Mary Marley

It became absolutely necessary for the defense to find Mary Marley. She seemed to be the one important witness. Her name came up in the story told by every witness. She had worked in the factory at the same time the other girls were employed there; she had witnessed all that the other girls had, and evidently a great deal more. When little Tillie Brown told her story to Mr. Bocker, the counsel for the defense, Mr. Bocker inquired: “Now, how do you know this to be a fact? Did you see it?”

“Oh, no,” said Tillie, “I didn’t see it, but I know it’s true, for Mary Marley saw it, and she told me.”

In Josie Johnson’s story was the very proof the defense wanted, but when closely pressed Josie said: “I didn’t hear him say so, myself. I wasn’t in the room at the time. But Mary Marley was, for she told me all about it.”

It was clear that Mary Marley must be found, but nobody knew what had become of her. All of the other girls who had worked in the factory with Mary, four years before, had been found, after a long search. They were scattered all over the city, and one had married and gone to Michigan, and another had married and gone to Nebraska. But nobody knew where Mary was. Frank Morgan, Lawyer Bocker’s clerk and general helper, had been looking up the witnesses and working up the testimony in this case for more than a year. Incidentally, he had all this time been looking for Mary Marley. All he could learn of her was, that she had a half brother who was a carpenter, and who had at one time worked in Euglewood.

Two weeks before the time set for the trial Mary Marley’s case was turned over to a detective agency. Three men were set to work to find her, with instructions to spare no expense and to locate her within a week.

Four days passed and the detectives reported no progress. On the Fifth day Frank Morgan went to Englewood to hunt for the half brother, the carpenter. He wandered… Read More