Page:The Life of Mary Baker Eddy (Wilbur).djvu/297

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A STRANGE CONSPIRACY
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had his friend Collier conceal himself in a freight car to hear the details of the wicked conspiracy, and he stated how he had also provided himself with a revolver in case these desperate characters should attack him.

The presiding judge must have wondered at this on studying the calm, sweet eyes of Mr. Eddy, the astounded and fearless gaze of Mr. Arens, and then the shifty, cruel eyes of Sargeant. But his perplexity must have increased on observing the guileless expression of Spofford. Collier testified to the truth of all Sargeant had said; the women witnesses from the Bowker street house declared that Sargeant had come there and left with his sister the $75 he had received for the murder; the detective, Pinkham, stated that he had listened to Sargeant’s and Spofford’s stories, that he had seen Sargeant talking to Arens on Boston Common, and that he had also seen Sargeant approach Mr. Eddy’s house and be refused admission. The testimony of the servant girl, Jessie MacDonald, was that she had heard Mr. Eddy say that Spofford kept Mrs. Eddy in agony and he would be glad if Spofford were out of the way; also she had heard Mrs. Eddy read a chapter from the Bible which says that all wicked people should be destroyed.

Russell H. Conwell was the attorney employed by Mrs. Eddy to conduct the defense of her husband and her student. The able lawyer had prepared a thorough analysis of the apparent facts, but as the case never came to trial, the defendants had no hearing. Mrs. Eddy, however, did not rest after the