Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-11-01

leave Tor you to decide Let us pass
again to the circumstantial evidence
and deal first of all with
The Norwegian Knife.
"This knife has the letter "a brand.
ed upon its handle The knife was in
the prisoners possession, it is agreed,
until few moments or few hours be-
fore the murder. It is admitted that
Astray Marsden was with Josiah Mars
den on the night of the murder. It is
also admitted that he used the knife to
open cigar box in the presence of his
guardian and then left it behind him
ready for the murderer, who, we are
told. entered the house after the prison
er had left It The value of that plea,
gentlemen, is again for you to decide.
1.-THE murder was first discovered by
the woman Margaret Gadsden, who was
in the habit Of going daily to attend to
the domestic requirements of the de-
ceased. On the morning of Jan. 10 she
went, as usual, and gained admittance
at the side entrance by the key she al
ways had in her possession.
You will recollect that between the
night OF the 18th and the morning of
the 18th there was a phenomenally
heavy fall of snow, and the woman no.
tlced that there were footprints leading
to the front door of the house, but none
leading from it.
Becoming alarmed at the unusual
stiffness which reigned through the
house and unable to get any answer
when she knocked at Josiah Marsden's
door, Margaret Gadsden FASTENED to
the police station and returned with
Chief of Police Dobson
That man, gentlemen, you have had
before you. He has told you himself Of
his attempt to blind the aims of Justice
by withholding the most important
piece of evidence in this intricate case,
the paper that Josiah Marsden left be-
hind him. Dobson has expressed his
contrition and regret for the disgrace
full course which he took, but whether
that contrition will absolve him from
the penalties of his action very much
debit Icannot refrain from referring
to the supreme and utter idiocy mani
Tested throughout by Chief Dobson in
relation to this case and cannot too
warmly applaud the indefatigable en-
ergy. the zeal and acumen, of Mr.. Her
bert Darrent, the official who took
charge Of the case and was fortunately
able to retrieve all the errors-I will
content myself by calling them errors
at present-which Dobson committed
prior to his appearance on the scene.
Returning to the events of Jan. 10, you
will remember that Dobson and the
woman returned together and upon en-
tering the library found Josiah Marsden
lying dead upon the floor. stabbed to
the heart By his side was the paper
which has had such an important bear
ing upon the case, the paper which
Dobson retained, showing it only to the
prisoner, Astray Marsden You have
heard Dobson's account of that inter-
view-that the prisoner turned pale and
trembled and then promised to see him
later in the day
sit is for you to say whether Dobson
is a man whose evidence can be relied
upon or not But, setting that upon one
side. was the action of Astray Marsden
that of an innocent MANI He sought
refuge in fight. 1t is urged that he be-
came the prey to a spasm of fear, but
an innocent man should have no such
cowardly emotion. Why did he not defy
the blackmail of Dobson and, knowing
his innocence. rest contented on being
able to prove an alibi2 Why9 Because
gentlemen, he could not; because he
was bound to admit that he was at The
Grange on that night He owns he was
at The Grange, but pleads that he left
before the snowstorm and left Josiah
Marsden alive
eff the defense could prove that fact,
could account for the period that elapsed
between the prisoner leaving The
Grange and being met by Policeman
Thompson, there might be some grounds
Sor the plea, but not one single witness
has been called to substantiate it, and
we are asked to believe that he walked
about for hours in binding snow
storm That has been put before you in
acontradistinction to the theory of the
prosecution that he entered the house
after the snowstorm, leaving his foot
prints up to the door; that the old
standing quarrel which it is admitted
on both sides existed was renewed and
that he left by the secret passage on to
the frozen river, passage that was
known only to those who had lived at
The Grange
"Astray Marsden was met by Thomp-
sssl soon after o'clock in the morning
of the 18th in very excited condition,
still chatting, the defense says, under
the insults he had had heaped upon him
chatting, gentlemen, after several
hours walk.
81 have reviewed the circumstances
that occurred in Norcombe. but it is
not upon these events alone that the
case stands. Let us turn to Chicago.
Herbert Darrent has been before you
and given his evidence with exemplary
clearness He has told you the manner
in which he succeeded in tracking
Astray Marsden to the Royal hotel in
Chicago. and he has related the story of
The Arrest.
The hrst words of the prisoner when
Darrent entered the room were, You
have come to arrest me, and, though
warned not to commit himself, he then
launched into heated attack against
the murdered man, an attack which
foreshadowed the line of defense which
has been adopted-that of revenge. He
charged Josiah Marsden with leaving
such message for the sole purpose of
encompassing the death of an innocent
man whom he hated
"With that point l have already
dealt The idea in itself is too callous
to dilate upon.
I'm the prisoners confession to Her.
bert Darrent he accounted for the loss
of his knife in the same manner that
the defense has insisted upon He took
it out to open the cigar box, forgot it.
and it was left lying upon the table, a
handy weapon for the murderer To
that point Of the defense will but add
word.
''If the murderer of Josiah Marsden
came to the house with intent to muir