The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-07-17
ShVED BY 4 CONFEDERATE.

There has been daring case of bur-
glary at a farm house in Cheshire.
Three men had tied down and gagged
the farmer and his two maid servants,
and had rifled the house at their leis-
ure.
There were two clews. In the strug-
gle one of the men had left a button
from his coat behind, and he had also
had his face so severely scratched by
one of the maids that the girl said
"she was sure she had left her mark
upon him."
Weeks passed without an arrest be-
ing made, and people began to forget
/ the burglary, until one day man was
! arrested at Liverpool. He had with
him bundle containing some of the
plumber of the farm house. His face
bore traces of scratching, and, to clinch
the matter, his coat wanted button,
and the buttons on it correspondent
exactly with that picked up at the
scene of the burglary.
His defense was very f1imsy. "He
knew nothing about the burglary, but
had bought the coat and things very
cheap off a man in the street." He
accounted for the scratches by saying
that he was a sailor, and had in that
capacity much rough work to do.
There was no defense; the jury found
verdict of guilty" without leaving
the box, and the prisoner was asked
| if he had anything to say.
well, cap'n," he said, its hard to
be convicted for noth'n. I know no
more of this burglary than baby;
| when it happened 1 was fightin' the
| slavers on the Gold Coast"
| There was something in the mans
manner that impressed the judge, so
| he said, not unkindly:
But surely, prisoner, if your story
| is true, you must have friends and
comrades with whom you could have
| communicated? It is too late now"
"You's right, cap'n; it's too late. I
| couldn't communicate with them any
how, for 1 don't know where they are.
They may be in America, or they may
| be at the Cape"
But" urged the judge, "the court
| has no wish to convict man who may
| be innocent. Is there no one who could
| speak for you?"
| The prisoner looked in hopeless sort
of way round the court.
mo-" he began; but just then his
| eye lighted on a man in the court.
YES" he added, pointing to him,
there is a gentleman who might speak
| for me If he would" The judge looked
| in the direction of the individual point
| ed at
DO you know the prisoner" he
| asked.
mo, my lord,' was the reply. ST
never saw him before in my life"
"Well, Capt. Sharpe" said the pris-
| oner, II know you well enough"
rs your name Capt. Sharper" asked
the judge.
| Yes, my lord" came the reply.
| "Well, the prisoner seems to recog-
| nize you, so I will ask you to step into
| the witness box and be sworn, that he
may ask you questions"
The captain went into the box, and
| the following dialogue ensued:
Are you Capt. Sharpe, Of the war;
ship Vulture?' asked the prisoner.
"Yes"
Were you in command of her on
| the slave coast this spring."
IT was"
And wasn't I one Of the crew."
Most certainly not"
But cap'n, don't you remember the
| slave ship that you boarded?'
Eyes"
"And you yourself led the boarders?''
"Oh, yes; but all that is nothing
| you may easily have heard Of or read
all about that"
| well, but cap'p, once more-dont
you remember the big black SLAYER who
was almost cutting you down! Don't
| you remember the man who stood be-
tween you and death, and what he got
for it? Don't you remember. that?"
And, brushing back his hair, the
prisoner showed q great scar down one
side Of his head.
| The whole court looked on breathless
as the captain stared at the scar and
at tia man till his eyes seemed start