The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-12-22

reason, IrumDuIl!, one juror exclaimed.
The foreman replied: whats the
good of sending Strickland to the
chafr? You don't bring Trask back to
life, do you? All you do is kill off a
good, clean, straightforward chap who S
a valuable asset to the community.
And who suffers most? Strickland
Not he. His wife and his little girl
they're the sufferers. You throw a
sensitive woman out on the world and
give a little baby blot upon her name
that she'll never be able to wipe out.
What's your idea? Why do you want
to convict him?'R
81 don't want to convict him. I
don't want to be instrumental in send
ing any man to his death I agree
with you all that Strickland had cause
for killing Trask."
X F'But still you vote for conviction"
yes replied Trumbull. Because
I'm not sure that Strickland went to
Trask's house because of his wife. I'm
inclined to think he went there to rob
+ the safe
There was Immediate dissent, almost
if not quite unanimous. 1'Strickland's
no burglar" said one man,sand another
declared, Zone look at Strickland ought
to convince you that he's not a safe
cracker
81 grant you all that, gentlemen"
said the foreman, "but you can't dodge
the facts. There's chain of cfrcum-
stances woven around Strickland that.
to my mind, would damn the Angel
Gabriel. Just consider. the facts
Strickland was hard pressed He paid
Trask the $4,000 in cash. Why did
he pay it in cash? He was the only
one besides Trask who knew the COM
bination Of the safe And he was on
the spot when the safe was opened.
Looks pretty bad, don't you think %
'sOf course it looks bad, but it's al!
been cleared up" said another juror
rising. eve know why Strickland went
there"
'sThere are two things I'd like you to.
explain to me-" said Trumbu1I. First
", how did the burglar open the safe?
The police officer testified that the tum-
biers were IN perfect order. Gentle
men, he opened the safe with the COM
bination And the only source from
which he could learn the combination
was Strickland. That's not all, gentle
men. There's something else you'll
have to explain to my .ssa tisfactdon be-
fore vote for acquittal.' - ...z
whats that?'' one of Strickland's
defenders asked
Strickland had that combination on
a card. The card was the only really
discriminating evidence against him. If
he's innocent of the burglary, as you
say he is, why did he attempt to de
stroy the card?''
''How do you know he did Pr
sfWhy,'' said Trumbu11, ''here's the
card. Don't you see that it's torn al
most in two? And didn't Glover tes-
tify that it was Strickland who
tore it," t ..
The jurors looked at the card, and
there ensued a heated argument, some
contending, others denying, that Stan
ley Glover, secretary to Gerald Trask,
had testified to Strickland's trying to
destroy the card. Trumbu11 asserted
that Strickland attempted to destroy
the card in order to wipe out the evil
dence that, would be bound to convict
him + @ .-.s.
sI don't think he did attempt to de-
stroy the Card said one juror.
Eyes, he did," commended another
juryman.
Nor
"G1over said SOP
ST seem to remember Glover say.
ing so.'
lie O1Qn {.
.Vdon't know if he did OF not
The foreman checked the argument
by saying:
1--WE don't seem to agree about it.
We ought to find out, I think"
'sLet's send for G1oversand ask him, i"
suggested juror ~
eve can't do that. Well have to get
permission to have his testimony read
70 11S "a idf another
tAn right; I'll send a note to the
judge was Trumbulrs final remark to
his colleagues.
And the result of the argument was
the decision to send to Judge Dins-
more a request to have Glover's testi-
mony read to the jury if such action
was permitted by the law.
In the courtroom the counsel for both
sides, the clerk, the stenographer, the
attendants and others were waiting
impatiently for the verdict when an
officer heard the buzzer calling for
him. He hurried to the jury room and
re4entered the courtroom a moment lat
err with a note, which he carried to
the private room of the waiting Judge
Dinsmore.
Conspicuous in the courtroom were
District Attorney Gray and DR.. Nor
gan, the physician who had been sum-
noned to the Trask home after the
shooting. Morgan and Gray discussed
the case in low voice, their conversa-
ton ceasing when the judge entered
the courtroom, and took his place on
the bench.
Then the jury entered and took
their places and the prisoner was
brought In and took his seat. A few
seconds later Mrs Strickland and Dor
is entered the room and seated them
selves beside hin.
(To BE CeAtihued.)
= Charleston, 8. c.. had its first snew-