Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-11-18
BOSTON'S SENSATION.
Closing Arguments In the Celebrated
wHson-Moen Case.

"hsou--uoCh Sascs
BosToN. November 1.-THE closing ar
guments in the celebrated case Of Levi
Wilson against Philip Moen, the worees-
ter Millionaire, attracted another large
crowd tothe court room yesterday. After
the jury had been polled, r. NJ. Morgan,
Jr., began his speech for the defense. He
said in part:
''You were instructed at the outset OF
this case that as far as the plaintiff is con-
cerned the suit is based entirely upon his
own unsupported evidence, and that there
is not a scrap of written testimony to up
hold it. Not only is his evidence unsup-
ported, but it is so full of contradictions
and equiyocations that Wilson is entirely
unworthy OF belief. He has received near
ly $500, 900 from Moen, but does not
say why or what was the consider
alton" Counsel then told in detail of the
various sums paid, all Of which went to
make up the grand total. Wilson's pre-
varications on the witness stand in rela-
ton to the payments, counsel said, were
proofs Of his incredibility and lack OF
truth. Over and over again he had given
Wilson an opportunity to say why he had
received these large sums Of money, but he
had steadily refused to answer. He says
he loaned Moen $4,000, but this was
money which Moen had given him and
was returned to him with interest. So
- cal hna,, h,,,,
money TO get the Englys out Of the coun-
try and his brothers out West. This,
counsel claimed, was an audacious story
and fraud on the face of it. Moen de-
MES all this. He did not know the Englys
and, according TO their testimony, there
was no reason why Moen should want to
get rid of them. Thus WiSon's ST ory
falls to the ground.
Counsel then took up Moen's testimony.
Wilson, he said, had gone to Moen and
told him if he did not pay 500 he would
tell in a Police Court OF a filthy act per
formed by another person. Moen would
have told the details of that story had he
been asked. Perhaps in not going into
this matter Wilson had in his mind the
blackmail laws. When q man once pays
money TO blackmailer the rule is that he
will continue the payments. When Moen
paid the first 500 IN 1875 he thought be
was done with Wilson forever. Counsel
then explained Wilson's e1tortion meth
DDS and said that Moen WAS under the
strange power of blackmailer, and finally,
when he had paid so much he paid more
to keep from the public the fact that he
paid anything. Wilson's contradictory
testimony was then reviewed 10 show that
his statements were worthless, and espe-
cially in the matter Of his handwriting
and the letters he alleged he received from
Moen.
George J. West. of Providence, then be-
gan argument for Wilson. After speaking
of the great business ability of Moen, and
saying that up 10 this time he had never
met his master, West characterized Moen's
story of the alleged blackmail as unsus'
tanned "If you can anywhere in the
worlds history find single instance OF
case where the victim of the blackmailer
took care Of his money and paid interest
on il we will abandon our case, and yet
Mocn says he did this very thing. You
may call Wilson scoundrel and denOunce
him everywhere, but he has never imposed
upon the Court. At this point Court ad-
iOurned for the day.
LATER.-This evening the jury brough,
in verdict in favor of MOen. the defend.
ant, for S96, 522, being the amount o
Wilson's notes for so, 900, held by Moer
| with interest