El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-09-04
THE TRIAL OF
ALI BEN DING.

l iuS urediniIy Ut tue cellilS IOr lew tull-
utes, said musingly:
l Its strange. yes, very strange, that
the story of the great trial OF Ali Ben
Ding never appeared in print, for that
was the most remarkable murder trial
ever held in New York county.
IAN English ship arrived in New York
harbor early in April in the year 1905.
Her name, 1 think, was the Blue Pigeon,
and she was .freighted TO the water line
and had many passengers aboard, among
them Ali Ben Ding, native of India.
The Hindoo took u small cottage on the
outskirts of the city, think in the neigh
borhood of where Canal street is today.
He lived all alone and was rarely seen
In the streets except about dusk, when
i he used to walk down to the riverside
| and watch the sun setting in the west
above the Palisades. Not far from where
Ali Ben Ding lived was the house of
1 Stephen Van Vliet, the money lender,
| who was reputed to have stored away
/ In his cellar and garnet untold bags of
| silver and gold, which he treasured be-
yond all things dear in life. Not many
| months after the oriental came to New
York he was seen walking on the Hud-
sons bank in company with Stephen
Van Vliet. both talking together in deep
earnestness. 1t did not take long for the
idle to circulate stories to the effect that
Stephen had sold himself to the devil
for more bags of gold, the Hindoo con-
Quoting the bargain.
"a year passed by and summer came
round again, and still the curious were
all at sea as to the business of Ali Ben
Ding in .ye ancient town of New York.
The gossips, unable to lay their tongues
to any substantial story concerning the
strange black man from the far east, con-
tented themselves with wagging their
heads and nodding significantly, il not
somewhat fearfully, whenever his name
was mentioned. Imagine their satisfac-
ton when one morning the body OF
Stephen Van Vliet was found in a mar
row lane near his house with a long
knife of remarkable workmanship plung-
ed in his heart. More than one had seen
that terrible and awe provoking knife
sticking in the scarlet sash of Ali Ben
Ding, so that not many hours passed be-
fore the sheriff and his men went to the
Hindoo's little house, whence they con-
veyed him to the town Jail. where he was
confined in the strongest cell, which was |
further strengthened with many new |
locks and bolts. |
The esquire justices of the general |
quarter sessions court, knowing the in |
tense feeling against the oriental in the |
town and consequently the rude crowd |
that would fill the courtroom and greatly
ruffie the judicial dignity of the bench
when the murderer was brought to trial,
decided to wait until late some after
noon, when everybody was at supper, and
then bring the prisoner into court and
deal out summary justice to him. Con-
one hot evening in August Ali
Ben Ding WIS taken from his cell and
brought in n roundabout way and with
great secrecy to the little city hail. where
The general quarter sessions court dis,
pensed the criminal business of the
county.
THE prisoner, securely handcuffed to
the sheriff, was brought into the almost
deserted courtroom and arraigned before
the six solemn bewigxed and somber
yowned esquire justices. The attorney
general. his one assistant, the clerk of the
court. the sheriff. his two deputies and
ny ancestor, John Noble, completed the
,ourt complement.
The attorney general in few words
tated the prosecutions case, and, after
exhibiting the knife which the sheriff
wore he had found in Stephen Van
fliet's heart, rested his case. The court,
through the presiding justice, asked the
prisoner il he wished to be defended by A:
THE prisoner. Ali Ben Ding, who had
TODD in the dock, with bowed head dur !
ne the brief grafton of the attorney gen.
raj, fixed his piercing black eyes upon 9
he six solemn judges, then. raising his ]
ands above his head, began to humble !
D a voice like a faraway echo from the
omb. Suddenly the entire room was
lied with impenetrable darkness and
very one stood transfixed as il turned I
D stone, terror sitting their very heart
eats. Hardly q second passed when the
lank. whitewashed wall at the farther
nd of the courtroom stood out in glisten-
lg white in the blackness. Every eye
-as fixed on the wall. which in a second I
-as covered with n perfect picture of f
AZURE, in all the living colors. The pic
IRE showed the little lane leading to
tephen Van Vliet's cottage. The chang
Is hues of evening were livid above the {
emily waving tree tops that shaded the
Inc. A rabbit crawled out of its hole
nd scampered away in the bushes. Then
an Nliet and Ali Ben Ding could be
zen coming out OF a little grove and
aiking slowly along the lane toward
an Nliet's house. They were walking
owly and apparently conversing in low
mes. when all of n sudden two rough
oking men jumped out from behind a
ulster OF high bushes. One of the men a
lmped behind Ali Ben Ding and pin
ned his arms to his side while the other n
re the knife out of his sash and in O +
vinkling caught Stephen Van Vliet by
lie neck. threw him to the ground on his -
ich anu piuhbtu the long khiIe In MS
cart Then the two men stopped, as IL
caring footsteps, and after waiting
W seconds disappeared among the trees.
ere the picture faded, and the darkness |
at shrouded the courtroom was brush
away as il by an invisible hand. Ali
en- Ding was still standing with bent
sad. simultaneously the six justices
AIDE a significant sign to the sheriff.
no went to the dock and opened the lit r
2 gate to allow the prisoner to walk out +
OF one OF the little assemblage in the