Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-01-29
SAVED BY A CONFEDERATE.
ca HERE had been a daring case o

(0NO hEhE udu Ueeu d udfluS cdSe VI
burglary at farmhouse in. Ches-
- hire. Three men had tied down
and gagged the farmer and his two
maid servants, and had rified the house
at their leisure.
There were two clews. In the strug-
gle one of the men had left button
from his coat behind, and he had also
had his face so severely scratched by
one Of the maids that the girl said ''she
was sure she had left her mark upon
him.
Weeks passed without any arrest be-
ing made, and people began to forget
the burglary, until one day man was
arrested at Liverpool. He had with
him a bundle containing some Of the
plunder of the farmhouse. His face
bore traces of scratching, and, to clinch
the matter, his coat wanted a button,
and the buttons on it corresponded ex-
actly with that picked up at the scene
of the burglary.
His defense was very fiimsy. "He
knew nothing about the burglary, but
had bought the coat and things very
cheap off q man in the street" He ac-
counted for the Scratches by saying
that he was sailor, and had in that
capacity much rough work to do.
There was no defense; the jury found
a verdict of guilty" without leaving
the box, and the prisoner was asked if
he had anything to say.
We'll, cap'n," he said, 'it's hard to
be convicted for noth'n'. l know no
more of this burglary than a baby;
when it happened l was fightin' the
slayers on the Gold Coast
There was something in the mans
manner that impressed the judge, so he
said, not unkindly:
But surely, prisoner, If your story is
true, you must have friends and COM
rades with whom you could have COM
municated? 1t is too late now.''
''You's right, cap'n; it's too late. l
couldn't communicate with them any
how, for don't know where they are.
They may be in America, or they may
be at the Cape"
But" urged the judge, the court
has no wish to convict man who may
be innocent. Is there no one who could
speak for your
The prisoner looked in a hopeless sort
of way round the court.
NO" he began; but just then his eye
lighted on a man in the court Yes
he added, pointing to him, there is a
gentleman who might speak for me if
he would" The judge looked in the
direction of the individual pointed at
do you know the prisoner?' he
asked.
mo, my lord" was the reply. 81
never saw him before in my life"
"Well, Captain Sharpe" said the
prisoner, 81 know you well enough"
lis your name Captain Sharper
asked the judge. eyes, my lord" came
the reply.
"Well, the prisoner seems to recog-
nize you, so l will ask you to step into
the witness box and be sworn, that he
may ask you questions"
The captain went into the box, and
the following dialogue ensued:
"Are you Captain Sharpe of the war
ship Vulture?'' asked the prisoner.
"Yes."
"Were you in command Of her on the
slave coast this spring?"
81 was"
"And wasn't l one of the crew."
"Most certainly not"
But, cap'n, don't you remember the
slave ship that you boarded?
"Yes."
"And you yourself led the boarders ?''
"Oh, yes; but all that is nothing-you
may easily have heard of or read all
about that"
"Well, but cap'n, once more-don't
you remember the big black SLAYER who
was almost cutting you down? Don't
you remember the one man who stood
between you and death, and what he
got for it? Don't you remember that ?''
And, brushing back his hair, the pris-
oner showed great scar down one side
of his head.
The whole court looked on breath
less as the captain stared at the scar
and at the man till his eyes seemed
starting from his head. At length, as
If in a dream, he muttered to himself:
"Good heavens, is it possibleY'
Then slowly and deliberately he got
out of the witness box and clambered
into the dock, where he seized the pris-