The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1910-07-22


be prepared for the worst"
This startled me. | had deemed II
a misfortune to be taken back TO
Mertford on a case Of mistaken iden-
tity and to be put to the trouble OF an
explanation, but that would be liable
to conviction for numbering my own
self had appeared so monstrous that II
had not even entered my head.
IF you can't prove an abb, added
my keeper. you're gone"
whats an alibi?" | asked.
"Being somewhere else at the time
the murder was committed"
But | shall prove that I am the
man l am accused Of numbering"
He turned and regarded me with a
cynical smile.
"See here" he said, give been mixed
up with cases like yours for twenty
years. Juries are ready to believe a
lot Of rot from a prisoner with whom
they sympathize, but my advice to
you is not TO endeavor to work of on
them any such rubbish as that"
This frightened me. l leaned back
on the cushion OF the seat as well as
my handouts would permit and gave
myself over to the most gloomy re
Elections.
When we reached Mertf0rd and i
had been examined, not having any
NH IN
l was assigned one. He came to the
fail and heard my explanation. When
It was finished he said that he would
not think Of conducting a case on any
such improbable line as that and IL ]
insisted on his doing so l must find
another defender.
What was | to do? All these people
who were used to such cases agreed
that must not claim that was my
self. asked my lawyer whom he
thought ia better claim to be. He
said that it didn't make any difference
what my name was. Criminals usual
~ had plenty Of names and used such
as were convenient under different cir
cumstances. The only point In my IA
vor. he added. was that the body OF
the man | had murdered had not been
found He would make as much OF
this as possible aud expected that he
would be would be able 10 get me on
with a sentence Of life Imprisonment
instead Of death.
He seemed to consider this quite a
comforting assurance. For myself /
thought that even Imprisonment for
life IN the case Of one who had com
mitted murder on himself or suicide.
IL il can be so construed Is rather
hard lines. However. l told my law
yer that ! wouldn't venture to suggest
q line OF defense to one who knew the
law perfectly. and he might consider
me either dead OF alive, innocent or "A
murderer, as he saw ft. To this he re-
piled that there had undoubtedly been
cases where a lawyer knew his client
TO be innocent. but the evidence had
been so strong against him that be has
advised him to plead guilty and throw
himself on the mercy Of the court.
| won't go into the details Of the
trial. My lawyer was congratulating
himself that he would get me of with
a life sentence when the police. who
had long suffered before the public
for what was considered their negli-
gence In the case Of my mprder. by
continued digging In the wood where
| had been murdered unearthed Il
body. ! learned long afterward that
It came from a corner Of an old burial
lot. But it was enough. with all the
other convincing evidence against mt.
to hang me.
The only bit Of good luck l have had
at all has been the capture Of the gang
OF counterfeiters 10 which my double
belonged. begged my counsel so hard
TO find him that to humor me he did
so. The result was the bringing into
court the real murderer Of the man
who was not murdered. Which OF US
would have had to swing for the muir
der II the other one had been absent
I don't know. / am going out a free
man, and I propose to dishgure myself
so that I will never again look like
anybody.