Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1905-02-02

i
: of the press, however faithful tbs
b attempt, to the distant reader an
: exact reproduction of the things
d described impossible to convey the
. subtle and altogether psychic emana-
! tions that go far toward influencing
: the mind of the jury. The bare re-
: cital OF bit of testimony is not all
g of its value. The person who sees
j and hears the witness, observes his
{ voice and manner, is better judge OF
the weight to be attached TO it than
) those who read OF it through the eyes
{ of others. The manner of witness
! often betrays him. This the news
ptpers cannot comment upon, Tor
obvious reasons.
In fuckers case, it win not be de-
MED that strong chain of circum-
stances connected him with this mys-
terious crime. The defence practical
| " admitted this. He was proved 10
be not far distant from the scene of the
murder at the hour it was committed
While no witness saw him at or in the
Immediate vicinity OF the house when
the woman was killed, yet no one else
was seen there either. and it would
have been as easy for him TO have
been there unseen as for anybody else.
1t was shown that Tucker had twice
visited the premises previously and
knew the GROUND Tucker knew what
whoever told Miss Page knew, that
she had brother, that he worked in
Boston, that ne was away on the day
OF the murder, and he was in posses
sion Of all the knowledge that the per
son had who misled Miss Page By tell
ing her that her brother was injured.
What his motive was is not clear, but
neither does it appear what the motive
OF whoever killed her was. Tucker
had knife that it was pretty well es-
tabhshed could have made the wounds
that were found on Miss Pages body.
This knife he tried to destroy just be-
tore his arrest, knowing that he was
suspected. Its pieces were found in
his possession and he lied about the {
weapon. He also lied about the knife
sheath, which was picked up in a wag- /
on in which he had ridden the very I
afternoon OF the crime, and which he 9
later admitted he must have dropped
then-a circumstance tending TO show
that he had the weapon with him Y
when he went to Weston that day. 2
some human blood stains were found :
IN his clothing and on the knife blade /
tself. A slip of paper on the floor v
lear Miss Pages body bore a fictitious 8
address in handwriting that at least !,
strongly resembled that OF Tucker. II
! stick-pin was found ia his posses p
non after arrest that Miss Pages maid "
dentlied as one belonging to Miss :,
age, and kept on cushion in her +,
Dom. Other witnesses Tor the De- gi
ence testified that the pin was Tuck al
RS, but his own mother failed to iden- ~
ify It as her sons. just what relative Il
weight to give these witnesses Che Jury RI
vas certainly better qualifien to deter Al
nine than mere readers. II was y
hown that Tucker was pressed for : :
lnds, so that his motive might have m
cen robbery, and some evidence pr
ended to show that he did actually W
IKE money iron the Page home, = =
lough this did not seem to be fully On
re
The fact that Tucker himself did ST
OF go on the stand, while 1t is a rule =.
law that it should not be taken to y,
is hurt, may have had its influence on or
le jury, as it did on all outsiders. If no
was innocent, he could have 20
rengthened his case by telling bis re
~n story, with all the impress of ha
nth behind it.
Yet, with all these evidences OF II
ucker's guilt before it, the Jury il AZ
eng condemned for its verdict. We "a
ink unjustly. II all the cireum-
ances that pointed toward Tucker e
ere more easily applicable by assum- D. D.
g bis guilt than the same circum- N,
anees could be reconciled with his mi
nocence, it was the iury's duty to Of
I'd him guilty. We 10 not think the ~, ~
ry erred. We think Miss Page met
T death at fuckers hands We I
ink most people think 50. even ~
ough they assume that the eyidenee 5 o
as insufficient to convict. While onr
Union, based solely on what we have n
al, may not be strong enough 10
stity fixing the awful penalty Of
attn upon him, yet we are willing TO
needle that this jury, with all The evil
nee hefpra II YsFffh 49,