The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-09-26

his assent to his suit. In his distress and
preoccupation he had forgotten on his
departure to take the dagger away with
him. He had gone from Mr.. Trent's
house to his own studio, and had there
spent the night; and this would suffi-
ciently account for his disheveled appear
/ ance the next morning. But surely a
murderer would have fed, and as surely
he would not have left behind him such
piece of evidence as the fatal dagger.
But, on the other hand. the real mur-
derer who used the dagger had the best
of reasons for leaving it in the wound.
for to do SO would be to divert suspicion
from himself. And who was the real
murderer? Unquestionably the short
man with the dark beard whom Mrs.
Simpson had seen between eleven and
twelve o'clock. The presence there OF
| this man had not been accounted for.
YeU.the fact of his presence there had
been sworn to, and that fact was irrecon-
cilable with the guilt of the prisoner.
| And for the jury to bring in verdict
against the prisoner would, therefore, be
| to add another murder to the one already
committed. Let the short man with the
dark beard be found and the mystery Of
| Harry Trent's death would be a mystery
| no longer.
The district attorney, in asking for a
verdict against the prisoner, said he
should have been well pleased had there
been better evidence to offer in his favor.
But really there was no defense. The
visit of the prisoner to the house was
| conceded: the possession of the dagger
was conceded; dispute on matter in-
volving woman's love was conceded:
| the fact that no one else was admitted
! to the house was conceded. AS to the
| prisoners explanations about the dagger,
/ even had they been matter of legal
evidence, they were utterly futile and
| ridiculous. No sensible man would
credit them for moment, and it would
| mako no difference as to the probability
of the prisoners guilt if they were cred
| itel. With respect to the conflict of ev-
idence regarding the identity of the
| prisoner with the person whom Mrs.
Simpson thought she saw, the district
attorney was far from wishing to dimin-
ish whatever weight it might have in
the jury's eyes. But he fancied it would
have very little.
The old lady had been asleep and was
still only half awake when she went up
stairs. She had had glimpse of some
one through a crack of door. and had
thought it was short man with beard.
But he might have been sitting down,
| and a shadow might have caused the ap-
pearance of beard. The jury would
| have noticed that Mrs. Simpson, in the
witness box, had worn spectacles. She
certainly was not likely to have worn her
spectacles to bed, however, nor to have
| put them on to go up stairs on a voyage
of discovery after a candle. Consequently
that glimpse of hers through crack in
the door was likely to have been a very
blind glimpse indeed. But it was un.
necessary to pursue the subject or to
weary the jury with further details.
Everything pointed one way, and that
was to the prisoners guilt. It was a ter
rible thing that a man of his position and
training should be guilty of crime SC
hideous, but it was the jury's duty tc
pronounce as to the facts. And their yer.
dict, besides avenging the death of an
honorable and honored citizen, would
show the world that in the city of New
York there was but one law for rich and
poor, for gentle and simple.
The judge, in summing up, said that
the jury must confne themselves to the
legal evidence that had been produced in
court. The statements of the prisoners
counsel regarding the prisoners motives
and explanations did not come under
this head. They might OF might not be
true, but the jury could not consider
them. On the other hand, the testimony
as to the short man with the dark beard
should receive their careful attention. It
might be of Importance. All the evi-
dence against the prisoner was circum.
stantial. There had been instances of
such evidence being fatally mistaken,
but such cases were as one to ten thou
sand where it had been correct. and it
was sometimes even preferable to direct
evidence itself. His address was short
and impartial, and at its close the jury
retired for deliberation.
They remained out eighteen hours
When they re-entered court the room
was nearly empty. In answer to the
clerks question the foreman said tina.
their verdict was guilty of murder in the
second degree, premeditation not having
been established. 1t was, as some of the
jurors afterward explained in interviews
with the reporters, deed done in tn.
heat of passion over the refusal of Tren.
to listen to Darlie's proposal-the hasty
outcome Of a quarrel between two mel
both loving the same young woman.
The judge sentenced the prisoner tt
Imprisonment at hard labor for life.
Motion for a new trial was denied.
The prisoner was taken back to thu
Tombs, and arrangements were made tt
send hun to Sing Sing that night.
fro BE CONTINUED