The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-02-08
4 TIMEp|ECE
PROVES ANALIBI
Condemned Man Set Free by
the Stopping Of a Watch.
A PECULIAR CASE AT CHICAGO.
CircunsisniaI Evidence Is as Likely 10
Wsk One Way as II Is
Another.
A PECULIAR CASE AT CHICAGO.

s'chcumstantial evidence 70 Id the de-
tectivc lis one OF the things that are
JUST as liable 10 work one wary as auoterh
er. recall one case IN which had
hand where il backed up some alibi testi-
mony that saved man.
About % years ago an engineer. run
ming a donkey engine on wharf at Chi
csgo was found drowned with wound
81 his head lie body was seen early In
the morning floating under the wharf,
and when his clothing was seached
plain silver watch was found in his pock-
ct which had stopped at o clock.
''fhat fixed the time OF the drowning, or.
at least. OF the body's falling into the
water. ana further examination ny
pm scialls showed that the man was stiil
living wnen ne nad gone overheard, as
Their was water in has lungs. Al might
have been an accident. as the engineer
was In the haon OF getting drunk at
nignt and going 10 sleep near his engine
but II Mao known that hc had had "A
difficulty with a bad man OF the neigh
Dornooo THAI AFTERNOON, and The Dad man,
known as Smithy. had announced that he
would DO him at the first opportunity.
- his had happened about ) O'Clock. and
about . Snithy had been seen by dozen
or more persons n various saloons look
ing lor the engineer and threatening 10
xiii him.
'.Of course under the circumstances,
the natural ana logical tning for the au-
thoriues 10 do Was To- arrest Smithy for
the murder ol the engineer and this we
did. hut not until late In ttH afternoon,
as he was discovered hve miles out of
town at small roadhouse, which was
further testimony against him.
lie denied all knowledge OF the death
OF the engineer. ana TOOK dS 10 tnc not.sc
of man and WOMAN. friends OF his. vho
swore that he had taken supper with
them at o'clock, and stayed until
playing cards.
CLEARED BY THE WATCH.
I'VE had heard alibi oaihs before. and.
counting the testimony OF the watch In
the dead mans pocket and threats
oi Smithy before has deat was good
enough, we shut Smithy up without Dsil
To await the action ol The grand jury The
coroner Jury backed US up IA oar de-
CislOi
''smithy hadn't any money or influence.
so there wasn't much fOoling with him,
a,n his case came up for settlement I'M
short Nder. We did the best We knew
how To convict him. but the aiibi Witness
es had never been In court before and
were supposedly honest people. The phy-
sician testined that The wound I'm the
head might have been received In falling
against pier timber or log In the Wa
Ter. and the testimony of the watch cor
roborated that OF the accused mans
friends, and the combination was too
much tor the jury, which brought in
verdict of not guilty. 1hat let Smithy,
out Of course.
About two weeks after the acauittal
a
my Office identifying som stole Jewelry
when he saw the engineers watch, which
WAS still heid. lie showed me his marks
in the case where he had cleaned II about
eighteen months before. and asked me
what IL WAS doing there.
II told him its story, and he was great
~ surprised, and SAID that he had just
got home from Germany and knew moth
ing OF what had happened to his old Gus
TONER.
''iie went on to say that the engineer
q year before had been running an engine
IN Evanston.an had become known To MIN
thropGh several purchases he had made
IN his Place.
"a was Interested al once aud gave him
rhe details uf the story with some facts
relating TO the Testimony. and ne said
he wOud look over his books and might
De able 10 tell mo something
The next day he came again with a
Journal that he kept OF his busigess and
showed me that tho engineer had called
~ his place tho evening before his death
was discovered.
''fIe recalled distinctly that the man
WAS under the Influence of liquor, but
b2rdly enough TO be noticed. aud that he
had giTen nm watch 40 see what was
fhr matter with Ia. as IL had stopped
about an hour before.
WHY THE MATCH STOPPED.
at was then little after c'clock and
the watch had stopped AZ \ he told him
ft needed cleaning. and the engincr had
said be was liot Ia funds snst then, but
would prlng IL back again the following
Qay. az hc had come out that way on
Grfne business
''fis said that from his place 10 where
fhc engineer worked could not he reached
short of an hour and "A half. ana That.
however he had come 10 his death. IL
could not possibly hare happened be-
fore i0:S0 O'clock
~'hat was the jewelers. story. and he
was prepared tu swear TO it. but N was
r,o late then. rhr law says that man
cannot bt placed twice IA jeopardy OF his
litc. SO We rodldn'i Try Sri!thv over
again though : have alwaNs hceu Cunvinc-
+ sst shai 81 ghc ltwelvr Testimony could
lass. h.rn heard We would nave got him
dcnd rights sure. because it would have
kh.scf.sa the aliDi higher than Kite.
smith friends haNins testified that lac
lett their ho4ss AZ z clock. aud there be-
t.lz III PROOF iuui ih~3 were iNins
s. I'm g&rt am if'ctt3 ssrc ilutt they
told Tho ruth. ami ihat Smithv really
WI, with them fp 90 that hour
III wslS lils watch that dld The business
for as and now Whenever any stopned
watches nre offered for evidence IL any
sase ~ Witch am concerned pass them
rs fnconlpet lent Nhethor SmithN killed
the engineer or not ] WOULDN'T wan 10
eav l,iif with The jewsler testimony Ne
II mould have gDt Am All the same VhiC n