Year: 1859

Z home from one of his lonely walks, in which
g said he had bought of Croton, the pedlal
this was the amount of his testimony II
magistrate proved that the traveller had bet
robbed of bills to the amount of 5000, thoue
on what banks he could not say. Jacob Sno
testified to tie payment of $3.50, immediatel
after the robbery, to him, and various witnes
es proved that Slater had been for some tin
l short of money. l had observed that Wet
steris attention had been directed during th


examination of the first witness, by by-star


der, to man in the crowd with striped jack


ct; the man was reading from piece of pa


per and apparently read and re-read it often


/ remember that Webster watched this maj


secretly, but closely and neglected the wit
ness under examination, and discovered tha


the striped jacket was in close communiol


with Jacob Snow. At length Croton, tn
pedlar, was called for by the State, and to ny


surprise the man in the striped jacket camt


forward He was stupid looking piece o


clay, with something indescribably mean aut


malicious in his eye; to parody Coleridge,


would say: ...-..-


"a snakes small eye tIinks dun and shy


And the pedar's eyes that shrunken i'll his head,
|


And with somewhat of malice and more of dread
At the prisoner he looked askance-''


And his narrative, though clear, was deliver
/ ed with a pedlar's keenness. He stated that


on the evening in question, he fell in with the


man dressed as described by the farmer he
did not know him. The man bought some ar
ticles of him-aud he named some, which it
had been proved Slater carried homeland
they afterwards walked down towards town ;


he remembered the old farmers passing them
and the observation of his companion that
moneyed men seldom travel nowadays He
parted from his companion at the old pond by


the big butternut, little before you come to


the forks spoken of by the farmer. He (the
pedlar) went west of the Connecticut he heard
of the robbery but saw no description of the
robber, nor drcampt it was his companion, till


short time since, the old farmer had recog-
nized him and told him so. Upon being told


by the counsel for the State to point out the
man who had been with him, he turned round
and pointed to the prisoner as he did so he
met Webster's dark and soul searching eye
fixed upon him, his hand evidently trembled.-
His tale, however had been consistent he had
recalled various small circumstances, and spoke
of them out of their proper places, which SEEM
ed to show that his tale had not been learned,
but was in truth, word for word correct
Poor Skaters case seemed desperate he had
not a single witness, and several of them
against him, particularly the old farmer, and
the one whostestifed to his purchase from the
pedlar, were undoubted; then his coming into
possession of large sum Of money from an un-
known source and just at the time of the rob-
berry. For myself, believed him gnilty, and
as ] looked at his noble wife, whose counten-
ance, spotess and colorless as alabaster, is yet
before me, as calm as that of the dead, my
heart died within me. But the last witness
had not left the stand Croton, the pedlar turn
ing from the withering glance of Webster,
stood with his back against the pillar, and his
eyes fixed upon the ground, I'D his arms fold
ed, waiting the cross-examination, which was
the prisoners sole remaining chance. Web
ster, when the counsel for the State said to him
with putroniZing air, "the witness is yours"
Daniel had arisen, and when Croton lifted his
eyes, he saw fronting him, and within two feet
that dreaded and dark countenance, the full
eyes fixed upon him, and the lips pressed close
he would have sprung back but the pillar was
behind him. "Give me that paper" said Web
ster, in low determined voice, that made our
nerves as we'll as his thrill as he spoke he
pointed to piece of paper which could just be
seen i'll the pedlar's waistcoat pocket. The
pedIar raised his hand then thought and
dropped it again; the counsel for the State
called upon the court to protect the witness,
and desired Mr.. Webster to be seated; the
jury rose in the box; the prisoner sprang for
ward inquiries and remonstrances, the voice
of the sheriff and the judge, the counsel, and
twenty others filled the room with commotion
but above the confusion and the sound of
many voices, rose the deep tones of that voice
which has rung from Maine to Louisiana
Give it to me" he said; overawed by his COM
manding summons, and wthering beneath the
eye that still fronted him. the poor wretch drew
from, his pocket the paper, and it was snatched
from hiti i'll moment by Webster. And now
the tumult was STILL for all listened, as the bold
advocate begged the courts pardon, and pro-
ceeded to read from the paper the testimony
just given by the pediar. word for word, writ
ten by The hand of Jacob Snow "Swear the
Witness" said Webster. HE is sworn" en-
swered the clerk. "Swear him again, and let
it be by the living God, whg would strike dead
the perjurer.:' And again the pedlar was
sworn and again he told his tale; but it was
far different from the first He had been brib-
ed by Snow to accuse the prisoner-the true
robber was far different man. The jury did
not leave the box; Slater was acquitted by
acclamation; his wife, when the verdict was
given, fell, as if shot, and was taken from the
house. For the money which Slater had re-
ceived, it was discovered years AFTER that it
had been left by another rival, Brentford, who
knew his difficulties. For Webster, the trial
was of immense importance; it laid the foun-
dation of his fame