Fort Pierce news. (Fort Pierce, Fla.) 190?-1920, 1910-02-04
CHARGED WITH THEFT
A Guper Trial In Which Was Used
a Queer Defense.
SHIPPING A CASE OF GELD.

Of an Astuts Young Lawyer.
One OF the most interesting trials
that ever took place In any country
was that Of James Stevens In the Cali.
fornia courts for theft. The circum.
stances were as follows:
There were four prospectors In the
Klondlke region when the gold fever
there was at its height, among whom
Stevens was one. They STRUCK II
RICH" divided up and started but for
the United States Just before leav
ing Stevens got into faro game and
lost everything be had. Winter was
coming on and he bade fair to starve
unless something was done for him
SO the other three decided to pay him
so much to guard their dust OH the
ship and pay his way home to San
Francisco. They each had their share
of dust and nuggets accurately
weighed and then put them into q
common pile. pending. OF course. their
reapportionment on reaching port.
This they placed In strong box
which they nailed up and sealed care
fully. II was stevens duty TO watch
this by day and sleeS oy 1t by night
until the destination was reached.
There was exactly 200 pounds avoirdu.
pois Of the gold. sworn to by regular
weigher II was worth a great deal
Of money.
Well, everything went along smoothly
until San Francisco was reached. Ste.
vens seeming to appreciate what his
former partners were doing for him
and guarding his trust jealousy. When
the ship came into port the box was
Immediately removed. under the super
vision of Stevens to a place Of re-
weighing. so that each could take his
share again and deduct so much for
Stevens pay.
II was found that instead Of having
600 pounds of gold as before there was
now only a fraction over sos pounds
The partners were loath to distrust
Stevens and had 1t reweighed twice,
but with the same result each time.
Reassured as they were of his guilt
and having contempt for such ingrati'
tude. they Immediately swore out a
warrant for bis afrest. He-afi the
time protested bis innocence. but was
not able to account for the loss.
The poor fellow was thrown into
prison and held for trial. Not having
any money or friends, he gave up all
hope of being acquitted, as the cir
cumstautlal evidence seemed absolute
" against him, A young lawyer was
appointed by the court to defend him.
This young man, Thaddeus Wayne by
name, set to work on the seemingly
hopeless Job with great enthusiasm.
as he had few clients anyhow and
plenty of time.
The case was soon called and all the
circumstantial evidence set forth.
Wayne did not even question a wit
ness.
When ali the testimony was Ii
Wayne requested the Judge to allow
him to qualify Samuel l.. Johnson.
teacher of physics In high school, as
an expert witness. The judge, not see
ing any relation Of physics to the
theft was about to refuse the young
man when a peculiar glimmer 10 the
latter's eye persuaded him to humor
the boy. johnson was placed on the
stand, and the following colloquy en-
sued: A A
"With what does physics deal?"
with natural phenomena, or the
changes in the state or condition Of
matter" ,,,.,,. ..,... 80
does the weight Of a person change
as be changes his location on the
earthY'
"Yea" =" "@Nf ~ 20
"Just how does that happen, and
how much does the weight changeT'
.The weight Of any body Is greatest
at the poles OF the earth. as they are
the nearest points to the center. 1t
gets less and less the farther we trav-
Ell toward the equator. for we go away
from the center. This effect is en-
HANGED by the rotation Of the earth.
bodies tending to fy OF more at the
equator than near the poles. The COM
bination Of these two makes body
weigh one wohuudred-and-eighty-
ninth less at the equator than at the
poles and a proportionate amount for
distances between"
about what fraction of its weight
would body lose in going from Cape
Nome. Alaska to san FranciscoT'
~ II should say about one IN 800"
"Then gold weighing d0O pounds In
Nome could not possibly weigh over
sos pounds here, could it:'
ut could not"
1t is needless to say that Stevens was