the muscular appearance of his great,
brawny hands, as he moved them restlessly
about. They seemed to 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 Il man who is de
ccving his fellows and is greatly pleased
thereat. Breathlessly he listened until the
statement was made, when he electrified
the whole courtroom by rising slowly and
addressing the court:
"May't please tn court, we might as
well cheese tn racket an save trouble.
Pm tn bloke as pulled tn shanty."
His counsel was Mortified, but the judge
asked sternly:
$50 you enter a plea of guilty?"
you've said 'er ledge I'm the cove as
done it."
In spite of this confession his eyes seemed
to me to CLEAN with secret satisfaction,
and there played about his mouth smile
which thought had in it touch of pity