El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-19
! H|SLAST CONFESS|ON|

| SlI ArculDaiu IenSyut, an irish Ianu-
lord, had visited the bank to draw a sum
of money. He was found dead by a par
| ~ of soldiers patroling the neighborhood.
| The body was still warm, and a number
of stab wounds left no doubt as to the
| cause of death.
| The sound OF running footsteps drew
the attention of the commanding officer.
and, quick pursuit being ordered. a man
! was soon ovcrtaken and captured whose
hands and arms were smeared with blood
| and on whose person was found a thick
packet bearing the stamp of Sir Arches
| bank and containing the money which, it
| was afterward ascertained, he had that
| day drawn
The suspicion which at once fell on the
| prisoner was strengthened by the fact
| that he was a late tenant of the deceased
| who had been treated with peculiar
| harshness and had been heard to threat
en- vengeance.
The mans account, when questioned
| an hour later, was that while returning
home from neighbours he had come
| suddenly on two men in a violent strug-
gle, one of whom soon fell. The other
stopped for a moment over the PROSTATE
form and then ran away. The prisoner
hurried forward to help the injured man,
whom he partially raised in his arms:
but, finding him apparently already life
the murderer. whose rapidly retreating
steps were still audible. Being a feet
runner. he was soon in sight of the fugi-
tive, on whom he was gaining rapidly
when the latter threw away something
which the prisoner stopped to pick up
and which. he alleged, was the packet
found upon him when arrested. This de-
lay had enabled the pursued to dart into
a thicket, whittier the prisoner was fol-
N Ean ne no
diers.
Such in substance was the narrative
given by Michael Tierney in very con-
fused fashion when taken before the
magistrate. 1t had no weight at all with
the coroner and his jury, and the prisoner
was regularly committed to stand trial
for willful murder.
His heartbroken wife. once a favorite
servant in my fathers family, appealed
to ME TO defend her husbands life.
IL hope you'll do what you can for
him. SIR she pleaded. choking down her
sobs. for I'm sure he's innocent"
Poor Mary could say no more. but her
few simple words were earnest and
beseeching that l could not refuse her
request. Adding what l could to comfort
her, / sent her away a little treasured.
1t was not long till the case was called
for trial, for the authorities were deter
mined to make it the occasion of a swift
and terrible example.
The jury. of course, only heard the cir
cumstauces attending the finding of the
murdered mans body, the prisoners cap
ture and the finding of the packet on his
person. These. with the prisoners pre-
vious threats. made the case for the
crown. and Il formula BILE one it was. The
prisoners explanation. of course, was ex-
cluded and would have gone for little
had it been received. I made what I
could of the few circumstances in his IA
vor. including the fact that no weapon
had been found, and stated as a possible
hypothesis, sufficient at least to raise a
doubt. the prisoners version of the facts
already given.
But the judges summing up destroyed
the last hope. Before he had half con-
cluded the prisoners fate could be read
in the faces of the jury. At the end they
conferred briefly without leaving their
seats. Then the foreman rose, and in
answer to the usual question pronounced
the dreaded but expected word GUILTY.
Poor Mary. who had hoped to the last,
uttered heartreBding shrek and was
carried out fainting.
The judge put on the black cap.
Prisoner at the bar" he said slowly
and solemnIy. what have you to say
that the sentence of the law should not
now be pronouncedP
The prisoner stood like one dazed and
stupe6ed. The words seemed to fall on
his ears without meaning. The painful
silence which ensued was broken by a
gray haired man in priestly garb who |
had pressed his way through the crowd.
and stood facing his bench.
my lord he exclaimed earnestly. |
this man is innocentr'
"Your evidence comes rather late" re- |
piled the judge. with sternness. IF you |
had aught to say. you should have said |
It sooner. Still. il you have any light to |
throw on the case, I shall take care TO
present your statement in the proper |
quarter. Proceed"
II can only repeat" returned the other, I
that l know the man is innocent"
But what facts can you adduceT
81 am not at liberty to give them. The
obligations of my Office forbid"
''Then you might as well have spared
this Interruption replied his lordship.
turning once more to address the pris-
oner.
But there was another interruption.
and this time in a woman's voice
"Stop, for the love of Godv' it cried.
81 dar' speak. if the holy man dar'n't.
My poor husband died last night, an Fa-
Their McMaDus there heard his last con-
fession. The saints pardon me IL it wur
a sin to listen TO it. / didn't name it:
but. bein in the mkt room and hearin a
few words by accident. / felt FORCED to
hear it ALL And, oh, I can't bear the
thought of more innocent blood restin on
my poor Tins sowlr'
Then she went on to tell that in his
dying confession her husband had ac-
himself guilty of the murder
laid to the prisoners charge, giving ali
the details, even TO the place Of conceal
ing the weapon.
Thank Godr' the priest calculated.
The prisoner was remanded for the
A IN bo Mo- indicated