Year: 1879

/
all this, because the bar was rusty from
| lying in the snow.


| The reporters of the Centreville papers
who were present called Mary Britton to
the telegraph that a message might be
dispatched. One of them placed paper
before her: A tramp has been found
who admits having stolen the bar, but it
is plain that he did not use it. All the
evidence goes to show that the engineer
wrecked the train out of spite against
the president


Weeks passed, and then the trial came
Samson Glider had been committed to
answer a charge of willfully wrecking
railroad train.


Mary Britton lived years in those few
weeks. She could not believe Samson
had committed so great a wrong. Yet
everything was against him. Track
layers bars were abundant enough. He
could easily have found one about the
place, and with it have drawn the spikes
from rail. Her mind went backward
and forward over all this hundred
times in search of something to prove
him innocent, daily sending and receiv-
ing messages. One morning, as she sat
thinking bitterly of the sorrow that had
invaded her life, her eyes fell on an old
newspaper fallen under desk. She picked
it up and opened it. The Iron Trade Re
Uie1C. She eagerly turned to the second
page. All! why had she forgotten these
pictures? Strange black figures, etchings
ofiron, nature printed. Given this slight
clew, her mind leaped to brave resolve.
She would bring science to loves rescue.
| How, she could not tell. She had a
vague idea of what might be done, and,
asking her father to attend to the tele-
graph, she ran hastily out on the line and
down the road toward the village. Stop
ping at certain house, she found q
young girl who was a good operator,
and at once hired her to take her place
at the station


Before night she had taken every dol
lar she had in the world from the say
ings bank, and was on her way to the
city. The moving cars seemed to drag
too slowly Why had she fingered so
long idle, and Samson in danger?


The day of the trial came on. At the
trial all the testimony that we already
know, and much more of less Importance,
had been offered by the prosecution.
The defence set up the previous good
character of the prisoner, and that SEEM
ed about all that could be said.


Mary Britton had given hertestimony
early in the trial, and that seemed the
all that she could do. She had more to
say, but was not yet ready to speak. Al
the morning she had sat in the crowded
courtroom, watching the clock, and
waiting and looking for some one, a
strong and brave helper, to come to her
assistance. At the last moment she
spoke to the counsel, and asked for a
slight delay. There might be yet
other witnesses. The defence began to
talk against time, and a messenger was
sent to hasten the tagging aid.


The knight arrived. A pale, thin
faced young man in glasses appeared
and demanded to give his testimony


Behind him came marvellous array
men with strange tools, lanterns of
singular construction, bars and rods of
iron, and number of gentlemen who
seemed to be prosperous merchants and
manufacturers. There came also an old
German and farmer from Barstow's.
The young man spoke to Mary Britton
with the utmost Difference, and she con-
suited with him for moment, and then
presented him to Samsons counsel.


There was a slight murmur of surprise
at this demonstration, and then Samuel
|
that he was an expert in metals. He
had examined the bar found under the
wrecked car, and was prepared to prove
that Samson Glider could not have used
it in wrecking the train. With the per-
mission of the court he would like to
have the room darkened, that with the
aid of lantern he might project some
nature printed pictures of the iron used
in making the bar.


The prosecution objected. What sci
entific iugglery was this? The old Ian


tern dodge familiar in cases of forgery
The court ovelruled the objection, and
the young man produced some pieces of
cloth, which his assistants quickly


spread over the windows, till the room


became quite dark A gas jet was


lighted, and in the dim light other men


set up a screen and lime-light lantern as


for lantern projections. In a wonder


fully short time there appeared on the


white screen strange figure-a cloud or


blotch of blackness.


Samuel Mayer then testified that at


the request of Miss Britton he had planed
one side of each of the two bars till a


smooth surface had been obtained. A
portion of this surface on each bar had
then been etched with acid, and from
this etching had been obtained nature
printed copies or prints in ink. This
well-known method of etching gave
prints showing the disposition of the
particles of the metal, and serving tC


show it's quality. These etchings and q


vast number of others taken from Other
bars and rods made by the different iron
makers of the country had been photo
graphed for lantern projection, and, with
the permission of the court, some of these


would be exhibited to the jury. The


projection now on the screen was from
, the bar purchased by Glider and stolen
: by the tramp.


,, Every eye was fixed on the singular
picture on the screen, and a murmur o.
; applause filled the room. Suddenly the
picture was removed, and another tooE
its place. 1t did not require much
attention to show that this represented
|. an entirely different kind of metal.
This, gentlemen, said the young man
!, is nature printed etching from thu
iron bar found under the car. | have
!, compared these two etchings with ;
great number of etchings obtained iii tht
;. same way from bars made by all the irol
l men in the country, and find this on,


corresponds exactly with etchings of th
: Moorlow Iron Company's metal. Nj.


assistant will place sample of the com
q pany's iron beside this.


At once another picture sprang up be


side the one on the screen. The tw,


were exactly alike.


/ Another witness took the stand-th
: president of the Moorlow Iron Company
e He testified to the facts of the expert
e ments and to the results that had bee
# obtained.


e Another witness was called-the buye
:. of the railroad company. lie testifie