The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-07-27

Finally, at the side OF the coverlet,
rather more than half way down toward
the foot of the bed, wero discovered
three distinct stains, which expert evil
dence asserted to be blood stains, and
seemed to have been left by o human
right hand.
If motive were wanted for the crime,
Mr.. Woathercrafts will seemed to offer
1t. The will had been drawn up for
some months previously and witnessed
by the two men servants. the last clause
consisting of bequest Of $4,000 to the
accused himself. 1t seemed possible
that Thompson knew of this bequest
and that he had perpetrated this awful
crime in order to benefit by it the sooner.
1t is not surprising in the face of all
the evidence that James Thompson was
fully committed to take his trial for will
full murder of his deceased master, so
that public opinion almost unanimously
condemned him in advance.
During the four months that elapsed
between the arrest and the trial James
Thompson sat despairing in his cell. He
spoke but little, answering his lawyer
alphabetically, throwing no new light on
the case, but continuing to deny every
thing. He seemed like one in a hopeless
maze, who can't exactly understand how
he got there and has given up all hopes
of ever getting out.
AS we have said before. the public was
tolerably unanimous in believing him
guilty, though, strange to say, there was
one notable exception. His lawyer, a
sharp criminal practitioner, who had
taken up the case with his eye fixed on
the $4,000, almost believed him inno-
cent-we say almost, for Mr.. Sharply
made point Of never allowing himself
to quite believe anything of anybody.
Mr.. Sharply, as q rule, almost believed
his client guilty; in the present instance
he almost believed him innocent, and
that was all.
Indeed there was something pathetic
in the puzzled expression which never
left the old mans face, and his occasional
remark, with melancholy shake of the
head, at was all along of me leaving
my siller uncounted," Mr.. Sharply, who
was practical even in his softer moods,
once expressed an opinion to his partner
In the privacy Of their inner office that
'if the old fellow would only get off
that tommy rot about the siller to the
jury, they would bring him in insane
without leaving the box"
But if the lawyer believed or half be-
ieved his client innocent, he found it
difficult to offer even to himself any
reason for the half faith that was in
him, and it was with the worst forebod-
ings that he saw the day of trial dawn
at last.
The case was called, and Sharply did
his best, but there was indeed very little
to be done. There is an end to all things,
even things legal, an end to challenges,
an end to exceptions asked and taken.
The judge delivered his charge, and the
jury left the box. 1t is supposed that
they did this as compliment to Mr..
Sharply, who was always popular with
iuries. At all events they soon filed
back again with verdict of "guilty as
charged in the indictment" Old Thomp-
son was formally condemed to death.
He was led back to his cell, where his
lawyer visited him and tried to cheer
him up by talking of "stays" and zap
peals." He recommended him to make
himself comfortable, explaining that by
the grace of God and the laws of the
state he had still a couple of years or so
to live, unless things went very badly.
But the old man shook his head and
said Nor He had been condemned to
death and the sooner he died the better.
He didn't want any more palavering
about it since it was all along of that
Eet1 Drb ha nd laf toI To-,
Sharply pointed out that uncounted sill
er was not hanging matter. Old
Thompson was firm, and the lawyer de-
parted not altogether without hope and
demanded commission to inquire into
his clients sanity.
The doctors came in due time and ex-
amined the prisoner. Then they talked
1t over among themselves and decided
that, though he was certainly a little
odd, he had sense enough to hang salts
factorily and handed in their report in
that sense.
So old Thompson was told that he had
nothing further to hope for in this
world and sat down to wait through the
months which the wisdom rather than
the mercy of the law ordains shall elapSe
between condemned mans sentence
and execution. And here we must leave
him while we pay visit at the office of
Mr.. Fogey, the late Mr.. Weathercraft's
lawyer and confidential man of bust
ness.
Ii was Monday morning, just six
months after Mr.. Weathercraft's death.
Mr.. Fogey was busy, but when his clerk
entered and handed him card he
glanced at it and ordered the visitor to
be admitted.
The card bore the name of Mr.. c. T.
Lacey, and underneath, ION business
connected with the late George Wealth
ercraft's estate" He was just acquaint-
ed with Mr.. Lacey and knew him to be
very old friend of his deceased client,
but he was at loss to divine the reason
Of his visit. The lawyer rose as his VS.
itor entered, and motioning him to q
chair asked how he could serve him, to
which Mr.. Lacey replied by producing
packet from his pocket and laying it
down on the table in front of Mr.. Fogey.
Then he sat down and began:
MIR Fogey," he said, II have come
here today in obedience to a request of
poor, dear Weathercraft. There is
packet which he gave me some six
months or more before he was murder
ed, asking me to give it to you or your
successor exactly six months after his
death. The time is up today, and here
! am"
The lawyer took the packet. 1t was
tolerably thick one. inclosed in IA long
business envelope. He turned it over in
his hand and then remarked:
81 am not sure, Mr.. Lacey, whether
in view of his strange and sudden end
you should not have had this examined
before"
probably you are right from a legal
point of view" replied the visitor, but
promised, you see, and didn't see any
reason in the manner of his death for
breaking my promise. If it had been