Mexico Missouri message., 1909-08-05

and he entered, and going up TO the
bed. flashed his light upon the bloody
| spectacle of the murdered mans
body. So great was his horror and
surprise that he dropped the knife
upon the bloody sheets, and had only
just picked it up again when the two
| travelling men entered.
His trembling and fear at their
arrival he attributed to the natural
| horror of the situation and the ter
ror of the instant thought that guilt
might point to him.
with such a degree of sincerity
was his story told, and so firm was
! the landlords bearing before the pre-
| liminary court that he attracted many
sympathizers who believed his story
and looked upon him as the unfortu-
nate victim of a most peculiar com.
bination of circumstances.
Pat these circumstances we're too
| patent to be ignored and Miller was
bound over to await the action of
the grand jury, indicted and in due
course of time brought to trial be-
fore me.
In the time intervening between
his arrest and his trial the landlords
attitude was a mixture of terror and
| bravado which did not tend to in
crease the belief of the general pub
| lie in his innocence. ! myself, al.
though | have always endeavored to
enter a trial free from prejudice,
had | been a venireman, should have
been forced to admit that l had
formed an opinion concerning the
guilt or innocence of the accused.
The state naturally rested upon
the testimony of the two statesmen
who swore to the events of the fatal
evening and to entering the room
just in time to find the landlord bend
ing over the body. They were both
firm in the conclusion that his terror
upon seeing them was the terror OF
discovered guilt. / admit that de
PENDANTS counsel should not have al
lowed this portion of their testimony
to go to the jury, but No objection
was made TO 1t.
Also further damaging evidence
against him was produced to the eff
feet that he had short time before
become liable through indorsing {
note for a large SUN of money an(
that his ownership of the hotel wal
threatened in case he was not ablt
to raise the amount This seemed
TO furnish a powerful motive for tn,
crime. That he had always bornt
good reputation, that his record 70
honesty was such that he might cas-
lily have raised the sum of money h,
required on a loan, and his own stor,
of going to Conway's room and find
ing the body were all that the unfol
tunate landlord had to offer in hi
own defense.
There could have been but on
. conclusion as to what the verdict O
the jury would be, although am sur
! that gave them the law without pal
tiality. Miller took his sentence wit
resignation and when i asked him
he had anything to say, he arose an
addressed the court as follows:
Your honor, it comes TO ever
: man once to die. For the sake OF m
dear wife who stood by me so nObl
through this terrible ordeal shoul
, have chosen for myself a differer
: end from that which is TO be my 10
| have no fault to find with the vie
: the jury and this court have taken {
; their duty, bat you are making
e terrible mistake. You have convicte
D an innocent man. am not guilt
{ OF the death of Robert Conway. hs
5 nothing whatever to do with h
death. Some day the truth will con
$ out, but fear 1t win be long aft
/ have done with this world HAY
!. ma mora IN ssv but that am Inn