The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1907-09-06
AN AUTHORS REAL,
DETECTIVE WORK.
lOrlginal.1

My work has sappcl my confidence I'm
circumstantial evidence, for ere is no
case, however strong. against an nc-
cused person that. cannot frame as
strong Il theory for the defense. uay-
ing made this statement to n friend
who Is II practical worker i'm prison re-
form, he told me that he had seen u
woman whom he believed to be inno-
cent serving life sentence for having
poisoned her husband. He asked me to
visit her and ii i came away with the
same opinion as himself to interest my
self in her behalf. i consented
l found Mrs. Julia Ringland Il pretty
woman of thirty. ] had Il long convcr.
sa.ion with her, not with Il view to
learning of her guilt or innocence from
her arguments, but to make up my
mind upon the higher plane of intui
ton 1t did not seem to me To be pos
sible for Il refined person, as Mrs. Ring
land was, if guilty of Il fright III crime
to appear to me to he innocent. After
long convcr'ation | left her perfectly
sure that she was being punished for
crime she had not committed. This
conclusion had nothing to do with any
appeal whatever to my reason.
This is synopsis of her case: She
married Peter Ringland, Il man twenty
years older than herself Il stingy.
crusty note shaver of the olden type.
Ringland, never in good health. at last
gradually sank away ana died. What
he died of no one knew. for he was too
mean to have a doctor. He was buried.
ana his Wife proceeded 10 take posses
sion OF his estate
One day Ernest 4. Parsons received
at his club through the mail Il note
signed Julia Ringland, of whom lie
had never heard. In it she admitted
that she loved him, but would not per-
NIT him to be near her so long as her
husband lived. The note ended with
the single word wait"
1t happened that there was another
Parsons in the club Edward A. Par
sons. The note had been addressed to
T.. y. Parsons and had fallen into the
wrong hands. The Parsons who rc-
ccivcd il talked about It, Its existence
reached the ears of Peter Ringland's
relatives, and they accused the widow
of having poisoned her husband. The
body was cNhumcd, the stomach ana
lyned ana arsenic found I'm sufficient
quantity To kin several men. The note
and the arsenic were the main points
on which the prosecuting attorney Sc
cured conviction.
My proving Mrs. Ringland's inno-
cencc depended solely upon one point
her husband must have taken ar
senic without the knowledge of any
one else. Tho attorney for the defense
had taken this position, but could ad-
ducc no proof that Ringland had ever
bought q grain of arsenic lin his life.
He had investigated every drug store
In the suburban town in which Ring
land had lived. but not one had ever
sold the drug to the deceased.
One day Il possible solution TO the
problcL occurred To me- Ringland was
so Stingy that hn might have bought
the drug Wholesale Tho theory was
certainly farfctchcd, but determined
10 investigate the wholesale druggists
thoroughly. There were five of then
in the city. | went To all OF them and
asked if they had had any account
with Peter Ringland. Not o.! of them
had ever had such an account on its
books. Besides. they would not have
sold the goods 10 any one not in the
drug business. certainly not at the
wholesale price. Since had modn Mn
ny mind that proving Rioglguls pur
chase of the drur himself was IN, only
possible way Of establishing his wild
ow's innocence I dctrrnIincI to push
further in my investigations Was il
not possible that RingIand had had tbe
drug sent to him under an assumed
name?
re1uestcd cvn,y. WHOLESALE d,,,~
store in thn citv tn mil, -, -, st,tn
ment of all No orsnni, :, hn, sn,l
In the town ,.bor. Di,o,,,,I b,I ri,.,I
within two ynars nrio,. to hi. d.,tr
There worc - nup,,,,,, or n,ont;tia. or
arsenic ON ono or H.. s,,irr.,,.t, tn,t
had been biIIad +, IN, ~. ,av,,d
pharmocv Tho it,r.. g,,o.tnl INV ,t
tcntion for tnn ,,.tin,.. yrcrn MI
o,so,,i
pharmacy and v.,. to,, r,.t n ia no,
exist AMI rnvor b.d ov..,.l Tlcn