CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.

Mataura Ensign, 22 August 1910, Page 4

CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.

By purely circumstantial evidence many an innocent man has been convicted of crime. Hero is a case, however, in which a criminal was round guilty on testimony that left no room for even the shadow ol a doubt.

One night an assassin entered a drover's house in Ohio, killed the inmates and'secured a sealed package containing ISOO dollars in hank notes. Hetore leaping over the fence he ton- open the- wrapper of the package a»n! t'riv.v it on the ground. This ."is picked up by the polic:' and marks of blood were found upon it. It was the only flue in their possesion. After '24 hours the murderer returned to the town. The police suspected him because he 1 .id been mysteriously absi nt and was known to have been intimr.te witli the drover. They did not a-.r-st him, but constantly watched him for four mionths. He had been poor, le.il now seemed to ha\ • money. Tu the course of a week he ni-n----ricd and w entaw.'.v en a wedding io.ir. Two def etives followed him. \Y!r<never he paid an hotel b'll or ell' red money for any purpose they secured t'e bank-notes which had been in his ]'■<■■■• scj-sloii. Finally ho p-"dd out a »*'.*-< I *!'->|- bili with ;s red tiuueh e'.e.ri; on >o culler. The polieo arrested him cs aai.i as they examined it. At the trial the torn wrapper -vit It its red mark was identified as having been in the drover's ]>ossession. Yh< bank-notes, which had boon traced to the assassin were put in it, with the last one paid out by him on top. The .smear on the wrapper oorrospo.ide 1 precisely witli the marks on \ho ban'; notes underneath. The speei ili.it's m-.g> nifying-gla.-s revealed unerringly low the murderer's thumb in 'tearing open the envelope had touched tile first banknote. It was circumstantial evidence conclusive of guilt. The murderer was convicted and hanged. In this casocircirctiiustantial evidence as as conclusive ;:s direct proof.