Year: 1873

Our district eonrt was in session,
and in the evening, during the recess
Q small party OF us we're assembled
in the private room of the presiding
Judge, man fully up to three
score,and.ten, with one guiding light
while upon the bench, justice, strict
and impartial; and Co while away
the time he told us q story as fol
lows:


Years ago was Prosecuting At.
torney for my judicial district. ]
was young then little more than
thirty-but had worded hard to in.
struct and improve my profession.
When | became District Attorney I
meant to do my duty, and rs felt
myself in measure, pitted against
the whole bar, / gathered nv
strength and prepared to marshall
Ill the forces at my command.


AT length came what | had long
desired-a capital trial 1t WAS II
case Of murder seemingly of the most
atrocious character The Attorney
General came down to attend, but
when he found how well ! under


stood the case and how thoroughly
/ had prepared myself, he did not
propose to bother himself, IL G
would leave mo to conduct the pros
ccution, holding himself in readiness
to render assistance, or offer sugges.
Ii Jns in case of need.


The case camo on, and / present
q | the Governments complaint. and
the grounds thereof. The prisoner
at the bar was Charles Ashcroft a
young man of tive-and twenty-in
telligont aud handsome-and about
the last man in the world one would
have selected as murderer. Yet he
stood thus charged, and the evidence
was overwhelming against him.


The facts us olicted in the evi-
lence were these: Ashcroft had
been a teacher in the academy of the
town where he resiied, and where
the killing had been done. He had
waited upon u young lady, named
Susan Lattimer, and had evidently
loved her very dearly; but it seemed
that Susan was not inclined to be
constant. A wealty suitor presented
himself for her hand, and she cast off
the poor pedagoguo and accepted the
new conner.


"One Saturday afternoon Susan
i.attimer went ON foot to visit m un
Gle who lived two miles distant, aud
To shorten the way she took the cart.
path through the wood that stretch
cd down between the two sections of
the town. Shortly after she was
seen to enter this wood Charles Ash
croft was seen to follow her with II
double -barrelled gun upon his shout
der. Susan Lattiiaer went to her
uncle y, but finding only n servant of
the family at home, she started back
Mt oneeb by the way she had come.


In the wood on her return, she
was met by Ashcroft, who stopped
her, and npbraided her for her deser
ton of him. Two girls che four
teen years of age aud the other II
year younger-who had gone to the
wood for the purpose Of gather
ing bcechnuts, passed the twain
while they were conversing, and
heard Ashcroft swearing terribly"
as they express it, at Miss Lattimer
They heard him declare that he
would IA lief die rs not anil they
heard her say, "Dont kill me- ut
this point the alteration frightened
them, and they ran away.


Charles Ashcroft returned to his
boarding place, pale and agitated,
with both barrels of his fowling piece
empty but with no game. Later, the
body of Susan Lattimer was found
in the wood not fur from where the
alteration had taken place. She had
been shot dead, the whole of one side
of her face and head havisg been
shockingly torn by heavy charge of
pigeon-shot, evidently discharged
with deliberate aim, and vt very
short distance, Some of the shot
were extracted and exhibited to
store-keerer in the village, who un-I
hesitatingly declared it wrs exactly
such shot as he had sold on that
same Saturday to Ashcroft.


In response to this Ashcroft could
only deny, in tho most solemn man
ner. that he had not thought oroifer.
cd harm of any khd 10 the deceased
lie admitted the trsth of the state
m"nt made by the two girls and he
that he had purchased the
shot us the store,keeper had said.
His story was, that on Saturday af,
ternoon he had gone into the wood
to shoot pigeons. He did not know
that Miss Lattimer had gone that
way. lie met her UNEXPECTEDLY, and
allowed himself to give vent
to his feelings of Indignation For
words spoken on the occasion he
hardly felt himself responsible. In
fact he could not remember what he
did say. After talking till they had
both become exhausted by intensity
Of feeling, and Miss Lattimer had
fallen to crying bitterly, he bade her
farewell, and told her he had troubled
her for the last time, She sat down
upon the log by the side Of the path,
still crying, and asked him to leave
her. He obeyed her, and saw her
not again until he saw her dead. In