St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-21
ANENT THE BARRETT CASE.

If any impression or idea has gone
abroad from any article in the GLOBE OF
otherwise that Attorney w. ii. Donahue
hrd stated he had received a confession
from the Barrett boys, it is erroneous.
Mr.. DOnahue has made no such state
ment. An impression to that effect was
eXtant on Sunday night, but wasswith-
out foundation. Such story might not
only prejudice the case, but would reflect
upon the professional conduct OF DOna-
hue. AS he says, any attorney who
would make such an admission should
be disbarred. A statement has also
been made that in an interview Peter
Barrett virtually said that Reddy,
Tim and some third and I'M
known person composed the party
that did the shooting. This was
published in morning paper, but
is Indignantly denied by the counsel for
the defense and by Peter himself.
Peter says he made no statement what
ever, and was especially cautioned to
say nothing to reporters.
Attorney Erwin was in Minneapolis
yesterday morning and discussed the
case quite freely. He is strong in his
faith of Peters innocence and rOundly
condemns the system which has con-
victed him. By this time every one is
familiar with his powerful elOquence:
and that eloquence, by the way, was
never more forcibly shown than in a
little quiet talk in which he told why
Peter was convicted. 1t is inn
possible to convey his COM
plete idea--an absolute verbatim
report of his explanation would not con-
vey it. 1t was to show how that jury
found q uardiot of uuiItu in tho foaa of
the facts that the law requires cOrrob-
orative of the testimony of an accom-
plice, and, second, that instead of being
cOrroborated, Henry Barrett was con-
tradicted in every essential detail.
why" said Erwin, 1.-The argument
went over the heads of that
jury like the hurting of a
Stone. They heard. but did
not feel it and it passed on. But it we'll
came back to them. They were stunned
by the horrors of the case. They thought
simply that because brother would tell
such horrible story and fix such
must be true. This idea possessed and
dominated them, and they were so
numbed that argument was useless.
~
Getting warmed to his subject, the
great criminal lawyer went on: ut
was just as the condition of the French
people at the revolution. Their minds
had been Mortified unspeakably by the
bloody terrOrS of the inQuiSitiOn, on the
one hand, when along came the atheiStic
ideas of Voltaire on the other.
The result was that outre state
in which or to which nothing
ran through France for years, and APP
peared in everything literature, the
drama and in life. 1t was the same
way with this jury. Nothing appealed
to them but the horror of the crime as
told by one brother upon another, and
it simply benumbed their ideas" This
is but a skeleton of what ''Bill'' Erwin
took half hour to tell in very fOrcible
and impressive style:
"This verdict he proceeded, twill
one day be the shame and regret of
Minneapolis. 1t could have occurred no
where else outside of New England. 1t
is the result of that old New England
idea of placing in office the best men of
a community, and then relying upon
them implicitly. But for that, the jury
could not have returned that verdict
and been true to their oaths. That YER
dict against Henry Barrett was also
verdict against the city,"
1t is now said that Henry Barretthas
made up his mind to leave not only the
city, but the country, and that South
America will probably be the haven of
refuge he will seek. 1t was also re-
ported about yesterday that in "Reddy"
Barrett's first ''conteSiOD" Peter was
not implicated and that the story was
changed to save some one else, who
could have been indicted as an accessory
after the fact.