The Prescott daily news., 1910-03-23

possible to secure that soldiers identi- fication as Robert Hammond. She went over the ground, but found no one who remembered her or her sol dier escort.
 AS the day for the trial drew near the result looked black for the young soldier His mother was in agony over the situation, which was rendered more excruciating by the fact that in her effort to shield her son she had put it out of her power to save him.
 The morning before the trial Nancy was sitting by her open window over looking the lower bay. trying to think of her problem A woman came to a window of the house opposite and hung a parrot cage containing par rot beside the window. The woman left, and the parrot began to chatter.
 Nancy jumped from her seat, dashed into an adjoining room, seized her hat, flew downstairs out into the street and boarded a car for Coney Island.
 What she did there will appear at the trial, which was called in the criminal court the next day.
 A jury had been impaneled and the prosecutor had stated the case for the state and had produced his witnesses. They were but few and stated only what has been thus far given. Then the prisoners counsel took up the case for the accused calling him to the witness stand. He asked Robert a number of irrelevant questions not ap- parently bearing on the case, requiring him to give long explanations. Final ly the state attorney objected to the questioning as irrelevant, and the judge sustained the objection Then the counsel called Nancy to the wit ness stand and pursued exactly the same course with her till another ob- jection was raised and sustained.
 Where were you" asked the cOun- Sel of Nancy, lon the night of the 16th of June between 10 and II o'clock?"
 At Coney Island
 Who was with you?"
 "The accused, Robert Hammond"
 That will do."
 At q sign from the attorney a phono- graph was brought into court and set on table. An operator put it's ma chinery in motion, and a voice, plainly Nancy's, began to talk. What had been spoken in the machine was of no importance, detached sentences eX- pressive of the pleasure to be derived at visiting Coney Island.
 Then another voice was switched on. Every one started. It was the voice of Robert Hammond.
 I'm a soldier. I am. Got leave till 9 o'clock, and here am at 1O:3O talking into a phonograph machine. I'll be broke tomorrow, 1 will. My chevrons will come off. and I'll serve the balance of my enlistment as high private in the rear rank. Come, Nancy; let's get along to the next show"
 Your honor." said the counsel for the defense. "I made the jury famil- far with the voices of my two wit nesses that they might recognize them in this phonograph. which I propose by it's operator to prove received the voices at Coney Island about the time the murder was committed"
 Robert was acquitted. He had been SuNtu BS tue SuudNhy Nolce OI tue parrot that had brought to Nancy's mind the photograph. thus suggesting that they had talked in one on that eventful evening.
 Robert Hammond's captain was so chagrined at the jeopardy in which he had placed the young man by the way he had approached his mother and sweetheart for evidence that he inter- ested himself in the soldiers behalf. promoting him rapidly as a noncom missioned officer and coaching him for his examination for lieutenant Hammond, with his wife, Nancy, are now stationed on the Pacific coast
 The murderer of Murphy turned out to be a militiaman who had been off on an excursion with his company. He had gone to Murphy's saloon, played. and lost to Murphy himself and in a burst of passion killed him Acting suspiciously, he was finally accusel of the murder, tried and con eicted