Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-10-24
The Plaintiffs Side.

Mr.. Jones followed, delivering his address
seated in front of the jury. There is not a
man, he said, not a woman, not a person known
in this case whose heart is not pierced with
agony; there was an awful fact in this ease,
which the jury were called upon to pass.
There are collateral facts to be acted upon.
Either plaintiff had been guilty of one of the
blackest perjuries ever committed in barbar-
Gus or civilized country, or the defendant had
been guilty of very simple offense. Is it
probable that the plaintiff, who is simple
minded, would perpetrate such a perjury or
that the defendant is guilty of the crime
charged. Il was one of the weaknesses of our
sex that men of high official standing were
daily caught in the preparation of such Of
fenses against society. The speaker alluded to
the Beecher case, which he said had been es-
chewed on account of It's painful character and
that he had not read line of the report
If this was blackmail counsel had been party
uo it; if il was blsckmall it was the duty of de-
fendant to ignore it; counsel had personal in
terest in the case, for if the charge was black
mail, then the speaker would be damned for
all eterrity. Life, he said, was too short to
give anything like full review of the case in
the time allotted. The defendant was backed
up by the bar of the CITY, by the press and
every potent influence that has any bearing on
society; it seemed to counsel that during the
trial his heart would burst; counsel alluded to
his connection with the case: he came laboring
under a sense of deep alarm; he had been dis
appointed; he had come with prejudices, but
they had been dispelled; he had come with the
fear that an actual defense would be set up;
the point al issue was one of veracity; tie
character of plaintiff had not been impaired ;
counsel was proud of the character of his
client; perjury as applicable here was swearing
false to the material points in the case regard
ing the collateral matters there could be NO
perjury.
Where is the testimony against the veracity
of this girls character that was to have teen
looked for2 Counsel again returned to rehash
his prejudices; he had felt sad and alarmed
there was no deceit about it, but counsel had
discovered that neither the bar nor press owned
| the c. immunity; there was heart in this city
| that throbbed in sympathy with the plaintiff
defendant had not relied upon defense as
much as the high character of the defendant.
Counsel wanted fair play; the girl had friends
and money had been raised to carry the case as
far as there was any chance of getting Justice
What power there was In lnuendo; what a
power Ia sarcasm; what power in sbuse.
About the girl getting letters in two names; il
was q mere happening: reasons had been given
why she went by the name of Klemer. Coun-
| sci thought that the jury would consider the
character of plaintiff absolutely above re-
oroach; it was not severe to hang a man if he
was guilty but to pillory this poor girl would
be in the highest degree un iust.
Counsel alluded to the fact of Mrs. Smell be-
ing a member in the church where defendant
was an elder; why, he continued, is the charac.
ter of Mrs. Smell unimpeached; why did they
not prove her guilt2
Counsel alluded to the te .timony of the wit.
nesses; he commenced by alluding to the in.
cousisten :es of the evidence and called atten.
tion to the errors in the testimony of Mr.
Egan.
He then seizf on the testimony of the repor.
ter for the GLOBE. in alludlng to which, on the
day preceding, .he court had said counsel was
too obtuse, Ii. e. thiok headed to understand
Counsel attempted to pick flaw in the testi
mOny, in which he made most grievous and
lamentable failure.
In referring to the question of the .ime o,
number of hours alleged to have been passed by