Joseph and His Friend: A Story of PennsylvaniaTaylor, Bayard
General
Joseph and His Friend: A Story of Pennsylvania
Taylor, Bayard
Pennsylvania -- Fiction
"Then," Philip resumed, "I determined to ascertain who had purchased the
arsenic. Mr. Linthicum's description of the lady was too vague to be
recognized. It was necessary to identify the travelling agent who was
present; for this purpose I went to the city, ascertained the names and
addresses of all the travelling agents of all the wholesale drug firms,
and after much time and correspondence discovered the man,—Mr. Case, who
is here present. He was in Persepolis, Iowa, when the summons reached
him, and would have been here yesterday but for an accident on the Erie
Railway.
"In the mean time I had received the small fragment of another label,
and by the clew which the few letters gave me I finally identified the
place as the drug-store of Wallis and Erkers, at the corner of Fifth and
Persimmon Streets. There was nothing left by which the nature of the
drug could be ascertained, and therefore this movement led to nothing
which could be offered as evidence in this court,—that is, by the
druggists themselves, and they have not been summoned. It happened,
however, by a coincidence which only came to light this morning, that—"
Here Philip was again interrupted. His further testimony was of less
consequence. He was sharply cross-examined by Mr. Spenham as to his
relations with Joseph, and his object in devoting so much time to
procuring evidence for the defence; but he took occasion, in replying,
to express his appreciation of Joseph's character so emphatically, that
the prosecution lost rather than gained. Then the plan of attack was
changed. He was asked whether he believed in the Bible, in future
rewards and punishments, in the views of the so-called free-lovers, in
facile divorce and polygamy. He was too shrewd, however, to lay himself
open to the least misrepresentation, and the moral and mental torture
which our jurisprudence has substituted for the rack, thumb-screws, and
Spanish boots of the Middle Ages finally came to an end.
Then the tall young man, conscious of his own elegance, took his place.
He gave his name and occupation as Augustus Fitzwilliam Case, commercial
traveller for the house of Byle and Glanders, wholesale druggists.
"State whether you were in the drug-store of Ziba Linthicum, No. 77 Main
Street, in this town, on the day of the entry in Mr. Linthicum's book."
"I was."
"Did you notice the person who called for arsenic?"
"I did."
"What led you specially to notice her?"
"It is my habit," said the witness. "I am impressible to beauty, and I
saw at once that the lady had what I call—style. I recollect thinking,
'More style than could be expected in these little places.'"
"Keep your thoughts to yourself!" cried Mr. Spenham.
"Describe the lady as correctly as you can," said Mr. Pinkerton.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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