Activate Javascript or update your browser for the full Digital Library experience.
Next Page
OCR
‘$1? Arr
A-All if: $1.13. .5
3
I
ll
.
.
1
.
I
l
I
4'
.
r
Euremrl accordklg to the Act of Congress in the year lS55, by FSAYK LI‘.S1.IE, in the Clerk’: Odloe of the District Court for the Southern
District 0! New Yorlr.
No. ,7-Von. 1.]
.r
NEW YORK,
JULY 15,’ 1865.
[Pine]: 10 Cr:.x"rs, ::$f3=g,';-E-m
A Story of Circumstantial
Evidence.
1.‘ the close of the last
an century there lived, in
' ,. the town of Me, in Hol-
yy land, an elderly widow,
s
Madalne Andrecht. The
house she inhabitcd was
this was separated from
the wet loses that tlolvod
8 called rcspectablu,
the others being inhabi-
, u - tedbythe poorer classes,
and by not tfcwof the moat respectable mem-
bersof society. I
me A; was in prosperous circumstances,
but being of delicate health, and pa:-alysed on one
side, seldom went abroad. Her chief recreation
' in paying svisit every spring to her son,
A sronr or Cl1’.r.jo':1n"r.t:w"rl-ll:
who was sottlad us a physician in A villagn A (cw
miles oii, on which occasions she was invariably
accompanied by her maid sominc, a trustworthy
person, and during her absence the house was left
locked up, but uninhabited and unmatched. <
Ontllo CDH: of June, 17-, the widow, on return-
ing from one of these excursions, found her house
had been broken open during her absence, and
several valuable articles, with all her jewels and
trinkets, had disappeared.
Information was at once given to the a.utllEi-
ties, and B strict investigation olthe circumstances
took place without delay. V . ’ 7. ,
The old lady had been three weeks absent, and
the thieves had had ample lcisure for their at-
tempt. Access had evidently been gained through
a windowin tho back part of the house, from which
one of the panes had been removed, and the bolts
forced back, so as to admit of its being pullod up. . BC
The bolts of the hack door had been also with-
drawn, as if the robbers had made their retreat
with their plunder in that direction. The other
doors and windows were uninjured, and many of
the rooms appeared to have been unopcnod, and
although the furniture generally was untouched,
the kitchen utensds were left in confusion, as i!
the thieves had intcndcd removing them, but had
been interrupted or pursued
- At the same time it was evident they had gone
,.,
vary deliberately about their work. The top and
re of A heavy old press, the drawers 0! which
had been secured by strong, and wcll-made locks,
had been removed with so much ncatnoss that no
part oi the wood-work had been injured, and tho
contents, consisting oi jewels and due lincn, were
gone. '.l.‘wo strong boxes were found to have
been broken open, from which gokl and silver
coin, along with some articles of clothing hnd
sen abstracted. singularly enough, many other
articles of valuo in the house had escapoll the
notice of the robbers. Thus the greater part of
Madame A.‘s property consisted of money inthe
funds, the obligations for which were deposited in
an iron chest, which sho had, before her depar-
ture, rcmoved, for no particular reason, from its
usual place 'm her bed-room to s more retired
spsmneuc, where it fortunately remained unob-
rved. ‘
1:
Theburglaryluul apparently boon committed by
more than one individual, and it was reasonably
conjectured by persons well acquainted with tho
house and the circumstances of its inhabitants.
The marks of footsteps along the walks and on
the flower-beds showed that, in all probability, the
plundcrcrs had approached the lower cud of the
garden by a boat, the tosso being navigable, had
climbed over tho fence, and after the robbcry had
retreated with their spoils by the same way.
l:VIDE3NCE.- “m A rrw lluxurrs ran cnuroau. was Lrrsu A conl>ss'sr -runs rm-rl"
A
The "discovery of the crime created a great sen-
sation, and a crowd of curious idlers surrounded
the house, which the police had some dilliculty in
keeping tree from intruders. Only one or them, a
broker, who lived in I house opposite that of the
widow, succevdcd in entering along with tho oili-
ccrs of justice. On his exit, he assumed an air of
mystery towllrvls those of his acquaintance who
had been unahlo to enter, md who awaited his
return to have thoir curiosity gratitled, and ob-
served that people might suspect many things of
which it would not be safe to speak. ‘
In contrast, however, to his taciturnity was the
loqhucity or a wool spinner, Leondosl vsn 11:,
this inhabitant of the corner house next to that of
the widow. no mingled with the groups discuss-
ing the subject, hinted that he had his own no-
(ions as to tho rtnlprila, and could, it necessary,
give a. clue to their discovery. ,
Among th crowd was a spy or the police, and
before ever.’ 3 tlv woolspinner was summoned
before the hurgonlaster, and called on tor an ex-
planation of the suspicious expressions he had let
amp. Ilc stammcrcd, hosizseod, pretended he
had only general grounds of suspicion like his
neighbors ; but on being threatened with mea-
sures of mmpulsinn, he agreed to speak cut, pro-
testing, at the same time, that he would willingly
have spared persons against whom he had no
