The Scranton chronicle. (Scranton, Miss.) 1897-19??, 1900-11-24

( It's cOhtcHtS4
.It had my husbands savings. Four
hundred pounds in notes. He would
not trust bank"
"And how much of this was miss
ing?"
The crown counsel stopped me.
my lord. he said, "this is quite i'm
material. 1t is not necessary to our
case that the prisoner stole anything.
What we suggest is that he was about
to open the safe when frightened by
the appearance of his mother, and he
turned and fed"
But" / objected, "it was his IA
TIERS house. He had only been alb
sent from it two days. Surely he
had right to return. To sustain this
charge you must show evil intent"
waited eagerly for the next wit
ness.
1t was one the prosecution ought
never to have called
He was farm lad, who slept in an
clubhouse. and had been disturbed by
noise during the night in question.
He had seen the retreating fgure of
man he took TO be the prisoner.
In explaining this he made curious
statement. Il tried to sleep lightly
because after Master Dicks visit I
thought it best to be wakeful with
master away"
Master Dick" was the prisoners
brother.
"When did the visit of the prison
er's brother take placer" and noticed,
as did so, the start of surprise with
which the prisoners mother heard
the question.
Two days before III, burglary"
he said.
"And who saw him?"
Il saw him, and Margaret spoke to
him."
Margaret was the girl who had pre-
viously given evidence.
"No one else?'
NO" said the boy. "You see II
was in the middle of the night"
"Can you tell us anything more
about this night visit of the prisoners
brother?"
The boy related how he had heard
noise. How he had got up, dressed
and walked toward the farmhouse.
How he had waited and watched a
thin streak of light move steadily
around from room to room till it
reached the pantry, where it stayed
some time. How he had still waited,
and after remaining outside for near
ly half an hour had seen the girl Mar
garet let out Master Dick through
the side door.
Did you tell any one this?" 1
asked.
Yes, he had told the prisoner, but
had not told his mistress for fear of
alarming her. / could see daylight
now.
But ! still anticipated-a tough fight.
l did not realize what valuable ally
little truth may be.
The next witness, the other maid
servant at the farmhouse, entered the
box. No sooner had she taken the
oath than she electrified the court by
saying:
please, want to speak the truth"
My learned friend could not dis
guise the astonishment with which he
heard this strange desire. But the
judge encouraged her kindly.
She had, she said, known all about
it from the first, and had promised
Margaret not to tell, but when she
had seen Mr.. Rupert in the dock and
had noticed how near we got to the
truth she felt compelled to speak.
The prisoners brother had been
| turned out by his father month ago,
but had remained hiding in the neigh
borhood. He had arranged, she said,
to run away with Margaret. The diff
Guilty of money had presented itself.
Apparently this charming pair had
determined to get over this in an easy
If not original manner. When the
father had. been summoned to town
on law business they planned and car
ried out the real burglary at the
farmhouse. The prisoners brother
had key of his fathers safe, and
according to his version was morally
entitled to some of the money--he
said e1o0. His father. displeased at
his conduct, refused to give 1t him.
Accordingly he had entered the
farmhouse late at night, and with
the assistance of Margaret removed
his share, or what he claimed was his
share, of the family savings. He and
Margaret were to be married within
two days, but something happened to
prevent it. Mr.. Rupert disappeared,
and later Margaret made a startling
discovery about him.
He had gone to his brother first,
demonstrated with him, and then fnd-
ing this useless, had used force.
There had been struggle, Dick had
been left senseless on the ground,
and Rupert had taken from him the
key of the safe and the 100 note.
This Margaret learned late at night,
and her mother-wit enabled her to
deduce the fact that Rupert would
place back the note before his father
returned on the morrow.
To accomplish this she knew that
he would probably initiate his guilty
brother, and break in, and she con-
ceived the cruel revenge of waiting
until he was in the house. and then
making his mother surprise him in
what was apparently an act of bur
glary.
Two things more remain IN he ,,.,5o