The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1908-02-25

Ian 0ecai:s1 everything looked SO
strange, and. besides. 1t was his duty to
10 so under the rules. Had he been In
the alcove in question within the next
few days? No; he had been transfer
red to the other side of the building
and had been employed there until a
week aga. when he had resigned his
position partly on account Of weak
back and partly to assist his wife In
the management of boarding house
formerly kept by her mother. who had
recently died. 1,=A
The next witness called by the dis
trict attorney was small eyed. beetle
browed. dirt begrimed man. who
said his name was Raphael Swzoni.
lie was employed Us sweeper, clean
er ana sort of general utility man in
the library. On the second day after
the disappearance Of the gold piece he
had swept the alcove as a matter Of
ordinary, routine work. The states
representative produced from his peck.
ct small packet, which he carefully
opened and laid before the witness.
Asked If he could say what It CON
lained, the beetle browed man replied
that he recognized the contents as be-
ing particles Of yellow metal which
ne had found on taking up breadth
Of the mating in the alcove in ques.
ton to he shaken. or his own knowl-
edge he could not say of what metal
the particles were.
thought that l here perceived an
opportunity. for If l could locate the
filings In place remote from the
table at which the accused had been
making his examination they might
have been dropped by some previous
or subsequent visitor. But when |
questioned him the witness asserted
that he was In the habit Of taking up
the breadths Unfortunately and could
say nothing rs to which one had af,
forded so rich find" He had shak,
en- the mating under general orders,
which. he understood, were issued be-
cause sometimes visitors reported that
they had dropped gold pencils. tooth.
picks or small change on the floor,
which the management was anxious
TO discover and return. He had nc
animus against the accused. whom he
had never seen until today. The man
seemed stupid. but honest. and when
he left the stand l felt that the prose
cution had dealt us blow all the more
terrible because wholly unexpected.
An expert assayer testified TO an
analysis of a sample Of the filings nj
ready submitted and declared IN
equiyocally that they consisted OF gold
with so little alloy that the body from
which they had been separated might
he easily manipulated with a small
file. such as formed one Of the blades
Of the prisoners knife.
A little more evidence. chiefly for
NAL. was presented. and then the stat,
rested Its case.
Then opened for the defense. Aftel
careful reflection. although not with
out much hesitation. had determined
that the best effect upon the jur!
might be obtained by making the nc
ciised his own first witness.
Jack told his story with absolute
frankness. Not the tremor Of a mus
Gle betrayed the intense. nervous strait
under which he was suffering. Hi
ere was steady and unainching. hli
voice clear and mistaken as lac de
scribed each link In the chain OF event
from the day when he first obtaine'
Possession Of the reIiquary until I'll
hour Of his arrest. Nor was his mar
ratiye shaken under one Of the mos
searching cross examinations 20 whicl
have ever listened. Manifestly th'
effect upon the jury was good. and
began to cherish renewed confidence.
! Then the plowman told his story o
his discovery Of antique coins Will
turning the burrows on ~ Engl!sl
farm In Staflordshlre. how he had sol
| few, given away Others AMI br0v!sh
| the rest to this country anil figali.
bow he had parted with the Last 70
manning gold piece 90 the prisoner y
price agreed upon between then
The man was old and evidently uerV
oas under the strain Of his brst cTpe?I
erce In n court OF justice. yet :"de
rry careful hamdgng he proved IA fali
ly good witness. and | indu!-e1 In
mild inward chuckIe wien ! tgruc
hIri over 20 the district att0giey 70
cross examination.
That officer made IL his business q
the outset to quicken all the apprehe.
sions which I bud aIlayed aud I
arouse n personal autagonism 'owar
himself. The simple old farm han
was very ignorant. and this fact wa
made patent 10 the jury In way I'd
u1lrably calculated to cast discTcd
upon his testimony. Finally the eros
examiner executed his coup. Takin
from the table n gold coin Of alb"tIt N
same size a. the one on the 0wDershl
u which the entire case hinged. Il
handed II 10 the witness with the queI
ton. put in tones so rasplng that the
might have harried q saint:
Ibid you ever see that piece bcforei
ain course" was the prompt repl!
ats the one I sold 60 Mr Scarboroug
there"
take n close look ut Il. my man
a &