The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-10-17
THE LAWYER TALKS.
What Charles P. johnson Says
About the Defense OF
Frank James.
No Conviction Possible, and One
Trial. Will Settle the
Business.

Ex-Lieutenant Governor Charles i.
Johnson. the famous criminal lawyer, OF
81. /. uis. who has been engaged as chief
counsel in the defenss OF Frank james. has
been interviewed by Post-Dispatch re-
porter, and expressed himself as follows:
really know nothing about the lndict,
ments which have been. or may be, found
against him. There are several places
where the people charge him with being
implicated in acts Of violence OF various
kinds. but inst where these charges VIII re-
sult in the finding of indictments L cannot
tell. II is safe to say, though, that In the
very large majority OF these cases, where
his name is freely mentioned as being the
urime mover or accessory in iawiess acts,
he really had nothing to do with them.
Every attempt 10 interfere with train, or
10 perpetrate bank robberv-any crimi-
nal event, in fact, which had the charac-
re, ofdanger attending it, happening with
in late years-would be attributed to either
him or Jesse, whereas, the real history oi
his life. as recently made plain, IN inter
views and other ways, shows him to have
been engaged in far different pursuits,
leading. on the contrary. the life OF peace
full and law abiding citizen
"Wha, will the line of defense be-"
Frank James will be acquitted through
inability of the state to speclhcaily prove
his connection with the outrages charged
against him. 1t will I've hard to get any
witnesses to identity him as taking part In
any of the railroad robberies charged
against hun The same remark applies to
bank robbers where the memory OF I'M
portant witnesses is confused by the ex-
element Of the occasion. The only chance
the prosecution would have of convicting
him. as take il, would be by getting bis
late associates 10 turn against him, and
,sey are not the kind of men to do that.
They have been bold, brave men, forced
into their positions by the exigencies OF
war. and generally true to each other.
lis there not an indictment against him
for participating in the Gallatin bank
robbery"
81 believe there is as to the nature OF
the proof that will be brought against him
l know nothing"
GWhen will q trial occur ?'
at is not likely that there will be trial
very shortly. That will depend upon tine
time of the sitting of the courts in local
tiles where any charge will be brought
against him." -,
sit is stated that host of charges will
be made in Missouri, and also that other
states will want to bring him to trial"
81 think tfat one trial will settle Frank
James fate. 1t is certainly not likely that
the people of this state will show special
yiudictiveness against him. l think that his
action in giving himself up, together with
the killing of his brother, the manning O.
his mother, the harrassments OF his wife
and other incidents connected with the
breaking up of the gang, have had the ct
feet of producing an opinion among Inc
state that he ought to be dealt lenlendy
with"
"Will jury be apt to look at it in this
light?"
that one trial will satisfy the ends Oh jus
tice."