The Case of the Golddigger’s Purse

“We don’t have to put in all of the facts,” Medford said angrily. “We only have to show enough of our hand to convince the Court that there is a reasonable cause to believe this defendant is guilty.”

“That’s just the trouble with the entire situation, your Honor,” Mason retorted. “It is the attitude of the prosecution that it’s playing some sort of a game; that it only needs to introduce a certain amount of evidence; that it can hold back the rest of its evidence as a miser hoards his gold, so that the defendant can be surprised when confronted with that evidence in the Superior Court. Now, that may be the way to secure a large number of convictions and to make a good showing for efficiency on the part of the district attorney’s office, but I submit, your Honor, that it is hardly the way to clear up a rather puzzling and baffling mystery.”

“It isn’t a mystery to the police,” Medford snapped.

“Certainly not. Because, as your Honor has just seen from the attitude of Sergeant Dorset, he collected the evidence which he thought would result in a conviction of this defendant. Any evidence which tended to point to the guilt of some other person was disregarded. The police didn’t think this other crime had any connection with the murder of Harrington Faulkner simply because it didn’t involve this defendant.”

Judge Summerville said, “I know it’s somewhat irregular, but I’d like to hear from counsel just what the general surrounding facts of the case are.”

“I protest that it’s irregular,” Medford said.

“I’m only asking counsel to make a general statement of his position,” Judge Summerville ruled placidly. “I certainly have a right to know what is in counsel’s mind before I rule on an objection the prosecution has made.”

Mason said, “Your Honor, Harrington Faulkner had a pair of rather valuable fish, fish which were vastly more valuable to him personally than they would be on the market, but fish which were, nevertheless, of a rare strain. Harrington Faulkner rented one side of a duplex dwelling from the corporation which owned it. The other side was where the corporation had its office. Faulkner had installed a fish tank in the office and placed these two very valuable fish in that tank. He and Elmer Carson, the other active member of the corporation, quite apparently became mortal enemies. The fish in the tank were suffering from a fish disease that is nearly always fatal. Tom Gridley, whose name has been brought into the case, had a cure for that disease. The decedent tried, by various and sundry means, to get control of the formula by which young Gridley was able to cure the fish. Sometime prior to the murder, Elmer Carson had filed suit and secured a temporary restraining order preventing Harrington Faulkner from moving the fish tank from the real estate office on the ground that it had been so affixed to the building that it had become a fixture. Before the hearing on the temporary restraining order and order to show cause, I understand Harrington Faulkner removed the fish without disturbing the tank, and took those fish to the residence of James Staunton. Now then, your Honor, in view of the peculiar circumstances, and in view of the fact that the defendant in this case was concededly what is known colloquially as the girl friend of Tom Gridley, and active in the store where Tom Gridley worked, a store which Harrington Faulkner subsequently bought in order to get control of Gridley’s formula, I claim that all of these things are an integral part of the case.”

Judge Summerville nodded his head. “So it would seem.”

“Well, I submit that we are entitled to stay within our legal rights,” Medford said angrily. “We didn’t make the law, and I notice that learned counsel for the defense never hesitates to grab at any technicality which will advance his case. We have a law on the statute books. Let’s conform to it.”

“Quite right,” Judge Summerville said. “I was about to make that statement when counsel interposed his comments.”

“I beg the Court’s pardon,” Medford said stiffly.

“I was about to say,” Judge Summerville ruled, “that under the law, the prosecution only needs to put on sufficient evidence to show that a crime has been committed and that there is reasonable ground to believe the defendant is the one who committed that crime. But, I want to go on record at this time as stating that under the circumstances of this case, and in view of the peculiar and rather mysterious incidents which seem to have surrounded it, after the prosecution has rested its case, the Court is going to permit the defendant to call witnesses and ask them any questions the defendant wants which may bring out the facts which counsel for the defense has just outlined to the Court.”

Medford said, “The effect of that, if the Court please, is to accomplish the same result. All of the extraneous facts will be dragged into this case.”