The Brewery Alibi

James Ferris, indicted on a charge of robbing the post office at Duwamish and stealing a number of letters, postal cards, and articles from a store in the same building, was on trial yesterday before Judge Hanford. The evidence against Ferris was strong, but he took the stand and placed on the stand one witness who swore positively that he was at the brewery nearby all night. The highlight was the testimony of Frank Sherry, night engineer at the Clausen-Sweeney brewery. He said: 'On the night of the robbery at about 11 o'clock, Ferris came into the engine room of the brewery where I was and asked me to allow him to sleep by the fire. He was tired and hungry. I happened to think that about two blocks down the track, the train had killed a cow a day or so before. I told Ferris so, and told him he could have some beer and meat if he wished. He took my ax and his knife and went down to the cow. There he butchered her in good shape and got himself all bloody. We came back to the fire room, and he roasted a lot of the meat over the coals and I gave him beer.' The court room was set into a roar of laughter by the narration of the dead cow's fate.