second trial commenced at Victoria, Mr. Justice G. A. Walkem presiding. This time the proceedings lasted thirteen days, and forty witnesses were examined. Point by point the alibi was carefully considered, experts were heard, and day fter day, Stroebel listened attentively as and explored this matter of life and death. The Crown's case was skillfully handled by the Attorney-General. At one period of the trial the argument centered on the oil lamp found on Marshall’s table. The PLATEAU CAFE C. HARPER, Proprietor THE HOME OF GOOD EATS c) COURTENAY, B.C. Headquarters for Sporting Goods, Guns, Rifles, Ammunition and Everything in the Fishing Tackle Line Courtenay Hardware Co. G. B. BELL, Manager All Wozk Guaranteed Phones 401-402 COURTENAY, B.C. P. LEO ANDERTON Notary Public Official Administrator Real Estate and Insurance Phones 42 and 92 Courtenay, B.C. PASSIE MOTORS LTD. Phone 380 Dealers in McLaughlin-Buick and Pontiac Cars G.M.C. Trucks Courtenay, British Columbia Phone 350 Corfield Motors Limited Sales -:- Ford — Mercury — Lincoln Service Courtenay, B.C. Phone 315 P. O. Box 217 CENTRAL GARAGE CYRIL BURNS GENERAL REPAIRS - WELDING TIRES - BATTERIES - PARTS Courtenay, British Columbia Page Thirty-four defence contended that the murder must have been committed on the morning of Thursday, April 20th, and not on Wednes- day night, for it was argued, the lamp couldn’t burn from Wednesday evening to Thursday afternoon. A replica of Mar- shall’s lamp was produced by the defence and a test showed that it only remained alight twelve hours. The original lamp, which had been entered as an exhibit, the Crown proposed lighting and letting it burn till it went out. Solemnly the Court Regis- trar lit the lamp and noted the time. At the end of twenty four hours, it was still burning, and there was still oil left. While the lamp was lit and then shown to the jurors, it helped to dispel the early darkness of the December evening in the crowded court room, and as the defence had made much of the suggestion that all the Crown’s evidence was circumstantial, the Attorney- General gave the jury a timely example of circumstantial evidence. “Gentlemen,” he said, as he placed the lamp on a nearby table; “if you turned your faces to the wall you would see the reflected light of this lamp. You would only have circumstantial evidence of its existence, but you would know from the light you saw that the lamp was there.” Throughout the trial, Mrs. Bartlett gave her evidence quietly but firmly, but there were occasions when she was visibly strug- gling between the desire to protect her daughter’s future happiness, and the truth. When Stroebel’s bed was brought into court as an exhibit, she pretended she couldn't identify it. Elizabeth Bartlett’s evidence was clearly contradictory—she was Stroebel’s only sup- port. But as Mr. Justice Walkem remarked to the jury: “Poor little thing, we know how she feels and can make allowances.” On December 19th, the jury retired, and returned with a verdict of “guilty.” Stroebel was sentenced to hang at the Hillside Gaol on Tuesday, January 30th, 1894. The case of the lame mouth organist had excited widespread interest both on Van- couver Island and on the mainland, and a petition for clemency was soon circulating among the residents of the island capital— but Stroebel controverted his well wishers a day or so later by confessing that he had killed Marshall! While he paced his grim prison cell with that odd limping gait, he muttered out the details of the killing with an intensity born of desperation. He alleged he was having a meal with Marshall, when the latter made some slighting remark about his fiancée, Elizabeth Bartlett. Stroebel said he hotly resented the remark and the elderly Portugese picked up an axe to attack the youth. In self defence, Stroebel shot him. But his story was weak. The mute testimony of the cabin’s interior had revealed no axe, and the fact that Marshall’s pipe lay near his body indicated sudden attack. Coupled with this was the fact that Stroebel need hardly have shot the aged man twice in the head in self defence. The petition asking for commutation of sentence died at birth. The probable real story was that Stroebel hearing that Marshall had money in his cabin, decided on robbery, not murder. He had dinner with the,old man, probably tried to get him out of the building on some pretext while he looked for the hidden wealth. Unsuccessful, he left and worked with Porter during the afternoon, and then his evil genius prompted him to return. He had supper with the old man and after supper, when Marshall’s back was turned, the youth shot him from behind, killing him instantly. Not knowing the fatal re- sult of the first shot, he fired again, this time into the forehead. Marshall’s dog probably started barking and filled with alarm, the murderer fled. MURDERER PLANS TO ESCAPE The old Hillside gaol in Victoria, aban- doned as a penal institution when it burned to the ground nearly thirty years ago, had seen the final moments of many a murderer. Here Stroebel waited for the end, but not without impatience. Like a gambler pinning his luck to one last turn of a card his mind "WE AIM TO PLEASE” COURTENAY HOTEL G. W. TATER, Proprietor Remodelled Throughout Fully Licensed Courtenay, B.C. International Trucks Frigidaire Commercial Packard, Studebaker and Morris Cars HURFORD & SHAW P.O. Box 57 Courtenay, B. C. BILL RICKSON Men’s Wear t Union Street Courtenay, B. C. ROBSON MOTORS Chrysler, Plymouth Sales and Service Tires and Batteries Oil and Greasing Repairs to All Makes of Cars Electrical Service Courtenay, B.C. 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