The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-07-10

rememOer a conspicuous triumph OF
justice was indicated. which occurred
In Paris no longer than the sth OF
January last. OF course: 1 refer TO il
as my learned friend referred 20 the
cases Of insanity, not as testimony in the
case, not as legal precedent not as hev-
Ing an immediate relation TO the duties
you are sworn to discharge, but
an historical eveut to passage
In poetry, to scene in drama or novel,
for the purpose of illustrating an idea.
On November 9th of last year Madame
Hughes. wife Of Clovis Hughes, Of the
Chamber of Deputies. shot and killed q
detective named NORM, Commission Agent
grossly and repeatedly slandered her. On
her trial, in the presence of Ministers or
State. Of ambassadors. of members of Par
Eament, Of dignitaries. barristers and
fore representative audience OF
the beauty, the chivAlry and the
intellect of France she avowed the deed,
and uttered these remarks Il meant TO
| Kill him regret that he suffered 80 long,
but feel no remorse; il you believe me
| guilty condemn me If you can understand
the moral torture have endured, acquit
| me-"
She further asserted that the law az ad
! mlnlstered in France would not protect
! the reputation of a woman, and that she
! was compelled todefend herself. and when.
| in the face Of the most formidable innu-
| enceS against her, after this unhappy lady
! had been questioned, cross questioned,
BADGERED AND TORTURED
For hours the jury recognized the mo-
mentary climax OF frenzy in which the act
was done and acquitted h. Tho verdict
was not only received with popular accla-
nations. but it Won the deliberate approval
Of civilized mankind. The moral OF this cpl
sode. thus illustratively employed, is
| obvious. 1t would be q dangerous doc
! trine; it would be an Rnti-American doc
! trine to hold that words spoken or written
! fr Of Ahvo al oil hry
sane MN. But that right II self-pro-
| lection. of self-defense. upon which all law
| and all government are thems based,
! which is the very source and origin OF the
social bond. does not extend only to
! the body and to it's members, n nd to tho
| indivldualized use which they SeRreRate,
and inclose. But to reputation. which is
the product of character and without
| which life itself is valueless and the COM
munity, the public. the state. juries.
/ Courts. the law. must guard not one but
| Vindicate themselves; that justice would
/ he very uneven which refused to protect
! citizen against the abuse of a personal
| journalist but pun shed him by fourteen
| years Imprisonment. especially if he be
| acting under an uncomfortable. impulse
for supplying the. deficiency; MT of
now take up the line of argument have
| already indicated. and / regret for your
| sakes, first, that 1t is obligatory upon me to
| address you at ALL and, second, that am
| obliged to adopt method which can
| scarcely fail to be tedious. Mr.. McAIlister's
| unanswerable address hiss left but little, if
! anything, for me to add. He has dis
cuSsed and ably told about every strong
| point in the case, and the only thing lett
| for me is to supplement his synthetical
, grouping OF the main facts by an analysis
make of the testimony itself. If fail to
discharge that duty, although it may DO
super[iuous for me to do 30, / should
b. self-condemned. for it is an inflexible
] al to
look solely to their client and to
leave nothing unpresented which might
| eject his interests, and it is pos
sible that may utter some word or de-
velop some thought that may meet an in
Quiry in your minds and if this should
turn out to be the Sc, trust you may
be compensated for the comparative dull
ness Of my observations,
Without deolgnIng any f1attery. gentle
men or the jury, am convinced from the
attention you have manifested while this
enormous record has been accumuIatinp
that you are really anxious to reach the
truth in this inquiry. Indeed it would be
an insult 20 you To suppose the contrary.
ask you, therefore. to appreciate my own
anxiety, which Is shared by my colleague
and Of course by the defendant and those
interested in him. and bear with me while
| express such views rs / have to offer,
even though in some degree they merely
duplicate the views which have been al
ready presented. Without further pre-
ludc, then, plunge at once into the salient
points in the history of the defendant. He
was born on the 9Th day of January, 1857,
in San Francisco. When he was about
years old he was i'll for three monthR with
un atla.h II tue SCARLET lever. "IIch -
most cost him his life. Afterward, while
his father. Claus Spreckels, was absent in
New York, he was again very sick and his
life was endangered. Mr.. Spreckels-I
M an Claus Spreckels-who has been ex-
amined here at very considerable length.
tells you, speaking of his early life, that
his disposition was pleasant" cheer
full" quoting the two words which Mr..
Spreckels used;/- that he was fond of his
home and of his family. which embraced
altogether thirteen children-three dauRh-
ters and ten sons-Of whom but five-three
sons and two daughters-are now living"
This family has indeed been afflicted.
Eight times they have been visited by
Axrael. the dark angel of death. and yet
the witness reminds me OF Wordsworths
Village Maid" who counted the dead
seven" when he says I'VE have a family
of thirteen" But l will draw the veil over
these "reminiscences of the unforRotten
past. merely observing that the Spreckels
family are and have been what all families
ought to be, atfectOnate, united and there !
fore strong, COM act bundle and not sep |
arated twigs. The defendant was the |
booEkeeper for his father at the California |
Sugar Refinery from the time he Was be- !
tween II and Is years of age and until the |
date OF the accident, April, 1850, when he |
Was Ii tie over %.
HIS EDUCATION
Was not that Of young man brought up !
to luxury and idleness although you NAV
be sure his opportunities for those methods |
of selfinstruction have been numerous
during his brief life and such as might |
have been expected in the case of youth !
who hid German parents who had Yolun- |
tarlly and permanently transferred them |
selves to an American community. He |
WAS reared to industry and temperance !
and received a thorough business training /
after the manner of the people among |
VIII m he was born and with whom his lot |
was cast. His habits must have been ex-
EN- larry because we find him rirst to have !
lived With his is parents IAN, and under the i'm
ca es is a guarantee for the good con- |
duct OF any young man, and sec
nd. to have been an early riser, !
viii, b is inconsistent with dis ,ipGtion, |
either intellectual or social. and third, 70 !
have been fond of outdoor recreatiuns and
amusements, which produce results upon
general physical health and morals vastly
oitterenl to those which follow from The
unwholeSome eXcitementS of the haunGs of
viciousness. He was put to active labor
and invested with practical responsi bfii- !
ties at an early age, and, except through
causes for which ne was not responsible,
he has ever since been energetically en-
ployed. His appearance and manner are
those OF a young American gentleman,
tested by the noblest standard which our
institutions and our opportunities have en-
abled US 10 create, and which Is independ-
ent OF all con, iderations of birth or rank,
and l. ayes the man, whatever the Rd.
Yantages or disadv ntages by which he is
surrounded, where he chooses to place
himself. A number or his associates have
been witnesses before You, and they prove
that his Sympathies and aspirations have ,
been eleVating and not lowering. A
young man who has among his close
friends such men as William Center, w. .
j. W alter, II. Kohler, and others like
them, needs no higher personal recommen-
datl0n. young man who Could pr We 90
exceptionally & cd reputation for eace
and quietneSs as this defendant has proved
nv al rat iEn oft Of oil a