The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-11-23

>
normal thickness, and the force re-
4 quired to drive through it even heavy
sharp pointed instrument like the pick.
ak must have been something tremen
dous.
(. 81 tell you, Grayson, l impressed
upon the fellow that the case was as
black as ink against him and that he'd
only irritate the jury by holding out,
but couldn't move him. He held dog
gedly to his tale-he had not killed An
drew Walker
"'He's not the first man who's stuck
to an unlikely lie like that remark
ed.
""The curious part Of it u.s. said
Barnes, Pm convinced that the man
believes himself to be telling the alb
solute truth
Then what explanation has he to
offer?
"'None worth listening to. He owns
that he and Walker had fierce quar-
rel over money matters, which culmi'
mated in personal struggle. He knows
that he had one blow on the head
must have had a second which reduc
ed him to Inconsistencies. When next
he knew what was happening, he saw
Walker lying on the floor stone dead,
though he was still warm and supple.
On the floor was the pickax, with one
Of it's points Shiny with blood. How
it came to be SO he couldn't tell. He
picked 1t up and laid it on a seat.
Then in an instant the thought flashed
across him how terribly black things
looked against himself He saw alb
solutely no chance of disproving them
and with the usual impulse Of crude
J minds resolved at once to quit the
country. With that idea he got out at
the Shaftesbury road station and, being
an ignorant man and without money,
made his way down to the Radcliffe
highway. Using that as center, be
J smelled about the docks at Limehouse
and Nillwall trying for a job in the
stokehold, but as that neighborhood
is one of the best watched spots on
earth it is not matter of surprise
that he was very soon captured. That's
) about all can tell YOU
! "'Pm afraid it doesn't tighten mat
tiers up very much
never said it would. The gist of
this is down in your brief, Grayson. l
only came around because of your let
ter
STILL l persisted, you threw out a
hint that Guide had offered some ex-
planation.'
ooh, yes, but such fimsy, improb-
able theory that no sane man could en-
terrain it for minute. In fact, he
knew it to be absurd himself. After
pressing him again and again to sug-
gest how Walker could have been kill
ed, with the view of extorting a con-
fession, he said in his slow, heavy
way: 'Why, suppose, Mr. Barnes,
some one else must have done 1t. Don't
you think as man could have got into
the carriage while was lying there
stupid and hit Walker with the pick
and got out again afore come to?
Would that do, sir?"
"I didn't think added Barnes dryly,
that it was worth following that theo-
ry any deeper What do you say?'
II thought for minute and then
spoke up. Look here, Barnes. If in
the face Of this cock and bull story
Guide persists in his innocence, there
may be something in it after all, and
if by any thousand to one chance we
could bring him clear it would be a
red feather in the caps of both of us.
Do you object to my seeing the man
personality
It's bit Irregular said Barnes
doubtfully.
az know it is a bang in the teeth of
etiquette. But suppose we compro-
| mise and you come with mel?
| No, l won't do that. My times
, busy just now, and, besides, l don't
want to run up the costs of this case
higher than necessary. But if you
choose to shove your other work aside
/ and waste couple of hours just go
and interview him by yourself, and
l We'll waive ceremony. I'll get the
t necessary prison order and send it
: around to you tomorrow
Next afternoon 1 went down to see
Guide in the waiting room at the Old
) Bailey. He was a middle aged man,
, heavy faced and evidently knocked
5 half stupid by the situation in which
r he found himself. He was perhaps as
= great fool to his own interests as one
t might often meet with. There was no
getting the simplest tale out of him
1 except by regular question and answer
: cross examination. What little he did
r tell seemed rather to confirm his guilt
7 than otherwise, though, strange to say,
: ! was beginning to believe him when
: he kept on assuring me between every
D other sentence that he did not commit
the murder. Perhaps it was the stolid
] earnestness Of the fellow in denying
] the crime which convinced me- One
gets to read good deal from facial ex-
g preston when man has watched
e what goes on in the criminal dock as
e long as have done, and one can usu.
t ally spot guilt under any mask.
e But tell me- l said, what did you
t quarrel about in the first instanceY
, Money said Guide modify.
HTyr