The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-30

conferred around q young fellow in whose
company Webber had betn seen
Inc day before the murder the suspected
man had, II was developed, visited shop
70 purchase a sheet Of note paper. He had
then asked Tor pen and an envelope, and
requested permission TO sit at the counter
and write a brief letter When he had
gone the shopman found half sheet Of
paper lett on the counter In the blotting
PAD az which tho prisoner had been writ
ing This half sheet the man nut back into
the box with the other paper The last
note found in the dead girls box, making
tne, fatal appointment, was written on a
hall sheet OF paper. This aud the piece left
by the accused man In the shop were put
together. Microscopic examination re-
veaied the fact that the two halves made
one sheet. The man was executed.
pioce OF paper played an extraordinary
part In the trial OF n Wiltshire farmer at
the Salisbury Assizcs. The prisoner was
charged with having sent an anonymous
threatening letter, TO neighbor Witnesses
acquainted with the prisoners writing we're
called to prove that the letter was In his
hand. Others, equally az well able to Judge
declared that the writing was not his. But
the prosecution had what appeared to he
most conclusive evidence Of the prisoners
guilt.
Three Of these ANONYMOUS letters
had been written on three pieces Of paper.
which had been roughly torn out OF a
single sheet. In a writing desk In the
prisoners house the detectives found a
scrap Of paper, which, when fitted with the
three pieces on which the letters we're
written, exactly formed one sheet. The
70 gged edges Of the different portions eN-
aCtly fitted each other, and the water
mark and name OF the maker, which was
divided into three parts, were perfect when
the pieces Of paper we're placed together
The evidence appeared overwhelming, and
the prisoner protesting his innocence. was
sentenced TO penal servitude, The prisoner
was removed, when suddenly person
stood up in court and denounced himself
as the real criminal. He was the son Of
the prisoner-a youth Of H.
He wrote upon piece Of paper from
memory the contents Of the three threat
ening letters His handwriting was eX-
actly that in the criminal epistles; mistak es
in spelling which appeared in them were
reproduced In the sons writings. He had,
he explained, had access TO the writing
desk in his ia theirs room, and had Abstrs Cted
the paper ( ON IT, There could be no doubt
of his guilt, and the father was pardoned
while the son went to prison for seven
year,.
A piece Of stamp sticking paper was the
means OF assisting Justice 10 secure a no.
torious burglar named Berre IT, who made
a specially OF jewel safe breaking. He
one night entered a wealthy gentlemsn's
country mansion in Surrey, and working
ing an entry into the cafe and abstractiDg
je wells worth several hundred pounds.
In his opera tons on the safe, kowever, one
Of his tools inflicted a slight injury to one Of
his fingers, and BeTrett tearing on a piece
of stamp paper from some he carried in
his pocket, applied il to the wound. The
remainder Of the paper he accidentally
dropped on the floor, whe IA IL was disco red
by a detective. The next day BE rrett was
arrested: The piece Of stamp paper he had
put on his finger was still the re and proved
useful in obtaining him seven years penal
servitude.
piece Of newspaper which had been
used a 4 a book ma Tker was one of the strong
links In a chain of cirCumstantial evidence
which brought Pontin, a train assassin,
TO his deserts. Pontin murdered a gentle
man Traveller In French express and, hav-
ing hid his victim % we'll as he could under
seat, alighted at a station and ooolly
walked away reading ne wspaper.
NJ. CanleT. the bead Of the French detec-
tive system, was quickly on the track Of
the impe rturba bic passenger and ran him
down. The accused man had still in his
possession the copy of a ne wspaper Of the
date on which the murder was committed,
and there was a piece torn out OF one cor
ner. The missing piece was found In the
pa ges Of a novel In the victims pocket. He
had torn Il on TO make a marker Of il! Pom
tin expressed much disgust at the folly
he had been guilty OF 10 appropriating
the murdered mans newspaper, and In pre-
serving IT, He explained TO NJ. Canler,
however. that he had become int rested
in the 80 nal story that was running In the
papeT and had resolved 10 continue IL.