Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-12-24
CHATTER XVI.

For few minutes the people in
the court room failed to catch the
significance of the situation. Col
Franklin wondered blankly what his
friend Merivale was doing on the wit
ness stand and what he would tell
for or against him. The big cotton
men who were present in large num-
bers were full of speculation az 10
what Mcrivale, whom they had car
ried through such an elongated
course of heavy dinners and costly
wines, could possibly have to tell in
this case. Fenton's friends thought
that mistake had been made and
that his testimony had been post
poncd; for there was actually no re-
semblance between this blond New
Yorker, with his scant hair, his near
sightedness, his hectic color, his light
beard. and the sturdy Fenton, with
his plentiful dark hair and his cool,
penetrating glance. But the first an
swer of the witness shook the crowd
like an unexpected explosions; and
Irving Warde was among those who
were most astonshed.
'What is your name?" asked Mr..
Everett, with undisguised satisfac-
ton in his voice.
George 3. Fenton."
"Mr. Fenton. you were formerly
connected with our police force in
the capacity of detective?"
II was"
81 will ask you to give the jury a
minute account of your connection
with this case, and the results of
your Investigations"
The silence in the room was pro-
found; the astoniShment was giving
place to an intense interest Fen
tons voice reached even the hallway
beyond the wide doors. The crowd
lost not oEe syllable Of his story.
every WELL sir. My connection
with the case began when l received
the pawn tickets found on the per-
son of Herbert Wright, the prisoner
a the bar. When ] discovered shat
young Wright had pawned number
of articles which had been taken from
the body of his father, was strongly
confident that he was the murderer.
It seemed TO me impossible TO evade
the conclusive evidence of er'lt. Put
when ] went to Wripht's ouse to
look for his pistol I accidentally dis
covered that it lad been taken away
and a very pretty revolver with IN
empty barrel had been placed in it's
stead. l thought the case over this
way: This pistol thus substituted
tells the story of the crime. 1t an
nounces its responsibility for the
murder of John r. Wright. Its pres
ence here is intended to jmplicate
Herbert Wright in the crime and TO
shield the real murderer. J became
at once satisfied that we of the po-
lice force had been yov Off tbe track
and proceeded to = tborouob invcs.
tination Of the case. As soon as I was
employed hv Mr. Everett tool, stems
TO find cut tbc eo,rce of all the
STARTLING, thiros tbod bonn,,ed 70
thoso of rs who had manifested an
undue interest in tho crime Herbert
WRIGHT had narro,,.1. oeconed death
from noisonino. 1rlina \yardc had
como noor hoin,r os.osciro+od and 7
had boo, d,.o,,r7,,d fro,,, +bo ,ol;ca
force Nv. o,,.r ooso boircr +bo sim
nIcs+ T sou,bt ~ ,rro,n1 II fret
The first subet,ntial discovery 7
moda was +bot PAT Eorriu,, ,vas =,
stocLholder in tho Sholhv County
Real Estate G Investment cornonv
Tben = lottor of ;no,,i,v 10 a friend
in Denver showed maj he was also
a stakeholder in the Diamond Mining
company. Consequently he was a
man whom James Franklin would be
likely to control. In CIDER to satisfy
myself | went to Kcrnigan. He's a
politician. as everybody knows. and
likes 10 keep on GOOD ,crms with all
men. and he told me ouietlv t1,at Col.
Franklin had requested nv dismissal
and the appointment Of INV successor.
and that he was under such oblira-
ton to the colonel that he could not
refuse TO use what little Influence he
had with the MAYOR. then went 70
Col. Franklin and asked him why he
had requested Kcrnioan to hrinr
about NV dismissal. We'll. by plavinp
one against the other I secured the
information I desired-namely. that
iCol Franklin WAS at the bottou Of
nv dismissal. and that If was all on
account of NV dis+oetnfu1 .cti,itv in
the WRIGHT case From that time on