Evening star., 1921-11-27

as u progressed. Ramsey. who hNd heard
asnii. muan OF ths daring. ingenuity and au-
found himself bitterly disappoirtsd. 70
his mind. . raw novice from q night
law school could hardly have made .
sorrier showing.
This champion Of . thousand hard
Won criminal combats allowed the oppo-
as It pleased. He displayed but tepid
interest In the selection Of the fury, per-
hitting the panel to be filled almost
w1tnout = challenge; and thereafter, he
set back listlessly. hardly .rousing him.
sen 20 make even . pretense At cross
Again and again he let pass unhssded
points to which he might we'll have
taken exception. His slack ipertneys was
Sne talk OF the courtroom. Everywhere
ramsay moved-among the lawyers.
sOs sDsct. ,a.s as.eenes nswpapsr men and
sion. that Achison seemed dslibeSaAeiy
TO be throwing his case away.
The representative OF the district at
torney. on the other hand. was full Of
confidence and visor. He evidently be-
taken Coombs into custody. that II va
an "open-and-shut case" in which con-
viction was a certainty. But he djd not
on that account remit any effort 10 nail
home his contention in the minds Of the
Jury.
He pictured for them through the tes.
timony Of the clerks and bystanders
that scene in the drug store, with the
full daylight Of early evening on the
streets outside. and the interior brightly
Illuminated by q score Of electric globes.
he made them see the man and woman
standing apart. and within constant
view Of at least a dozen peopie-no pos
sioie place Of concealment near them
the side door q good ten PAGES avay.
ihe inference that Coombs alone could
nave struck the blow that killed Ella
SANDS SANDS was inescapable. unless one
chantment and believe that the ASSASSIN
han come In cloak OF darkness.
Ihe crime being established with
the cifcumstances which pointed to-
ward Coombs as its perpetrator, h:
cleyerly skirted that lack of motive
which was the weakest link in his
chain. and which with ali tts eeorts
the prosecution had failed adequate
ly to supply.
UNABLE to prove a previous ae-
quaintance between valet and
victim. or to show any Of the personal
Indictment to murder-jealousy, ha-
tired or revenge-he fell back on rob.
berry as the cause. and from the sim
gle circumstance Of the $4,000 in the
woman's bag built up q plausible
argument. By innuendo, by sugRes-
tion and by direct statement, he
painted Coombs as q crafty, scheminR
FELLOW. who. realtging that he would
undoubtedly be arrested IL he made
on with the money before paying the
killing her. and then in the excite
ment effecting quick disappearance
1t was a fiimsy theory, but by his
very persistence in presenting II he
made it stick: yet all this while Achi-
son did nothing to stay the tide of
able impression which one saw gath
ering in the minds of the jury against
his client.
To Ramsey. dejectedIy following the
developments. it seemed that the
prosecutor had iron bound and rivet-
stand an officer from Scotland Yard.
in America, on another case, and
through him positively Identified
Coombs. even to the flngerprints, as
one William Orth, who had been ar
rested in London seven years before
for burglary and had served term
In Dartmouth prison.
And then Achison arose. His list
lessness and indifference were gone;
but there was nothing aggressive in
his manner, no suggestion OF being
hard-pressed. Serene. suave, smiling.
he seemed simply to rise above the
odds against him. He dominated the
spectators alike. As he commenced
to speak there was q hush of ab-
sorbed attention. Even Ramsey paid
grudging tribute to the power of
his magnetic personality.
With q careless wave Of the hand
he admitted and swept aside Coombs'
criminal record. II the man was a
burglar, 30 was the woman q black
mailer; and whereas the testimony
would show that on leaving prison
q new leaf and had sedulously held
to that resolve, she had met her end
while in the very act of consum-
mating felony.
But they we're not there to question
whether the defendant in his youth
had committed a criminal error for
which he had already paid the full
penalty, or Ella Sands in her matur-
ity had engaged upon the more des-
picable .ofYense of blackmail. They
were there to decide II 1t was the de-
fendant's hand which had struck her
down, and it was the task of the
learned counsel on the other side to
convince the jury Of that fact beyond
q reasonable doubt. On the prosecu
ton rested the burden Of proof. His
client must be regarded as an inno-
cent man until proved guilty.
But I shal! not stand on that provi-
sion Of the law" He hung back his
leonine head. and his voice rang out
over the courtroom. Il shall show you
beyond question that my client never
struck the blow that killed Ella Sands"
Then he called Ramsey to the stand
and, slxillfully led by Achison. Ramsey
told how Coombs at the risk OF his own
- ~ tt. IL "a
accident in the subway, and In their
subsequent association had always
shown himself steady, sober and honest
a. we'll as cheerful and efficient. He
also showed how absolutely fortuitous
and unforeseen were the circumstances
which led to Coombs meeting the woman
instead Of himself. BY an arrangement
ters which had figured In tho transac-
ton was not gone into; but naturally
At this point the witness became little
nervous and embarrassed, and much OF
the good effect which his earlier testi-
mony had created on the jury was lost
The prosecutor noted his momentary
lack Of poise, and took advantage Of it,
your life, Mr.. Ramsey?"
Il don't consider %. know II
And naturally you would do . great
deal for him in RETURN" There was no
mistaking the sarcastic Inference. The
prosecutor glanced toward the fury, As
IL to say: ''You see. This witness 10
under such q heavy obligation that he
rescuer."
But it almost seemed that Achisou had
been awaiting this Interchange in order
to score. Quick as a dash he came back.
You would even have given him
$4,000, X he had asked for 1t, Mr. Ram
sey?"
IT certainly would" agreed Ramsey
emphatically. II have repeatedly tried
to persuade him to accept money Is q
r>wa rd Sor thA aAyx1eA no vanAer,aR me