Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-06-16

| "'Now see here saws the other one. we
are friends of Greene, and don't want to
see him go to prison. We have money to
employ additional counsel, and what is
more, we intend to do it.
Il still maintained that | should with
draw if they did, and like fool spoke
as follows:
"'Gentlemen, this is my first case. l
propose to stake my future career on the
result. If / win my success is made. If
/ lose, | swear to you / shall never step In
another Court of Justice in the capacity
| of an attorney y-at-law.'
"t You propose them answered my
clients friend with an emphasis and glare
of his eve that / did not like), to make
name for yourself even at the expense OF
sending this innocent man up?
told him did.
"'Then,' says he, completely overcome
with rage, If Sam Greene is convicted of
this crime, you can bet your life you will
never enter another Court of justice as
lawyer, or in any other capacity; so help
me God
az saw and appreciated the force and
| extent of his oath, and for moment the
terrible responsibility / was about to as
sumo flashed across my mind, and L stood
| paralyzed and overcome with two great
| conflicting emotions.
al remembered the long wait for my
client the suffering and humiliation l had
| endured, the many disappolntments and
com 3lete obscurity, and total iusigniticance
| of my life up to that tine. On the other
hand l could hear the applause that would
follow a victory, the praise should receive
if successful, and the prosperity | should
have in the future. | knew if l had as
sistance, neither praise nor condemnation
could be mine All men, when standing
on the verge of last opportunity, want
one or the other extremity, and such was
my decision My thoughts came rushing
on me. | heard the Bailiff call my name,
and in that awful moment staked my life
upon the clearing of my man.
1--WE all assembled the stairs leading to
the Courtroom, and few moments later
l found myself for the first time in my life
before Court of justice by the side of
prisoner who even looked as if his doom
was only matter of a few hours, and
such a complete resignation to fate had
anything but an encouraging tendency
upon me- | can assure you. His friend sat
at one side, with his dark, threatening,
cruel eyes upon me, and before him the
man who claimed to have been robbed,
his wife, little daughter, and four at
tOrneys-the prosecuting counsel, his as
sistant, John T. Wheeler (the best law
yer in that part Of the State) and his
partner, Silas Howl.
Never again in my life will | expert
ence such deep, agonizing regret as took
possession of me as | sat there; and, oh
how wished had accepted assistance, and
how | prayed for something to happen
that might occasion an adjournment that
might reconsider my foolish persistence
and consent to the demand of my black
eyed friend
at was too late, too late, With no
confidence in myself, fully realizing that l
was totally ignorant of all civil or
criminal procedure, without friend on
earth or well-wisher in existence, when
the case was called ] answered, readyr
81 proceeded in the trial of that case
as deserving beggar would proceed to
ask for morsel of food. / actually threw
myself at the feet of the Judge and relied
upon the warmth and pity of his heart.
He gave me both, God bles; him for at
the first recess he called me in his cham
Der, and from his lips for the first time did
/ receive one word of encouragement.
'We closed with the evidence and the
time came for my argument before the
jury. 1t was not SO much an argument as
it was a supplication. Istood before them
with my face as white as marble. The
words | spoke were of course supposed to
ha mt HaH fl, plia I,,+
the black-eyed stranger knew | was plead
ing for my own lite, and many marveled
at the plain, earnest manner in which |
begged that jury to give that man his
liberty. All! there were no fantastic
novelties or spacious embellishments in
that address; no youthful flights or sopho-
moric love about that speech, but a plain
earnest plea Of a boy that had his life at
stake, touched the hearts of that jury and
they brought in verdict of Not guilty.
The strain | had endured in the few
days of that trial was terrible. ! could not
and did not sleep nights. In one dream /
could see my clients body pierced with a
thousand daggers, in another on scaffold.
and again rising from the grave to curse
me. The dark eyes of the stranger haunted
me, and | tell you when | heard that YER
dict fell apparently as dead on the Court
house floor IS if | had been struck by
lightning. | soon revived, and found a
great, heavy load lifted from my very soul.
"The verdict was greeted with applause,
as | had dreamed, and from that moment
was fairly launched on successful career.
When tainted in the Courtroom one
of the jury, a great, strapping, warm
hearted fellow, picked me up in his arms,
carried me to an adjoining saloon and laid
me on couch in back room. As | have
said, very soon revived, and sitting upon
the couch / looked around and saw the
juror leaning with one arm upon a large
barrel and gazing thoughtfully upon the
floor. At first | was startled, and feared
for moment that it had all been dream.
| My fears were soon put to rest, however,
as he looked me straight in the face with
his great, mild gray eyes, and said;
6" Young 'en, when | first went in that
jury box and looked over thar and seed
yu sittin' all alone, with four lawyers on
the other side, and one of them John 7.
Wheeler, the big gun of Fayette county,
with yu till the ants had dragged me
through the key hole"
Judge Van Fleet put in appearance
about this time and all proceeded to bust
ness without further speculation as to the
cause of lawyer -'s successful career.
BYsTANDER.