The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1910-02-23

1t before jury and expect the contra
dictlon to be considered evidence.
Nancy Alvord. after her terror at her
lovers position and her chagrin at
having denied that she had been with
him had in measure subsidized, began
to think Of some way to prove the un-
truth of her first story. This led her
to read carefully the newspaper ac
counts of the murder, and she saw
that Murphy's watch. which was
found In his vest pocket, had stopped
at thirty seven minutes after 10. She
remembered hearing clock strike IL
while Oh the ear returning from the
Island. This was fixed In her mind by
the fact that she expected a scolding
on her return home for having stayed
out so late
The civil authorities considered that
Murphy's watch marked the time OF
his death. The murder occurred In an
upper room used for card playing, No
one but the murderer and the muir
dered man being present. That there
had been seufiie was evident from
the shred OF uniform and buttons
picked up on the floor. The watch had
undoubtedly stopped during this scuf-
He At thirty-seven minutes after 10
ON that eventful evening, with limit
Of ten minutes either way. Robert and
Nancy had been among the shows at
Coney Island. They had passed Muir
phys saloon at about twenty minutes
past IL. Had Nancy not been handl-
capped by her first statement she
could have told perfectly straight
story that would have tailed with the
| facts and exonerated her lover
The next move she made was to go
to Coney Island and visit the attend
ants upon the various shows with u
view to finding some one who had
seen her there with soldier and IL
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 1t 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 Il
window OF the house opposite and
hung n 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 car for Coney Island.
Whit she did there will appear at
the trial. which ---was. called tho
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
tho prisoners counsel took up the case
for the accused, calling him to the
witness stand. He asked Robert Il
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 OBJ
lection was raised and sustained.
where were YOU asked the coun-
| sci Of Nancy. ION the night of the 10th
of June between 10 and IL o'clockw
AT Coney Island"
"Who was with your
"The accused, Robert Hammond"
THAT will do"
At sign from the attorney phono-
graph was brought into court and set
on u table. An operator put its ma
chlnery In motion, and voice, plainly
Nancy's. began to talk. What had
been spoken In the machine >r7as of
no Importance. detached Sentences ex-
presslve Of the pleasure to be derived
at visiting Coney Island.
Then another voice was switched on
Every one started. II was the voice Of
RODeTL llamfnOnu.
Tm n soldier, am. Got leave till o
o'clock. and here am at 1890 talking
into photograph machine. I'll be
broke tomorrow, will. My chevrons
will come Off. and I'll serve the balance
OF my enlistment as a high private in
the rear rank. Come, Nancy; let's get
along to the next show
"Your honor" said the counsel for
the defense II made the jury famil-
lar with the voices of my two wit
nesses that they might recognize them
I'm this photograph. which l propose
by its operator to prove received the
voices nj Ccney Island about the time
the murder was committed"
! Robert was acquitted. He had been
saved by the squawky voice Of the
parrot that had brought to Nancy's
mind the photograph. thus suggesting
that they hal talked in one ON that
eventful evening.
Robert !lammoDd's captain was SO
chagrined ut 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
10 be ini.itiaman who had been on
on an excursion with his company
He had gone to Murphy's saloon.
played and lost to Murphy himself
and In burst Of passion killed him.
Acting suspiciously. he was finally
accused of the murder, tried and con
rictQ1