The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-04-24

that PoiDdeXter would carry out bis threa
ito horsewbip Curtis) about it. 1t was
vain woman who wanted TO talk about be
feet. .2t:'.5~~ .1'' '..j J.. ~. - =
1t is a common thing, and you gentle
men. from Fredericksburg and Alexandra
doubtless know il, for sboe-clerkS TO ofle
TO button ladies' shoes. Hall of the Iadie
that go into .shoe-stores can't do it for them
serves because OF the way they dress. n,
proprietor OF q shoe-siore would keep :
clerk who neglected or refused to offer tt
do this service. e .... ,. ..., ..,.
'And for This he died. And for this tbt
prisoner laid the train Of circumstance:
which ended in his DEATH"
Recess from 81 to 5. .' ".. .s'
When the court was called to order at :
O'Clock the room was denseiy crowded, and
uncomiortably close and hot.
Mr.. William l.. Royal.
This gentleman, OF couasel FOR defence
was the next speaker. He said be had
never at any period Of his life felt SO grave
and awful a responsibility as that under
which he was then suffering. White scene
so interesting and important was being en-
acted here before prisoners eyes the law
puts seal upon his lips, and The speaker
was to undertake in part to show why be
should 60 acquit and free.
He approached the case with malice; to-
wards none; but where the necessities de-
manded he should lay heavy hand. he
should not hesitate 10 do so, whether upon
the head OF the living or the dead.
JURY OF TATTLERs.
Mr.. Royal said that this case had been
already tricd-not by jury OF prisoners =
peers. but by the tattlcrs, gosSips, and SLAM
derers-the male and female old women
who had been delIying the deceased and
Wiley siandering the accused. Pending
PoindeXter's trial Il movement ia set on foot
to raise monument; 4 senator introduces
4 bill to make c0whiding felony. and the
harangue OF the Common
wealth'S Attorney is published all over the
land, and no voice lifted in the defence OF
this prisoner.
Mr.. Royal quoted the words Of {" the
Commonweaith'S Attorneys harangue" " IN
reference to his prefcrng TO be Curtis dead
rather than PoindeXter living, and as to
PoindcXtcr's desire to carry to the lady the
scalp OF bis victim (Curtis).
MIR. ROYALL DISCUSSES CURTIS AS A HERO.
Since the character Of Curtis as hero
and Christian had been made an element in
leSsly-not TO atiiX II stigma to his memory,
but in justice to the prisoner and to Miss
Cottrcll, who Is 4 lady OF the very highest
character.
Mr.. Royal contcnded that Miss Cottrell
could not have been mistaken. No man
can make demonstrations OF that sort and
have Il lady mistake them. II WAS no made
up story. She told the same thing to Mrs.
Bowlcs upon leaving the phaeton: to her
sister, 10 Mr.. POindcXtPr, and on all her cX-
Proof that she did not mistake
is found, too, in the conduct OF Curtis that
IL he had heen innocent would
he have been Ilnrc>i>ting? would he. after
the whipping, have offered to apologize? !?
wonld he have shaken hands with the prs-
oncr at parting!
CURTIS KNEW THE LADY MEANT.
NIr. Royal thought that might have hap
pencd with cowardly craven, but not with
the man who had the courage TO rush upon
q drawn pistol, rs Curtis afterwards did.
Curtis was told By Poindeyter (>ay Carlton
and Price, that '' You insultcd lady who
came here Saturday with hrs. Crnmp."
Now, Miss Cottrcll was there Friday with
Mrs. BouleS. After shaking hands with
and remaining in the store
thirty minutes, lie went out, and came back
and told Carlton he knew who the lady was.
Where did he get that information p
from his own guilty mind. Mr.. Royal
dwelt upon this point at length. arguing
that though poindeXter (unintentionally)
misled him, Curtis knew from his guilty
who was meant.
THE OLD SHOE.
Mr. Royall concluded that the offensive
were not made in the discharge OF
what Curtis conceived to be his duty, be-
cause the most Objectionable remarks from
INN were comments upon an old shoe
No, Curtis thought he bad meta young
lady with whom he could take liberties.
He slippcd up, and made Il mistake. The
plea OF some tattlers that Curtis'S Chris
ianily forbade him striking PoindeXtcr i'll
he store, forbade him also going to the fac
.ory. So that wouldn't do. No, he saw that
he was marked man. That was the i'm.
pulse that carried him there, ard he didn't
20 there armed, because he had been rightly
hrashed. He knew that under those cir
,umStances his neck would pay the penalty
i he killed PoindeXtcr, who had rightly
lirlshed him. Commenting upon the re-
mark OF the Commonwcalth'S Attorney,
3 I'd rather be Curtis dead thanp poindcXter
wing" lIr. Royal declared "Fd rather be
hat man [pointing to priSoncr] than all such
ncn as Curtis that ever lived upon earth"
MIR. RoYALL SAYS CURTIS WAS BRAVE.
"The next element Of the hero in Curtis
,e would consider" was the hand shaking,
md Curlis'S failure TO resent the whipping
n the store. TO what will we come in Fir
siniu when we consider such man as that
's hero ?" said he. He was no hero, he
rad no element Of the hero about him; hut
10 was man; a man with the same feel
nos and passions as other men. Brave,
,dmit, ard had he not had guilt in his con-
science when that man touched him with
.owhidc he would have flown at his throat
ike tiger" Having now disposed OF the
,ommonwealth's outside case come 10 the
aw and facts rs they appear here.
DID poINDExTER ACT IN sELF-DEFEHCE?
Mr.. Roval now proceeded to consider at
en"th the law Of Self-delence; the apparent
Iancer PoindeXter was in, having every
'caSon to belicve-notwIthstandluS GURUS
;,vinr - am unarmed '-that both Curtis
md McGuirc were armed, and that tie
ermer came there to wipe out the cow
,dinu with blood. Inyiew Of the circunl-
;tanccs he justified PoindeXtrr in firing as
,ftrn os bc did, and. on this branch OF the
;nbicct, pronounced with all respecD some
,f the propositions OF the Commonwcaltii,s
A attorney as "prcposLcrOus and absurd y
Mr. Royall cited numerous cases OH self
1,fcncc. and maintained that in nothin"
T,r;sonpr had done had be divested himself
n That right. That in the first ASSAULT the
In,, wos with Curtis, but that in the second
!, IL was clearly with the prisoner at the bar
,h,t having had cooiing-timc Curtis's right
~ attack Poindexter had passed away, ana
Poindexter's right OF self-deiencc was re-
viyed. .,.,
LAM frt n the