The National tribune., 1899-09-28

want to be frank with you. have little
character left-a little influence-it is
enough. l ask you now to save me for
your wife's sake, for my daughters sake.
wili-why, 1 have, exerted my strength to
save you ard her and ] have done So"
There is no man of experience who has
not known some moments of surprise 80
great that all he knows of the world fades
back into ignorance and he asks himself:
Am l just beginning to learn the way of
life? Such WAS my feeling. Here was a
man had held in highest reverence and re-
gard calmly proposing to me a thing that
lifted even my own experience out of record.
What" I cried, "arc you proposing to
rob YOURSELF"
40. no. he cried i'll al agony of shame,
'.t is not that. 1t is t:ii5 w.y-but you do
rot undcrstaEd"-
ROBBERY OF "ovERBROOK."
/ understood only too well. 1t is not
necessary to enter into the details of the
robbery; it is obscurcd by the subsequent
events, and need only say that WEI to
"Overbrook" one night, and waited in n
lane near the house with a hired trap to
which Dir. Crawford himself brought the
property. 1t WIS in three large packages.
drove to a farmers inn in the northern part
of the city, slept there till morning, and the
next day took the parcels to the Columbia
Storage House. You know now Miss
Barnsworth got trace Of them and arrested
Miss Frazer.
When came to the hotel in pursuance of
o:r agreement 1 found them waiting to
arrest me. 1t seemed TO me at first that
had merely to say what [ had been doing,
and the facts wouid explain themselves, but
that was far from the case. The facts on
their face We're the most condemIatory
possible, and as each one was presented
and proven it furnished new link to the
chain Of irrefragible evidence with which
was being bound.
There WAS my appeal 10 my fathcr-in-law
fo- aid. Thus my necessities Were revealed
ard my desperate condition was shown by
MY career in Europe at the gaming tables.
| 1'heE it was shown had at Mr.. Crawford s
request got an appointment, and that had
10 means to go to the sccneof my employ
ment 1t was further presented that my
wife had yielded too willingly 10 my method
of life, and that had tnus smirchei, at least,
in the eyes of the prosecution and ceiisorious
public, her own character and destroyed
regard for her integrity as a witness Be
sides that, the poor girl knew nothing of the
whole matter except what 1 had told her
Mile. Frazer was shown to be an adventures
| pure and simple who had fastened on to me
as a willing tool or feilow-plotter.
One fact alone was in my favor: | was
known 10 have gone 10 New York on the
night Of the murder. and had been in gam
1 ing house until midnight or thcrca bouts.
If could show that had left that city by a
| train which had not arrived in Philadelphia
until after the murder was discovered, il
would be an effective alibi in SO far as my
self WAS concerned; but, alas, / could not
readily do that. and my inability to do SO
only wove into the affair another dark
thread of mystery of which l was deeply
and most naturally suspected of holding
the only clew.
II was upon this general outline of facts
that was committed for the action Of the
Grand jury, indicted for burglary and
murder, and brought to trial
/ In reviewing the situation it must have
appeared to the prosecution, can now see,
an easy matter to secure my conviction.
One ray of hope remained to me. 1t was
to find out when Mr.. Crawford had dis
posed Of the jewels, and where he had
found q competent agent and workman to
FIREPLACE them with the bogus ones. Long
pondered over this matter. Some of my
old friends gave me half-hearted aid, but
could see that none of them had confidence
in me.
The very fact that the artificial jewels
which had replaced the real ones were dis