The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-01-29
AFTERNOON SESSION
At p. N. court convened. Mr.. Jack
son on behalf of the prosecution closed for
the peopie. He said:

I Alter o weeks tlme have come TO the close CT
the case when the responsibility viii be thrown
upon YOU The position + not what ane one would
seek, The idea OF taking human life is not pleas
ant. When man thinks how he would dread being
life that make it-desrable he lives for others as
we'll az himself. friends, children, &c. What would
/ a man not give for his life? The law has
rounded il with guards, from the day that the
law was given on Sinai when the Lord said ..Thou
shalt not kill There is consider alton and the
/ law enters into this, and when takes the
responstb ilIty taxing the place of our Maker-he
shall give reason for his conduct. The law Is for
| ali, p0t for one, The man grows up from youth
and lives under its protection 1t stands guard over
| him. And sfaall lot the law demand from him the
individual protection. SO in this case. So far as
| must give protection. What is the law? The
law is what yon and make
! and give to each other, and the community.
want 10 address you as reasonable men AND
want you 70 consider this case according to the
evidepee-1t may be that we may not have i'm
prhsSed your mind WITT sense OF generosity,
but-We have bene generous. II was not our
business and our motives but the evidence you
swore to consider. Listen to the facts as they
have been sworn to, and then say whether these
defendants one and all have dot been guilty of
wi lful murder. There is no one questioning the
right of these DEFENSE under the law. 1T is
under the law after all, be he defendant other
wise and who even pleads, pleads under tn?
they (the defendents) must be tried by the law,
and not beyond. IL tzwas otherwise where would
we be? when would society know its safeguards
When juror takes the responsibility upon him, 1t
is under the law; and youEcanuvtso by that with
the next man demands the same and on-uni
formity of the law Is that it makes no dsdrimina
ton. By it must rise or fall They oppose; they
tell but who questions this; Why they turn round
on and crys'' blood" malice. - I hurl back the
lie. represent the widow aud children They have
taken the life of the man and then try to charge
malice. Is il malice for the widow to demand JUS
tice? That the children should demand justice
for their murdered father? There ougrt to be a
proper respect before they heap the abuse. 1t is
enough that the old man rests without their assail
ing Ills wife and children. Represent the blood
Yes who
the blood there. When he lay in blood Tbe fst
of the Almighty has gone forth and will brand
these men with the "mark OF Cain" What has
thou done, said the Almighty to Cain. Talk of
the brotherhood of these men, but where is the
defendants. where is thy brother?'' but say to
them he is under the sods of the Mississippi Valley
with fracture in his skull from your murderous
hands. When they have ignored all brotherhood
don't let them come here and talk about it, and
heap indignity on the widow and children. There
Is not man in this community who would not try
aud see that the law is melted out az
IL should be. There is no ralice on
we had not done It we Would be objects Of S scorb
There is not man on the jury who would not give
all to have justice done. O'Brien remarked, /
ted the remark, that / represented The blood and
malice in this case. ] call attention TO the re-
are young men-and were when you were selected. |
When they arrive at manhood they take the re- |
sponsibility and cannot go back to childhood. 1t
mighI influence me Gif was on the jury, position
age. &c. but the law does not recognize this. An |
act like this must be held to responsibility. l am
going to talk to you as jury, not TO come up and
Mr.. Little Mr.. underwood and pretend that |
am to remember you from Ehenceforth. talk to
the twelve, not to nine, ten or eight, and now
say, Mr.. o Mara, to my surprise, when he talked I
about Mr.. johnson, eaid he believed johnson de-
lfberately lied. It is q terrible attack on q man
came BY summons Of the State. The fact was
he saw the act and still has the feeling OF how 1t
done. The old man had his brains battered out-and
then for MO Mara to cay that the man deliberately