The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-05-13
THE WRONG MAN HUNG.
BY Lawrence Leslie.

, BY Lawrence Leslie.
New York Weekly: Several years AZ,
. a young man named William Harlow
residing near Kent, England. while OIL
the way to visit his relatives. applied
at Il public house in Deal for II night:
lodging. The house was crowded. ant
he was told 1t would be impossible tt
furnish him with a bed.
He was much fatigued, however, Will
his journey. besides suffering from in.
disposition, and expressed his willing
ness to accept almost any accommoda-
ton rather than be compelled to pro
coed.
The landlady then informed him tina,
II he would share a bed with hel
nephew, a young sailor, he could be &C.
eomnlodated. h proposition was glad
ly accepted, n about 10 o'clock the
two young men retired, and soon fell
asleep.
About . o'clock in the morning the
complaint which we have already re-
ferred to. compelled young Harlow to
rise. and he woke his companion and
inquired the way of egress. He was
directed to pass through the kltchen,
but as the litter of the latch was broken
his companion handed him his knife
TO aid him in raising the latch and
making his way out.
Young Harlow returned In about half
an hour, but was surprised to discover
that his companion was gone. Suppos-
ing him only temporarily absent, he
Went to asleep, He awoke at an early
hour. saw nothing of his bedfellow, and
being anxious to continue his journey.
and having settled With the hostess
the night previous. he dressed and left
the house without waking any of the
inmates. After he had gone q mile or
more he. remembered hat he had
brought away the strangers knife,
which had been given him to lift the
latch.
In the morning the landlady was sur
prised that her nephew did not appear
sooner at breakfast. as he expected to
sail early. and she finally went to call
him. She was greatly alarmed to find
nun gone, and especially to discover
that the bed was saturated with blood.
room, through the house and along the
street, terminating at the deck.
The alarm was given, a thorough
search instituted, but no information
concerning him could be obtained. The
police took the matter In hand, and
soon came to the conclusion that the
man had been murdered by the strang-
er who had slept with him that night,
and his body carried from the house
@ NV kIis AAoIAl III n.
OF course, the arrest of the suspected
party was ordered.
He was soon traced. captured and
charged with the crime. He denied all
knowledge of it, but. upon being
searched, the knife of the missing man
was found in his possession. A rare
silver coin was likewise found in his
pocket, which the landlady identified
as having belonged to her nephew. and
swore positively that she had exam
ined 1t only the night before his disap-
pearance.
Blood stains We're found on the
clothes of the accused, his shirt parti-
ularly being stained to a degree not to
be expected from any trivial injury to
himself.
Young Harlow explained his possess
sion of the knife in the manner already
described; but the. coin and the marks
OF blood he could not account for. His
inability TO do this, his confusion when
he attempted 1t, the fact of his leaving
the public house at such an u%nseason-
able hour, and in such a stealthy man
ner, all confirmed the impression of his
guilt.
During the trial these facts were pre-
scented. and the theory set forth thai
young Harlow. supposing that his bed
fellow was in the possession of a CON
siderable sum of money, had stabbed
him during the night. robbed him, car
rled his body out of the house, and
down to the dock, Where it was thrown
into the sea. The blood in the bed, IN
the floor of the bedroom, n scattered
along the street to the dock, the blood
on the clothes of the accused, and the
identified articles found in his possess
sion, rendered any other conclusion i'm
possible. 1t was in vain that young
Harlow asserted his innocence, and
called witnesses to prove his previous
good character. He was convicted. and
sentenced to be hung.
Before the day of the execution the
aunt of the missing man received tie
following letter written from Malta:
Dear Aunt: You We're doubtless sur
prised at my sudden departure from
your house. 1t was as unexpected to
me as to you, but circumstances hur-
ried me away against my VIII. If You
Ind thai coin of mine. give it to Mary
to remember her cousin by. think
left 1t at our house.
Il fell from the rigging a few weeks
ago, and broke my right arm. This is
me reason employ a shipmate to write
The letter was Immediately placed
In the hands of the authorities. 1t was
claimed by Harlow's friends that 1t
clearly established his innocence, by
the man he was charged with
numbering to be still alive. On the
otHSl ildiiu, lle dutnenllclty of the let
ter was denied. 1t was not in the miss
mans handwriting; and the ex-
cuse offered for this was one which any
OF ordinary intelligence could
frame. The reference to the coin
Which,. being found with Harlow, was
one OF the strongest evidences OF his
guilt-was likewise looked upon as a
clumsy attempt to explain away that
most damaging circumstance.
In short, 1t was believed that the let
ter was a forgery, perpetrated by some
Of Harlow's friends with the hope of
saving him from the just punishment
Of his crime. Owing to the belief that
he offense of forgery had been added
to that of murder, the feeling against
the condemned man was greatly
strengthened, and the execution was
to proceed.
AT the scaffold the doomed man bore
himself with great fortitude. He made
brief speech, avowing his innocence.
yet admitting that the array of circum-
against him, some of which even
could not explain, fully justified the
Judgment Of the law. He, however.
again asserted his utter Ignorance Of
he crime, and while he was commend
ng his soul to his Maker, the drop
ell, and soon all was over.
Nearly sixteen wear aftar 4bo,o