How To Prove An Alibi

One Simday, bout ton jeari apo, t 'ound myself at Oarlisle. 1 was coniderably acquainicd there, and httd een there pietty ofttn on buk i ei' ; - jut my bcing there at this time wan the rt'sult of au accident merely. I bad ceri tbree hundied miles wtet of lliis, rying n vaiu to fiud a clue to thewheraboats of n ahscouding defaulter ; anH coming back tn take a frcth 6tart, I 'ound that the flood bad suhiuerged tb- track fur eeveral miles eaet of Curióle, and that tliere would be no getting awuy till Monduy, at the leaf-t. So I made a viriue of necessity, and telegrophing my deteution and its caute to my fainily, I went Tip town. After dinneV it live tiotel, I dropped n at the ctEoe of the District At'toruey, witb wl:om I wb weü acquaiu'ted. I "ound biru arrnging the details of a nunibcr of criminal cuscb which frere to be tiied at the court which b'e'gun 'on the following 5Ionday. "Anything of itupurtan.ee ?" I adked. rather carelessly. "One at lenst," be replied. "Jee Slifer, a notorioua coundrel, is to be tried lor higliway robbery. The victim wdb dragped out of nis bugpy on a onuly road, beaten insencible, and robbed of a thouaund doHurt. Me Mentifies 8lifer positively as 'óne of the rui fiaus." 'Whai's the defenso ?" "I oau't imagine. I dou't think there i's any in reality." "Mnybe he ffill pïove an alibi," I jocoiely auggestcd. He sbook his hed "Thc.y'll hardly try thal,:'he ;iid. - The faut are loo cjear. Aiiereome uuiiuportant conversation with him, I returned to the hciel, whtre 1 epent the remaiiidcr of the day. The uext day was iíuiiday. I awoke ijuitH early, and fouad the promisc of a beuutiful sunimcr duy o good that I dreesed niyself and talic.d out for a walk Nobody was stirriug yet ubout the hotel, anJ the Btreets were perfeotl.y ei til l I vvalked aroúnd Sev'eral squares, at.d rcturned to the hotel, meeting only oue peí son od tlic wny. Tbat person was .tandiig 'n tbe doorwy ot' a bugeojcut galoou us I pasnpd. I looked liowii eaeually, tod aw himstftnding there in bis shirt-eleeveí. Ilis hair sviis lumbled, and he was g"ping, as if just awiikericd. I did not dincover that e vea doing mytbiug particular tliere ; liiouglit afterward ihat it ñas quite ikoly bu bad buen left in a druuken p on the Hoor or on the beuch iu he bar tb fiight before, and that, wiikn up at tliia i-urly bour, he bad taken he wroufj; door iu seekiog lor bis lodf{ngx, and bad corne out ot door int-to ui of going to bed. My look at hiin wag mnrely .a sida glauce, but tbat wa enouge to pbotograph hi face in tny tiind. It wag h ihu, bilious fuce, perfecily Ptncioth, iih a long imee, much twifted to one side, aud a red tcur over the left eye I uiarked it instaiilly 8 the faoe of the rascal. [low I could do that I can'i explain ; our business lcanm US to read faces as most men read books .ml the glance that I had at that fa mtold van that the man nan a lavrless fellow. His actiou cunfirmed the opiuiou. tíleepy as he looked ind aeted, no goout-r iii'1 be ere me pimaiog th.'ni be dove buek through tbe door and glainmed it to. I inftantly understood bim. " A Rcainp on B(imo 'lay' or other, and dou't want to be aeen," wii my thnught. - And I wtilked on with lm photograph in my miud, but ceased lo think anythibg of hirn os of tbe circiimstauee butoro I reacbed the hotel. Tbe day jmsned ; and bright and early Monday moniiug I took my oatc-hel and went down to the depot. But it waB to no pnrpose ; the office wan cloied and i placan] ou Ütf wall iuformed the public tliut the road would not be opeo before Tuesday. I wout bnok to the hoto), too much out of eorls to enjoy my bioakfat. I did uut understand, til! the day was ■omewhat older, tbat 1 wa neaded m.ro here at Carlile thau anyvrhero clbo, just tben. I went írbm t!ie breakfast tallo into the readiog room, and, alter I liad read an liour, 1 huuid ouo maii ?ay to another : "Let's go over to tho court houe ; - they're trying J.e SLfer." They went mt, and retnemberiug my littlo talk vvith the district attoruey, my curicsity was exeüed, and I followed thern. VVhen I entured the cour'.-room, the victim oí ',hc robbery was on tlio stand. lia wals a pUii) simple oíd man, and ave his evideuce With sppáreut truthfulcess. He teslifiud that he wne stopped about suiifit, somo mouth-i bofore, whilo jiübíing froni Oarlislo to Lis hume with ono tbutband dollar thut he had drawnthat afternoun from the bank. It was a lone ly fpot, and there was no houe within hall' a milu of it. He vas jogging It :surely ftloug, when a light w;igiii drawo by iwo horses daabed up braide bis luggy, and three of the tour men iu itgit o : i r 1 while trie fourth liehl tho reius - Thöy ere áll ssked. Ono cf tlicm ■eized hia horse by tha bit a:.d 8topped Liiu aid the iecoud snatched thu lines trom Lis hand, end the third cümbing half into the buíiijv, and :Bkiig hím by ' the aruiH ddiisud-'d U tnoney. He said tliat ho instantly ehoulid M loud as he couid; whi-n tl:e uHiati dealt hirn ai gHTsgt! blow with a ílung shot wbioli ; kuuuked him iiaiisclt-sg ; and wheu he ' carne to himst-lf aguin both robbers aud uioney wsre gone. He reoofjniijd only one of the foúr ; the man that struuk hiui. A he áhw baok to give the bluw his musk dropped and revealed the face of Joe Slifer, the prisoner at the bar. He kiew it- he was positivi: oí it - and all tho iogeouitj of the cross estiinination could uot weaken or elinke ñi evideacc upon tbia important póint. No other wi'neÈs was callfd for tho proseuaiionj none seemed necessary The prÍHoncr's laytr gt dp nd rnade a plausible statement to the jury that the coinpliiinant was niistiiko about recogo;zing Joe S'ifc-r on lbo occasion reíerred to ; tbat Slifer was not tuere at 11, but that hf wils at Nircoti, fif;y íniles nortli of Cui lisie, nt tho vory bbur ofthat robbery, and that hewh'ul'l prove il by ut lent two uood witnt'fses. He fut down nd calKd out " Cleb Wyo,"nd everybody ka':ed forward fspectantly. The wiiDesi carne forward with aílnw limping guit, leauing on a cana. Hu a op)rently a nim of middle ge, and w iíh dreRgcd in a uit of iober black with h wliite choker übout bis nee. - Ilis bair ís Bilver ray, and as he ru ui ti d ihe ttiiui, Rnd leaniug en ;,.- i 'c me, turned hia yoe placiiily to tbe I prisoner's counsel, he prcaented an nplxüiranoe wbith woultíl ttrast utleníion and respect aoywhvre. J. iaw hirn ; and thouuh I (lid not betray any lurprise', I know that my héart guve a trmendou8 thump. For I suw iba bilious, tliin lace, tbe crookcd no-e, and the searred foreliead of tho dodger wh m I hnd geen tweuty-four boura Ín;fore in the doorway of theloon. With this ditl'eretioe, however, the huir of that man teas ulmost. black, while this mans was íilver gray. I edged my chair quietly up beside that of the district Attoruey, and while the man was testifying I mauaged to whiper in tlrs offioer'e car without attracting the kttention of tlio witneei The latter testifd that he waa a dealr in ready-made clothing al Norcott, and one of the firm of Wye & Pleasanis. - That on ths day teetilied to as tho day of the robbery, both he and liis partner were 8t their store at Norcott, and there wa an unusual cali lor goods. Joe Slifer was thn in town; they knew him well, and had often employed him to work in the store. On thi particular dy they neiit for him ; he cauie immediutely ; and he reuained at the store waiting on customurs, from two o'clock to eight, without (mee leiiviog it. Mr Plesiiuts was in court, aud he could testify to the sume fact, The fint quetttion of the District Attoruey made the fellow start aud shiver. "Are you in disguise, sir ?" Vh - what?" eíamuiered the man. "Hava you a aiívtr gray wig over your dal k hair ?" The mau lookcd ama2rd and tbon frightutied, but raid DOihing; aud before he coúld reettver hb gulfpossesgiou (lie District Attornéy had Htepped forward and removed the wijf, revealiug a un ntlily bruslied houd oi dark brown huir. "Whíit does tbis mean?" he askcd sternly. 'Ouly a fanoy,:' was tbo fiulky antwT. I hve worn tliat wig for yeara." "Hive you, indoed? Did you wear it all Jay yenterday V' "Yts air,"' wat tho confident response. "Wbero'í" "At Norcott, to be sure." "AU day V" "üertaiuly. I was thero tbe wbole day." "When did you arrive hero at Carlisle ?" 'At 7:20 tbis morning.'1 Tbe DiBtrict Attorney gave me a triuii.'il::iut witik ; and wlien be stated to ihe oourt tbat bu desircd lilis witnctís to l)e detained till tbe olose of tbe trial, tbe Sberiff was direct' d to tale ohirge of him. Mr. Cülub Wye cam down (rom t!.o etund witbliis wig in bis hand, and took a ieat tiy tbe Sheriff, looking dccidodly more bilious thau I had jet scen bim appear. Mr. Pleasasts was now loudly called for by the defeuee ; but no one h:.a; forwa-d. Tbe unexpeoted receptiou wbicb the last witoees lind met probubly ehilled tbe rdor of bis cout'uderate, and lm wisely to keep biuaself in the baokground. Tbis then was uil of tbe defeuse ; and my ovidence at ooce blew it into the wiudB. I looked direetly at Mr. Wye (so-oalled), wbilo I was telling tbe jury when, where, and uuder what circumstitnceH I bad ieon hirn tbe previous day, nd I law him tremble lika un aspen leaf. The jury convicted tbe prisoner witbout leaviug tbeir Beats, 1 and the witneia was looked up ior fur1 ther oonaideration. I luft Oarlislo tbe nezt moining, an! [ hoard oothing more of tbit affair for scveral week. Then a lotter frum the Ditriot Attnriioy, thanking me for the nssistanco I hud rendered Litn, ooüteyed more details. "The witness Wye," he wïote, "wKose real name is Niebolaa Bray, was imiicted ior perjury. A veiy cligfit investigation nhowed me thnt we could prove that he liad no riht to the namo of Wye; that ncithor he nor any man by the name of Pleasanta ter ki'pt store in forc(tt, and thut neither of them WM kuown there at all. This vvith ynur ovidocco, would hve been sufficicut to convict dim ; and undergtanding &r wel! as anybody, ho concluded to eave trouble tiud plead guilty. 80 ho and Sliferare bo tli in thu ponitcntiïirj, uud will stuy tlieru for a t'cnn of years."