Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1897-10-21
formulated against someryille IN TIE

| extr0OltlOn WARRANT, INC TeuCn az.
thorities deemed 1t useless to proceed
against him. And thus, two months
after the tragic scene ut Versailles. he
was formally given over into the custo-
DIV of Josiah Skinner and another OFF,
cial sent from Scotland Yard.
At Bow street the prisoner (who,
while protesting his Innocence, re-
served his defense) was committed for
trial, without the formality Of re-
mand. Even at it's initial stage two
facts told against him with great force
He was identified. both by the manag-
er and the accountant of the London
& Westminster Bark, as the man who
had personated Ernest Norton. And
the missing mans drafts, together
with Zana's jewels, had been found b.
the French police in his possession.
The trial. which followed in due
course, will long be remembered as one
Of the most sensational in Old Bailey
records. We do not propose giving a
verbatim report, because such Il course
would involve ENTHUSIASTICALLY rep
| etition of much that the reader knows
already. Let it suffice to indicate the
principal links in the chain OF circum-
stantieal evidence set forth by the
Crown.
Ernest Norton arrived at the George
Hotel, southampton, upon the 9th Of
April, and his departure for London
with the avowed objects of procuring
special marriage license and of de-
posting Zana's jewels in bank, were
proved by the evidence of Zana herself
and OF Mrs. Baxter.
Josiah Skinner had experienced no
difficulty whatever in identifying the
prisoner with the DR.. Richard Somer-
vile formerly practicing at Twicken-
ham; and, of course, one Of his first
cares had been to hunt up the dis
missed servants. The housemaid now
deposed to the arrival, upon the night
Of April 9th, Of a gentleman in every
way answering to the description of
Ernest Norton. He had not occupied
any bedroom that night. nor had any
member of the household seen him de-
part.
Next, it was proved by the bank Off
Gals that the prisoner Ito whose identi-
ty the manager and cashier swore pos
itively) had successfully personated
Mr.. Ernest c. Norton. and had cashed
draft for two thousand five hundred
pounds bearing that gentleman's sigma
ture. Reference was made to the sud-
den breakup of the establishment at
Twickenham; and the prisoners move
ments We're traced to Paris, where, it
was shown, he had led life of pleas
ure and extravagance-upon the pro-
ceeds, presumably, of Ernest Norton's
securieties and cash.
His surreptitious visit to England
had escaped notice; but expectation
orse to its highest when Zana entered
tho yvifrocc H0v tot oil {hot
had passed between the prisoner and
herself-her account of the scene at
Versailles being corroborated by Josiah
Skinner. Daft Billy and Montmorency.
Link by link the counsel for the
Crown formed his chain from the
abundant mass of evidence that had
been given. The evidence was, he adj
mitted, whilly circumstantial, but he
reminded the jury that circumstantial
evidence, if consistent, was often the
most deceiving.
"It is safe to predict" he went on,
"that that counsel for the defense will
make the most of the fact that no proof
exists of Ernest Norton's death, and
that you cannot honestly convict the
prisoner of numbering man who may
possibly be still alive. But what Is the
presumption, the inevitable presump-
ton? Here we have young man, III
the best of health and spirits. about to
be married to charming girl, and tGH
possessor of an ample fortune. He VII
it's his friend, the prisoner, one night,
and from that hour disappears entire.
had opened to swallow him up. Why
Sh01116 hn 6iSn ,1r1ace, hn
deliberately put out Of the way?
I'VE have overwhelming evidence to
prove that the prisoner robbed and per-
sonated him; but what living man
would allow himself to be so robbed
and pcrsonated? And how could the
prisoner hope to carry his nefarious
plans into effect unless he had previ-
ously silenced the victim? The police
have failed to discover any trace of
Ernest Norton, alive or dead; but what
reasonable man can doubt that he is
dead, and that he died at the prison
er'S hands! The most careful search
of the premises at Twickenham has
given no clue to the disposal of his
body; but it must be borne in mind
that the Thames flows at the extremity
of the garden, and it surely requires no
great stretch Of the Imagination to sup
pose that murderer would avail him
self Of the river, upon dark night to
hide all traces Of his crime"
The line adopted for the defense was
bold and ingenious. The fact that Err
nest Norton had visited his old friend,
Dr.. ;:or.sr-ille, upon the night of
April CT: '-:as not disputed. But re-
specting t::.s real object of his visit, the
prisoners counsel had much to say.
Il shall: r:ove," he declared, tout Of
the mouths of the Grown witnesses
themselves, inst Ernest Norton's chief
anxiety at tlis,t tinie, was to escape
from the prosecutions of scheming
adventuress-:his Indian girl, calling
herself variously Zana and Miss Cliff
ford. l shall make it clear to you that
he fed from Bombay to avoid her, and
that she had the audacity to take pas
sage to England in the very same ship.
Thus driven TO bay, Ernest Norton as
scented, or pretended to assent, to her
wishes, ard FASTENED to London for the
avow2d purpose OF procuring special
marriage license. But what he did was
si,1nlY to escape once more by flight
| frGGi ~: .;r.''
| But ..ii:1 re came to Geal with the
peTs"n":.n'i IF Norton by :he prisoner,