Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 93, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 February 1916 — ON TRIAL [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ON TRIAL

Novelized by Charles N. Lurie From the Great Play by Elmer Reizenstein Copyright, 1915, by American Press Association

CHAPTER XVII. The Finger of Suspicion. T"~ HE foreman of the jury rose. “Your honor,” said he, “the tasgra' jury would like to ask Mr. aegEig) Strickland a few questions.” Dinsmore turned again to the lawyers. “Do you consent to the case be•ing reopened, gentlemen?” Gray and Arbuckle both signitied their assent, and the judge called: “Mr. Strickland!” The defendant rose. “Are you willing to take the stand?” “Yes, your honor,” said Strickland, and he was sworn. Then Foreman Trumbull asked: “Mr. Strickland, several members of the jury' have requested me to ask you why you attempted to destroy the card with the combination to the safe on it?” “You need not answer that question unless you want to,” said Judge Dins-

more. The defendant turned to the jury and said: “I didn’t attempt to destroy it.” In the jury box there was a tre mendous sensation, some of the members of the jury rising and craning their necks in order to stare at the defendant. “You mean that you didn’t tear the card?" ! “I did not.” “Do you know who did?” “No, sir.” “Did you know the card contained ! the combination to the safe?” | “Not until I heard it in court. I saw some figures on the card, but they had no significance to me. I never thought of the card from the time 1 looked at the address on it until I saw it here in court” The foreman asked: “Do you mean that you didn't see or feel Mr. Glover take it from your pocket ?” : “No, sir, I did not,” answered Strickland. “I was almost blind with pain at that time.” • “That’s all.” I Strickland stepped dowm and resumed his seat while the jurors whispered excitedly to one another. David Arbuckle then arose to address the court “With your honor’s permission,” said . he, “I will recall Dr. Morgan.” Gray not objecting, Dr. Morgan took the stand. He told of being called to the Trask home after the. shooting, of. finding

Trask beyond aid and of attending to Strickland, who was lying on his back on* the floor in a semiconscious state, moaning with pain. “Did you examine his arm?” asked Arbuckle. “Yes, sir; I examined it very carefully while Mr. Glover and the police officers were testing the safe. The arm had been struck a terrific blow with a heavy cane. The blow fell squarely on the wrist, dislocating the wrist joint Both bones of the forearm, the radius and the ulna, were badly fractured. It was the worst fracture I have ever seen.” Arbuckle continued: “Now, Dr. Morgan, in your opinion, could the defendant have torn this card, as you see it here, between the time his arm was broken and the time you arrived?” aDr. Morgan’s answer was: “The hand was entirely paralyzed. It would have been a physical impossibility, assuming even that his mental state would have permitted it. The bones haven’t knit yetL At that time he couldn’t have moved the arm or the hand a fraction of an inch.” “That’s all, Dr. Morgan,” said Mr. Arbuckle, and the physician left the stand. “Do you know where Mr. Glover is, Mr. Gray?” “The last time 1 saw him he was in my office reading,” said Gray, and an attendant was sent for Stanley Glover. In a few moments he returned with the young man and Arbuckle requested the latter to take the stand “to clear up a little point” He approached Glover almost as a suppliant for a favor. The young man seemed to feel his importance in the trial and granted the request of the attorney that he shed light on one of the dark places in the case, almost as a sovereign might confer an order upon a subject whom he especially deigned to honor. A very important person was Mr. Stanley Glover! “I’ll be glad to do anything in my power,” said Glover. There was a smile of quiet self confidence <>n his face as he spoke.

Arbuckle's manner was courtesy itself as he replied: “Thank you. You remember. Mr. Glover, that while you were waiting for the police to arrive you happened to think of this card which ydu thought might help the police.” "Yes, and T was right, too,” replied Glover. “Indeed you were. Now, Mr. Glover, you will recall that you proceeded to scare’: Mr. Strickland’s pockets in the hope • t finding the card. It was in his coat pocket you found it, 1 believe.” “Yes; side pocket” “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d just like to have you describe that scene in detail.” “He was on the floor, lying on his back,” said Glover. “1 Was standing over him, on the right side. As I bent over him and went through his pockets, he tried to push me aw ay.” Here Arbuckle interrupted him. “That is,” he said, “he kept warding you off like this.” And he made vigorous passes in the air with his right arm. “Yes,” said Glover. “Finally, however, you .succeeded in getting the card out of his pocket, the left side pocket of the coat, and you straightened up, with the card in your righthand?” “That’s correct,” said Glover. “But before you had a chance to get the card out of reach he raised himself on his right elbow and with his left hand snatched the card out of your hand. That's all right so far, isn’t it?” “Yes.” “If I’m wrong in any of these details just put me straight,” said Arbuckle. “My memory fails me sometimes." “All right; I’ll let you know when you make a mistake,” said Glover. “Strickland snatched the card, then he tore it,” Arbuckle went on. “Now’, how did he tear it? lie had the card in his left hand—like this. Right?” “Yes,” said Glover. “And he was supporting himself on his other elbow like this. Yes?” “Yes." “Then he made a quick backward movement—like this—tearing the card almost in half? Is that it?” The lawyer’s acting was perfect and held the court spellbound. “That’s right,” said Stanley Glover. “And then you took the card away

from him, and he threatened you, didn’t he, as you took the card?” “Yes; he swore at me and said he’d fix me.”

"Ana, ir 1 remember correctly, you Baid that he made a quick pass for the revolver—like this?” “Yes, but it was out of his reach." “That explains it beautifully. You’ve cleared things up for us. Mr. Glover. We’re greatly indebted to you.” Glover was about to leave the stand when Arbuckle said: “Oh, just one nioi.ient! Mr. Stenographer, will you read the latter part of Dr. Morgan's testimony, please?” The stenographer read from his notes Dr. Morgan s ription of Strickland’s injuries received from the heavy cane wielded by Stanley Glover. “Question, by Mr. Arbuckle: ‘Now, Dr. Morgan, in your opinion could the defendant have- torn this card as you see it here between the time his arm was broken and the time you arrived?' Answer: lie could, not,' Question: ‘You are sure of this?’ Answer: ‘Yes; the hand was entirely paralyzed. It WQlild have been a physical impossibility assuming even that his mental state would have perinitted it. The bones haven’t knit yet. At that time he Couldn’t have moved the arm or hand a fraction of an inch.' ’’ A thousand eyes were turned on David Arbuckle and Stanley Glover when the former turned to the young man in the wit ness chair and. Lending forward with outstretched index finger, asked: "Glover, what did you do with that $10,000?" Had a painter sought a perfect mode! for a figure of terror he could have found it in Stanley Glover. “What are you talking about? What do you mean? What $10,000?” he screamed, rising from the chair It was now the turn of District At * torney Gray to speak. “Your honor,” he said to .1 mlge I»:n more, “I ask a warrant for the arre t ' of this man as an accomplice to the murder of Gerald Trask!” Glover ran to the judge’s tribunal Lie cried out in agonized, fearful tones: “No, no. your honor; it isn't true’ 1 didn't kill him! I took the money, but I didn’t kill him! Here's the money! Take it, take it! I don’t want itl I’ll plead guilty—l'll go to jail, but don’t arrest me for the murder. I'll tell how it happened—l’ll tell everything. I didn't know Strickland was coming. I I planned the robbery that night, i When Trask gave me the money I put It in the safe, but 1 didn’t lock the safe. 1 rest it open—he aiun't notice it. Then I came back to get the money. I didn't know about Strickland—it’s God’s truth!” “Mrs. Trask heard me qome in, and I choked her! But she’s all right; she’s 1 not hurt. That's not murder! I got the money. Then I saw Strickland come in. I didn't know he was coming. I didn't 1 swear I didn't! I’m innocent! I'm innocent, 1 tell you! I left the room. Then I heard the shot and came in. It was the first I knew of It. I’m innocent. I tell you! Send me to jail—give me twenty years—l , don’t care, but don’t try me for mur- . der. I tore the card so they'd think Strickland planned the burglary. We weren’t working together. Ask him! He’ll tell you we weren't. I didn’t know he was coming. Ask him. He'll tell you.”

lie ran across the room to where Strickland sat entranced, like all the others in the courtroom, and appealed to the man on whom be had attempted to fasten the stigma of murder for the sake of money. “Strickland, tell them—tell them we weren’t working together!" “Remove the man!” said Dinsmore in calm, judicial tones, and two attend ants bore off the struggling Glover. “I didn’t kill him! Don’t railroad me! I'm innocent, 1 tell you! Don’t! Don’t!” he shrieked. Then the judge turned to the jury and said: > < “You may resume your deliberations, gentlemen.” Trumbull, foreman of the jury. rose. “We have agreed already, your honor,” lie said. “Robert Strickiand!” called the clerk. Strickland rose and advanced to the center of the room. “Prisoner, look upon the jury. Jury, look upon, the prisoner. Gentlemen of the jury, have you agreed upon a verdict?” “We have,” said the foreman. “And how do you find, gentlemen?” asked the clerk. "We fmd the defendant ’NOT GUILTY!” In the hubbub in the courtroom fol lowing the announcement one cry rose

above all others. It came from the lips of a sorely tried wife and mother as she fell into the arms of her husband: “Robert!" • THE END.

Some of the Jurors Craned Their Necks to Stare at the Defendant.

“I’ll be glad to do anything in my power,” said Glover.

“I didn’t kill him! Don’t railroad me!”