Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1902-08-08
When the jurymen returned the !n'

When the jurymen returned the sh'
teresting part Of the proceedings De-
gan. The first witness called was the
boy, Charles Wallet. who had found
the body. His evidence did not take
many minutes, and consisted merely
of the information he had given at the
Bell Inn the evening before. He had
Seen the body lying by the roadside.
had called to the man, had touched
him; and being unable to detect O
movement or to obtain an answer, had
run with all speed to give information
of his discovery.
The second witness was the detec-
tive, Hemming. He admitted the open
secret that he was a private inquiry
agent, and that he was staying at
Stroan on business. He had been the
first to reach the body after Wallets
discovery of it, and he had been Ole OF
those to Identify the deceased as Jem
Stickels, the fisherman. The mal was
quite dead when he found him, but the
body was still quite warm.
"At what time was 1t that you first
saw the body?" asked the coroner.
81 heard it chime the halfpast eight
by st. Martins Church clock when |
was about halfway between Stroan
bridge and the place where we dig
covered the body,
"Was there anything about the posi-
ton in which the body lay. {: anything
else, in fact, to enable you to form an
opinion as to the cause of death?'
Nothing whatever, sir" answered
Hemming, who gave his evidence in
the clear voice and confident manner
of the old policeman, who feels that
the court is his own theatre, where he
is bound to get hearing and deserves
II.
"Was the body lying face downward,
in such a position that the man may
have been too drunk TO rise, and have
been suffocated in the grass and mud!'
HE was lying face downward, as
have said, sir. But his mouth was not
close to the ground. don't think il
possible that he could have been suf'
located. His clothes were quite loose
about his neck also"
"Then you formed no opinion as to
the cause Of death?"
"Well, sir, had heard something;
and it made me jump to conclusion
as should not otherwise have done
With your permission. sir. l would
rather not say at the present stage
what that conclusion was. 1t was
formed from nothing l saw about the
body"
There were whispers in the court
The people in the crowd looked at one
another, and intimated that there was
not much worth knowing that the Lon.
don chap didn't know. They all felt
kindly toward Hemming for speaking
out so that they could hear him, an
accomplishment In which the nOn-prO.
fessional witness is so lamentably de.
ficient.
This was the gist of Hemming's evi.
dence, the few further questions
which he was asked producing unim.
portant answers. Each witness had
to put up with a trivial question or two
from the members of the jury, who all
wished to make the evidence given
bear more weight than the giver in.
tended.
The third witness called was Lucas
Mann, in whose house the deceased
man had been ledger at the time Of
his death.
Mann deposed that Stickels was
brought home by two men at a time
which he fixed as between quarter
and half-past six. Stickels. who was
in q nalf-dazed condition when he
arrived, came to himself entirely with.
in q few minutes and told him story
as to how he came to be stunned.
Stickels had then seemed quite well,
had had cup Of tea by the fire, and
had expressed his intention of walking
to Stroan that night. Then there had
been knock ut the door, Stickels
himself had opened it, and after con-
yersation with two ladies' who had
come to see him, he had gone out by
the back door abruptly. The next thing
Mann had heard Of him was that he
had been found dead OH the road.
The next two witnesses were the
men who had picked Jem Stickels up
from the ground, at the back of the
Blue Lion, after his encounter with
Clifford. These both deposed that the
man was unconscious when they
picked him up, that lie began to re.
cover almost Immediately, and that
they did not have to carry him to the
cottage where he lodged, but OILY to
support him little, as lie complained
of feeling "a bit giddy-llke." They
said that he seemed to be quite Himself
before they left him at the cottage.
There was buzz Of excitement in
court when Miss Bostal was called.
With the feminine witnesses began the
real interest of the case. Enough han
leaked out by this time for every COS.
sip IN StrOan to be aware that the
quarrel between the gentleman, Cliff.
ford King, and the fisherman, Jem
Stickels, had been on Nell Claris's ac-
count; and everybody knew, also, that
Miss Bostal had espoused the cause OK
Jem Stickels, and so had brought her.
self prominently forward into the. 70.
mantle story. Although Jem Stickels
had not borne the best Of characters,
It was natural that after Ills sudden
Ind mysterious death there should b,
1 strong revulsion Of popular feeling
n his favor
Poor chap!' they said TO one an
,ther. 1T was clear he was awful
ont of the girl and, to be sure, she
CD hox CIV 1,i