The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-03-28

khe God.giyen right OF saif.de,ence, Ikiiset
were a iaw-giver he would have. II that d
man who puts an IGN iominiotis weapon upon
another should be guilty 4of the. felony The
tenn pts the other tozdo. But thaL Is hot the
cnse. The law prescribes penalty Tor roTs
hiding. Curtis ignored the faw and FOL.
lowed q chivairic idea, and met bis death
Ikea man. = ts}.t
Mr. Wise drewa stga
DISTINCTION: BRoxg AND STRONG, = I
between ~ Curis's right todefend himself
as best be. could. aHdsWith whatever he
| could catch up, when Poindexter laid the
cowhide upon his shoulders, and (2) Cartis,
and MEG uire, two o'honrs.. Afterwards. going
| to Potndexter's Office and Curtis attacking
Pofndexter with what the latter had the.
right to regard as deadly weapon. = PoIn-,
dexter. would have beenta curs and coward
had he apologized to Curtis at sight OF the
stick. OF the conflicL;a the factory office
| the speaker gave 4 vivid picture. He
thought il Curtis had acted in accord with
the christian teaching he would have re-:
sorted to the law or left vengeance to the
Most High. But he admired Curtis's spirit.
Mr.. Wise thought that the intimation Of
| the Commonwe wealth's Attorney that =,
! ey.- -. THE YOUNG LADY
bad instlgated or planned the whipping
would not be. received by the Jury; that
| that did her and tbe Common wealtll's At.
torney himself great injustice. She did no.
thing OF the kiud.| She planned nothing.
H she did, she .iss not on trial. II she sis
guilty ofyfouliy' planning and cofspiring TO
bring on this assault she has added to the
CRIME by.lyng with her lips, lying in her
heart-aye. lying in the very manner
with which she solemnly averred un-
der the sanctity OF her oath that she
not only did not deliberate upon and an
ticipate the conflict, but when the mcssen-
ger of death came to her door-when her
mind was racked to conjecture the cause Of
the yisit-so slight was the impression OF
the conversation OF the day before that she
never once thought it might be with refer
ence to that. Still, gentlemen Of the jury,
if, without one syllable or circumstance to
d,sprove these solemn assurances, you still
believe her an alder or abettor OF this
dreadful tragedy. leave her to the stiffness
of the night, wringing her hands and eX-
claiming, like the Lady OF the Lake
How, oh how can l atone
The wreck my vanity brought on?"
Mr.. Wise called upon the jury to
LOOK UPON THE PRISONER,
and see if lie was the fiend he was rep
resented to be. He brought in very hand
somely-
| "Oh serpent heart. hid meath rcwerlng face,
Did dragon ever keep so fair cave
At this moment Mr.. PoiudeXter sat with
his face lowered 10 the bar and buried in
! his hands. But he soon raised it, and met
tie gaZe OF the jury. His appearance was
altogether prepoSsessing. His look was
(snd generally is) mild and gentle. He had
as little the countenance of 4 criminal as any
man in all that closely packed room.
Turning TO his
! LAW-B00KS,
Mr.. Wise undertook to show that the Com
mouwealth:S Attorney had entirely misun-
derstood the SclFridgc case-that Sefridge
was acquitted
1t is entirely the province OF the Jury to
say il this was 4 case OF sell. defence, ana
self defence is to lie decided not by any
dogma Of law, but by natural reason. Ii Is
easy enough to say that PoindcXtcr was In
no danger: there facing Curtis and Nc
Guire, the former having a proyocation
which the Commonwealths Attorney says
blood alone can wipe out.
But you must consider the apparent dan
ger, PcindeXter never knew that the two
men had no arms.
Mr.. Wise exhibited great power and dra-
matte force in picturing
! ii@~3s r:CURTfs TRANSFORMED ''Ss'a =
from the boy who had crouched behind the
counter to escape PoindeXter's whip to the
resolute man, in the majesty OF his wrath
in the fullness of his power as he, despite
Poindexter's warning, marched upon the
pistol as to banquet, singing in his heart
| "For life hold but idle breath
When love or honOr's weighed with deash".
The speaker thanked God for such an
exhibition CT manly courage in these dc'
generate days. But ii was such courage as
put his adversary upon his mettle.
For Mr.. Mcclure he invoked the same
charity he asked for the prisoner at the bar.
Said he: "Don't blame Mcclure. what
his purposes were or may have been know
not. Neither do You. They may have
been the best. He could not explain them.
I am willing to accord to him the charity
invoke for my client.
Who knows the heart?
| ,Tis He alone decidedly can try us:
He knows each chord. its separate tone,
Each spring lis separate bias:
Then at the balance lets be mute;
We never can ADJUST 1t.
What done We partly NAV compute,
! But know not what resisted.
But, oh, that he had put his hand upon
CurtiS's shoulder and
DRAWN HIN OFF
and told him to go and arm himself and put
himself On equal footing with the prisoner
And so lie lamented that PolndcXter had
used his pistol; but he claimed that it was
entirely natural for him to do just as he
did, and just as every single man on the
Jury would have done under like circum.
stances. Placed as they were, he was not
compelled TO believe Curtis that he was un-
armed. That he did not want to kill Curtis
is proved by bis expressions when Curtis
fell, and by his kneeling at his head and
ministering to him and praying for some.
thing to bc done for dcceased's relief.
In conclusion Eir. Wise said Gas we'll as
the reporter could catch i): y"Tm glad that
the Commonwealth has elevated the charge
to murder. II this man is guilty, hang him
if not,
TURN HIM LOOSE;
let him not come forth degraded, socially
and morally, and for athng any of us might
have done. would rather see him hune
than TO 60 to ieIon's cell, to come out tC
have the finger OF scorn pointed at him.
don't expect your verdict TO send him mer
rly laughing from the courtroom. L cN
meet him to be chastened and cast down d!
ihe awful responsibility OF the necessities o.
his case: resrctful lest he might have done
more than he should; not the same happV
innocent boy, as he returns to eyes as SOL
and is clasped to hearts as tender as those
which mourn poor Curtis. Mr.. Wise re
iterated his belief that Mr.. PolndeNlcf
though he had acted strictly In self'defehct
and without premeditation or malice Woult