Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1893-07-13
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 reflections:
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
he was very undutifuj. 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 in the morning, neither her
father nor brother was in the house,
and she felt alarmed and sent for some
of the neighbours 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 fit exactly into the tracks
cow-shed. In her brothers room they
found a hammer, and on the head some
blood and pieces of splintered bone.
Upon this evidence the son was con-
| victed and hanged. Four years later,
while seriously ill, tie sister confessed
that she had killed her father, and i'll
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
near Hull, in England. Late one even
ing traveller, on his way to Hull, was
stopped by a masked highwayman about
seven miles from his destination and
robbed of 20 guineas. 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:
short time after supper the landlord
made his appearance and sad to his
guest:
"Sir, understand that you have been
! robbed this morning and that your
money was marked 20
The guest nodded assent.
''This confirms my suspicious SAID
Brunell. II have in my. employ
waiter. John Jennings This afternoon
| sent him to get guinea changed. lie
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 L no.
ticed that the guinea he returned was
not the one that 1 sent to have changed.
| have unfortunately paid that com
away to stranger, but we can seafch
Jennings room" The search was
made and the purse and the other 10
r,lineas of the traveller were found and
| identified, and Jennings was tried,
! fOund guilty and executed. Within
wear Brunell was arrested Tor robblng
ouest. and before his execution con-
| fessed that he himself committed the
crime for which his servant was hanged.
In 1889 the following case was sent to
the London Lancet by Mr.. Perfect,
surgeon at Hammersmith: 1t Is now
| thirty wears ago that passing the rack
horse on Turnham Green, my atten-
! ton was attracted by moo Whlch was
| loud in its execrations against someone
who was suspected of numbering mis-
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, few years
before, a dissolute brother llylng With
him. They quarreled frequently. One
night, when the ground was COZ, covered
with snow, the younger brother ran
away and his footsteps were tracked TO
a considerable distance. lime passed,
and in the process Of some alterations
about the house a skeleton was dug up,
and the mystery appeared to be ex-
blamed 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 l, conclusively that the skeleton
was that of a female. This fact was
Communicated "n1 to the jury, which had
already sat two days, and it was cor
= /. W &c