St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1893-09-02
ul. WeatleICraft's argument


created the usual nine days sensation
which died away temporarily at least OF
the committal of James Thompson, thu
deceased's butler, to take his trial for thu
crime. The case could not come on il
the ordinary course of events for four o.
five months at nearest, so the public
having taken the learned opinions of thu
various newspapers entered unanimous
verdict of guilty against the accused,
and turned its attention to other matters
The law officers were to be trusted to dc
their duty at the appointed time, and
the papers would, of course, make thing;
as amusing as possible when that time
came, so James Thompson languished in
his cell forgotten save by those officially
interested in introducing HIM to the
awful majesty of the law.
Vox populi, vox del! Let us follow
the example of the sovereign people and
leave old James in his solitary cell while
we give short account of Mr.. Weather.
craft and his melancholy end.
He was man of so or whereabouts, a
retired stock broker. rich and of good
standing in the community, living in a
well-appointed house. with large staff
of servants, much given to quiet hospital
ity, and since his retirement paying more
attention to his kitchen and wine cellar
than to the fluctuations of the market and
the gamboling (save the mark of bulls
and bears. An old housekeeper presided
overhis establishment, and next to her
in Importance came the butler, almost
as old both in age and time of service, he
whom we have just left waiting trial for
the murder of his master
1t would have been difficult to point
out any popularity about Mr. Weather
craft, anything to distinguish him from
other hale, genial old bachelors of the
same class. He was commonly supposed
to have no eccentricities, no hobbies, and
few strong opinions; in fact. those who
knew him said he was only crank on
one subject.
To be called crank is the penalty
nowadays for holding and airing any
opinion in which at least nine tenths of
the community do not concur.
Mr.. Wethercraft was what may be
called a circumstantial evidence crank.
A4S hOiN ihuttCSU Ill tuE utGD-
est distrust, and though as firm a be-
liever.in hanging for murder as any
criminal lawyer on or off the bench, yet
b: Id that no evidence save that of re-
putable eye witnesses should send man
to the gallows.
On this cheerful topic he was much
given to after dinner discourse, nor was
his rather hating style unknown to the
correspondents columns of the daily pa
pers. He was known to have written a
magazine article ON the subject, which,
however, never saw the light, though it
spent whole year making the rounds of
the magazine offices. Such is the blind
ness of the editorial mind. His 'letters
to the editor" got him interviewed once
or twice when newspapers were very
hard up for copy. He enjoyed the pro-
cess hugely and always asked the re-
porter to ''call again."
When the old man was dead and his
butler arrested people said it was clear
case of Nemesis that the evidence against
his slayer should be 80 conclusive and at
the same time so purely circumstantial,
and some wag OF reporter was heard to
wonder whether after Thompson's trial,
conviction and execution, old Weather
crafts ghost would address ghostly de-
nunciation to ghostly newspapers from
mere force OF habit, or would sulk in a
corner of ghostlaud and refuse to be
interviewed. The case indeed seemed
clear enough. Mr.. Weathercraft had
gone to bed on the 18th of November
well and in good spirits; ON the follow
ing morning he was found dead, stabbed
to the heart. The weapon which was
found buried in the old mans heart was
an oldfashioned silver skewer, part of
the family plate, and had clearly been
sharpened for its deadly purpose. The
sharpening seemed to have been done
with file or some such rough imple-
nent. There was very little external
hemorrhage, only few drops of blood
being visible.
The last person who saw his master
alive was the accused himself. Accord
ing to his story he had gone up to Mr..
Weathercraft's room with the plate
chest, it being the old mans habit to
keep the silver in his own room at night,
though the key was always left with the
housekeeper after the chest had been
locked up. This had been the custom
in the house for many years. His master
was in bed reading a novel and said
good night in his usual way. Mr..
Weathercraft never locked his door at
night, as the foetman was expected to
come in at O'Clock in the morning, fill
the bath and light the fire.
This was all the accused could or
would say beyond denying all knowl--
edge of how his master had come to his
death.
The footman on being examined testi-
fed to having found the body. He had
entered as usual at 8 o'clock, scarcely
waiting to knock, and had made arrange
ments for his masters toilet, thinking
him asleep. Mr.. Weathercraft was
heavy sleeper. but usually awoke when
the bath was being filed. As his
master did not move the witness went
to the bedside and. to use the
poor fellows own expression, "As hope
for mercy, sir, the face was the face of
a dead corpse" This witness further
added that the bed was but little disor-
dered, the lamp was out and the novel
lay open on its face on the floor. He
did not remove the skewer or attempt to
do 30. but ran and told the housekeepey.