Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-07-12
CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
Cases in Which the Innocent Have Paid the
Penalty for the Guilty.

The case of Lizzie Borden, depending
upon circumstantial evidence, evokes
fresh interest in that Notwithstanding
subject, and a study of the following
collection of authenticated trials will
furnish food for reflection:
Among others, says the Boston Tran
script, this curious case of parricide is
to be found in the law reports: In a
murder trial, in which young man was
accused of killing his father, the prin-
cipal witness was the young mans sis
ter, who testified that her brother had
often expressed a desire to get posses
sion of his fathers property, and that
he was very undutifui. On the evening
that the murder was committed, ac-
cording to her testimony, the father
went to milk the COW IN a shed and she
went away to pass the night. On her
return III the morning, neither her
father nor brother was in the house,
and she felt alarmed and sent for some
of the neighbOrs. A search was made,
and the father was found dead in the
COW shed from wounds in the head
There was snow on the ground and a
shoe of her brothers was tried and
found to tit exactly into the tracks
made in the snow and leading to the
cOw-shed. In her brothers room they
found hammer, and on the head some
blood and pieces of splintered bone.
Upon this evidence the son was con-
victed and hanged Four wears later,
while seriously Ill, the sister confessed
that she had killed her father, and in
committing the crime she wore her
brothers shoes, and had allowed her
brother to hang because she hated him.
She died before she could be made to
pay the penalty of the crime.
An unusual chain of circumstances is
developed in the following case: In
1742 James Brunel kept the BELL Inn, y
near Hull, in England. Late one even
ing traveller, on his way to Hull, was
stopped by masked highwayman about
seven miles from his destination and
robbed of 20 gnineas. After the thief
had made off with his booty the victim
proceeded on his way and stopped at
the inn, where he told the story of his
loss, and added that the coins were all
marked, and this fact, he hoped, might
lead to the detection of the thief. A
short time after supper the landlord
made his appearance and said to his
guest:
''Sir, understand that YOU have been
robbed this morning and that your
money was marked 27'
The guest nodded assent.
''This confirms nay suspicious" said
BrunelI. ~ have in nay employ a
waiter, John Jennings This afternoon
| sent him to get guinea changed. He
did not return till after dark, and then
he was under the influence of liquor,
and said he could not get the coin
changed. | sent him to bed, but [ no.
ticed that the guinea he returned was
not the one that 1 sent to have changed.
| have unfortunately paid that coin
away to a stranger, but We can search
Jennings room" The search was
made and the purse and the other 19
guineas of the traveller were found and
identified, and Jennings was tried,
found guilty and executed Within a
year Bruneu was arrested fox robbing a
guest, and before his execution con
fessed that he himself committed the
crime for which his servant was hanged.
In 1899 the following case was sent to
the London Lancet by Mr.. Perfect, a
surgeon at Hammersmith: at is now
thirty years ago that passing the Pack
horse on Turnham Green, nv atten-
ton WAS attracted by mob which was
loud in its excavations against someone
who was suspected of numbering his
brother. | was told that the bones of
the deceased were before jury Of men
then sitting. Prompted by curiosity, |
entered the room. The allegation was
that market gardener had, a few years
before, dissolute brother living with
him. They quarreled frequently. One
night, when the ground was covered
with snow, the younger brother ran
away and his footsteps were tracked to
a considerable distance. Time passed,
and in the process of some alterations
about the house skeleton was dug up,
and the mystery appeared to be ex-
planned by the fact that one brother
had killed the other | obtained per-
mission to examine the bones and
found the teeth much worn, obviously
those of an elderly person, and more
than that the lower bones of the trunk
showed conclusively that the skeleton
was that of a female. This fact was
communicated to the jury, which had
already sat two days, and it was cor
roborated by local physician. 1t was
cTbSpouaDflV shown that the site on