The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-05-13
HITTING THE ALlBlS.
Close Of .hc Second Week Of the Hen
bricks Murder Trial.

Close Of the Second Week Of the Hen
bricks Murder Trial.
The second week of the famous mur-
der trial ended on Saturday after
noon. The prosecution had = lively
surprise on hand for the defense on
Saturday. and some more of the same
kind may be expected today AS was
noted in these COLUMNS from day to day
last week. the defense went heavily
into the alibi business, and seemed 10
have no difficulty in gathering together
a cloud of witnesses, mostly relatives of
the accused who testified that the
latter were somewhere else than in
Wilkes-Barre on the evening Barney
Reick was murdered. How well this
case has been managed by the prosecu-
ton did not fully appear until Satur-
day, when they commenced putting in
their evidence in rebuttal. To the OBJ
sewing and discriminating lisener 1t -
apparent that in not single instance
has a clean-cut alibi been established,
not even in the case of Fisher, and
that is probably the strongest of the
lot The Robinson alibi has been
knocked higher than kite by the evil
dence of the railroad conductors, on
whose trains it was alleged Robinson,
Travelled from Philllpsburg to Avoca
on the 18th of November, the day of the
murder Robinson and his wife testl-
fled that they travelled on certain trains
between the points named on the day
indicated, that Robinson travelled on
a pass, and that he paid his wife's fair
on the train. The daily reports of the
conductors of those trains We're put in
evidence, and the conductors them
selves testified that they received no
cash fares between the points named,
nor did they carry any one on passes
on the 18th of November. Henderson,
the man on trial, has attempted to
prove that he left this city for Avoca
with relative several hours before
the murder was committed. This is
met by reputable witnesses, who testify
the contrary.
1t is now evident that the Barring &:
McSweeney detective agency has done
much more thorough work in this case
than the defense had anticipated. In
fact, 1T is now admitted that the great
est skill and marvellous industry has
marked the labor Of the detectives
throughout, all the more surprising
when it is remembered that fifteen
months had gone by when the detective
agency took the case and undertook to
bring the guilty to justice. The end
has not yet been reached. Tho alibiS
have already been honey-combed by
the evidence in rebuttal and 1t will be
no surprise If they fall to the ground
before the prosecution gets through.
One of the surprising features of this
trial is the virulent attacks upon the
detectives by the counsel Tor the de-
fense as well as by one Of the news
papers of this city. 1t is constantly
sought to create the impression that the
detective agency and the special de-
teotives who were employed in the case
have q direct interest, financially or
otherwise, in the conviction of the ac-
cused, and that therefore they will
swear. to anything to convict. There
is no reason whatever for such an out
rageous assumption. The Barring
agency was employed in this case by
the duly constituted authorities and the
work done has been paid for as it
progressed. That the work has been
done thoroughly and as effectively as
the peculiar conditions rendered possi-
bic has been shown in the progress of
the trial Whether there is conviction
or acquTttal by the jury will not in the
slightest degree affect the wisdom of
employing the detentive agency.
The authorities will manifest equal
wisdom i'm at once employing the Barr
ring agencyyon the case of the old SOL
, dier who, as now appears altogether
probable, was murdered at Plymouth
the other hight.