Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1895-07-25

OF the outward-bound transatlantic
steamships He was brought back to
Barchester, and, after the usual magis-
terial investigation, was held for trial
at the ensuing winter assizes
Il was retained for the defense. The
evidence against him, though alto
gether circumstantial. was very strong.
THE ticket collector at Gorton rail-
way station swore that Turner re-
turned to Barchester by the $3.50 train
from Gorton-ha1f an hour after the
time of the murder; while the girls
father stated that his daughter had
promised that, although she was un-
alterably attached to Turner, she
would not marry him without her par
ents' blessing.
In this latter development of the
ease was to be found, in the view of the
crown. the motive OF the murder.
Turner had convinced himself that the
parents would never consent to a
union between him-a penniless young
man and with no prospect of lettering
his worldly condition-and their
daughter; and that conclusion prompt
ed him to commit the crime.
The defense was that Turner, find
ing the parents of Miss Dicey were ut
terly opposed to the marriage, and
that the young lady would not marry
him without the consent of her
parents, had decided to go out to some
relatives in Canada, determined to
make his fortune in a few years, then
return to England, and win the con-
sent of the girls parents to their union.
Ion the eve of his departure for the
new world he went down to Gorton to
hi ic- hry of ov. two
hours in her company, he returned
from Gorton on the $50 train to Bar
chester, and at six o'clock the next
morning left the latter town for Liver
pool en- route to Canada.
You will notice that on the most
important point. as to the train by
which he returned from Gorton, there
was an absolute contradiction of his
statement that he travelled by the $50
train, in the evidence of the ticket col
lector, who was positive that the $3.50
was the train. 1t happened that both
trains ran from GOrtOn to BarcheSter
without stopping at any of the inter-
mediate stations, and that the tickets
were consequently collected at Gorton.
The prisoner stated he had taken a
| third-claSs return ticket from Bar
/! chester to GortOn. l therefore in
| quired whether the return~half Of the
| ticket had been collected on the $50
train or the $3.50 train; but here, again,
| was discontinue, for the halves of sew
eral tickets issued that day between
! Barchester and Gorton had been col
lected on both trains, and Turner's
| could not be identified.
| THE revolver from which the shots
were fred did not help the prisoner in
any way. 1t had been bought some
| months previously at an esta blishment
| in Barchester, but the shopman could
not identify the purchaser. Was it
possible that Miss Dicey had any other
suitors for her hand, and did her par
| ents urge any particular person on her
acceptance? Of this 1 could learn moth
| ing.
These inquiries were made by me
while l was making myself acquain ted
with the facts of the case before the
assizes. The entire case against the
prisoner had been laid by the crown
! before the magistrates at the prelim-
mary investigation. The same wit
nesseS were examined at the trial be-
fore Baron Graham; and they repeated
| substant TALLY the deposl tiOns they
made in the court below. My cross
make any material point in favor OF
the prisoner. All 1 could do was to
keep we'll before the jury the defense
of the prisoner, weak as it appeared to
be.
The last witness for the crown, and,
therefore, the last witness in the case,
was the blind man His evidence was
followed with intense interest by the
crowned court. He was asked by the
counsel for the prosecution whether he
had caught any of the words of the
man and woman who passed along the
footpath in the grove close to where he
lay just before the shots were fired,
and when he said Yes every ear in
court was strained to catch his evidence
of the conversation.
What was said between the par
ties? asked my learned friend.
LAS they passed me- replied the
blind witness. L heard the man say:
But your father objects to the mar
riage,' and the lady said: Yes, and ]
do not mean to marry without his con-
sent"
They continued to walk on, and a
few moments after heard the man. in
a loud, angry voice, say: No one else
will have you Then there was a shot,
and the lady screamed; then another
shot. My dog began to bark, and ]
cried out in terror: What is that?'
The man then rushed away; I could
| hear the t.rrJtchinO Of the hYa hi aS