The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-05-21
A Valued
Pocket Piece
BY John Y. LARNED

UuTG. on ITe Nl VI Jhlss WAS Olu
enough to remember the news Of his
death and the military funeral that
was given him when his body was
sent home. Thirty years after his
death | was paid silver dollar bear.
ing date of 1863. Since II marked the
date of my fathers death in battle.
priced 1t. and. instead Of parting with
It, | cut on Il my fathers initials.
One day while travelling fell In with
young man. with whom chatted
On entering the station nj Cleveland
the car door was thrown open and a
trainman called: "Cleveland. All out.'
The young man. surprised that the
| train would go no farther, made in.
quiries and discovered that he must
stop overnight IN Cleveland lie at
once began to examine the contents OF
his pocketbook and found that he had
barely enough to pay his bill at hotel.
I asked him to permit me to lend him
some funds. but he refused. saying
that he had just sufficient to get
through. l insisted on his taking more,
and he said IL had any loose change
in my pocket he would accept it as q
loan The only coin | had was my
pocket piece After moments hesi.
tation handed II to him. He tried to
get my address In order to return the
loan. but we were leaving the train IN
a crowd. and hurried away.
Not long after this the newspapers
were filed with accounts Of the mur.
der of Richard Thornton, wealthy
man. in Buffalo. The case was one Of
those mysterious happenings that at
Of the deceased. Edgar Thornton, was
accused Of numbering bis uncle in or.
der to secure his estate. The murder.
ed man was very old. bachelor. and
his household affairs were administer.
ed by Mrs. Ferguson. widow, who.
the evidence seemed to indicate, was
endeavoring to induce him to make a
will in her favor. The state attor-
ney. by patching together bits Of evil
dence. made a very good case. show.
ing that the nephew. In whose favor
a will had already been made. fearing
that the woman would succeed in Sc
curing one giving her the property,
had murdered his uncle to prevent his
doing so.
Mrs. Ferguson swore that Edgar
Thornton was with his uncle on the
night Of the murder. the two being to.
gether In the uncle's bedroom. She
claimed to have heard high words be.
tween them. Edgar had left the house
at II o'clock. She did not see Rich
ard Thornton till the next morning,
when she found him dead, with pill
low pulled over his face. A weak
point In the prosecution was that
some 5000 that the deceased had
on hand in a desk was missing The
state attorney declared that the ac-
cused had taken the money in order to
make 1t appear that the murder had
been committed for the purpose of rob
berry.
| read the newspaper reports of the
trial, missing only one days report
The next issue Of the paper mentioned
that the accused had endeavored to
prove an alibi.
The servants In the house were all
against Mrs. Ferguson. testifying that
she kept Mr.. Thornton in sort of i'm
prisonment. but they were persons OF
no education, and their evidence was
easily pulled to pieces by the prosecu
tor. Indeed. Mrs. Ferguson proved thai
they had been literally tipped by Ed
gar Thornton whenever he had called
ON his uncle.
1t did not take me long to make uE
my mind that the accused was guilty
He could not have been innocent unles:
Mrs. Ferguson had perjured herself II
testifying that he was with his uncle
and the only person with him. on tht
night Of the murder.
I read the summing up of the cast
by the prosecutor, and my attention
was attracted to these words:
The prisoner has claimed that on th'
night the murder was committed he wa!
travelling on a train between Cleveland
: and Buffalo
My meeting with the man to whom
) | had loaned silver dollar fashet
upon me- Could this Edgar Thornton
be the person | had met? That per
son was to remain over In Cleveland
at a hotel. The accused claimed tt
|, have been on train.
A human life might depend on m!
action. took train for Buffalo ant
when ! arrived went to the courtroom
where the trial was being held In tn
prisoner / recognized my fellow. trav
eler. | called for his attorney. toll
my story and was put on the stand
testified that on certain date-th
evening of the murder-I had entere'
Cleveland with the accused and hat
l. loaned him silver dollar, which
described. The prisoner produced tn
< identical dollar | he'd given him witt
9 the initials and date l had scratched
i on II.
e There was sensation in the court
, room. A man who was about to b
convicted Of murder was acquitted ant
: was heir to "A fortune, When l aske'