Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-05-10
ner have revolver. There was no

Latimer have a revolver. There was no
other evidence TO sustain IL.
MIR. Wilson asserted that when Analysed
the theories of the prosecution fall To pieces.
| He admitted that Irving had been foolish
and untruthful, but his alibi was reason
able He accounted for every step he took
! ia Detroit, which was so public that IL pre-.
Guided the possibility of generalization. He
acted just as any young man would have
done out for a lark. He discussed the hour
OF Mrs. Latimer death. and the impossi
! bility of lrving's being there at that hour.
| THE shot that killed Mrs. Latimer,h VIII
son said, twas fired by left handed man:
! the defendant is not left handed y He forti-
! fed the theory by referring 20 the down
ward course of the ba Is. This the speaker
called most important point
Mrs. Latimer, the zoe OrS said. could
not have spoken after the first shot. Tnen
why did the murderer go near her during
| her dying struggles. or get blood on his
clothingi With three shots left n his re
volver he would not have struggled with
her and got his thumb INTO her mouth and
| his clothing covered with blood SO argued
| Mr.. Wilson. He said he would not attempt
TO explain the condition of Irving room or
/ the bloody handkerchief. No one had seen
! Irving nearer the house than tue depot.
That was, he said, the weakest point in the
! prosecution. The house, he declared.
was robbed that night, and valu-
ables taken Money was taken. II
| Irving took II what did he do with it-he
| had but little with him when arrested He
SAID here was no blood on the carpets at
! the Latimer house The blood on irving
socks would surely have left stains. Why
did he not attempt TO remove the SOCKS
! when he must nave known they were
| bloody He had every opportunity even
! after he was accused of the crime. The
speaker cited instances Of Imprisonment of
! innocent people, gave tie city police
| sound drubbng, and closed with an elegant
bit of pathCs IN which he depicted the hor
rors of prison life.
The strongest and most telling address of
the trial that of Edwin +. Couely OF De
troit, was begun at 30. His appearance
| was reassuring aud his sub ued methods
logical, dignihed and forciblc There is
little doubt that the verdict rendered
must be largely credited to the persuasive
oratory of Lawyer Conely.
Slowly and quietly he began, thanking
the jury for their attention and the Judge
for his fair treatment. He congratulated
the defendant counsel for the work they
had accomplished ana began a calm review
Of the cWcumstantial evidence which, he
said pointed 10 this defendant and no other
in the word. Up 10 the night of Jan u,
he said. X. Irving Latimer had broken
every commandment except thou shalt
not commit murder He is nor a boy, a
little wild, as the defense term him, but "a
man "A years old, and tue defense does not
show one COnsiderdte act on his part, one
evidence of affection for his mother. He
slept lone at the store, leaving his aged
mother alone night after night in that lone
ly house
Barkworth, Mr. Conely said, had himself
accused Latimer of being "a coward, "a liar,
a deb uchee, "a spcndthrft an attendant Of
Sunday school one day and of the bruthels
in Detroit the next kneelng at the altar by
day and at the shrine Of the courtesan at
night. II had not intended TO say these
things of the defendant continued the
speaker, but his own attorney did. Such
then is Irving Latimer, man living dual
lives, who sat behind his counsel with eye
glasses quizlically arranged examining the
bullets that were cut out OF his murdered
mothers body.
I'm mis- examination he resorted, when
AT loss for a studied answer to the words
of the Italian in the trial OF Queen Caro-
| line, Nom me rccOrtO'- do not remem Der.
To the plainest questions he answered 80
times during the cross examination. i do
not remember You are asked TO believe
this man who has the most tremendous
reason on earth TO falsify-the state prison
for life staring him in the face. Can a
man, admittedly a liar, be believed under
such conditions
The speaker described Latmer as "a
speudthrift who sJuandered five thou sand
and oyer in "A year. His friends say he
was "a coward and would not dare murder.
| NluTueTeTS arc always tOWdluS. DTdNe men
never murder. He was "a coward and dar-
ed not face the world with the evidence
that he had sluandered his mother S in
heritance He tried 10 borrow and failed.
His career was fast reaching an inglOr-
ious end and he made its climax deed
which removed his mother from earth. The
defense say, Mr.. Conely continued, he had
no adequate motive TO commit this crime.
Hunt the world over and YOU will never
find an adequate motive for the murder Of
"a mans mother. such crimes cannot have
an AIDE luate motive. lie reviewed the evil
denCe ogiCally. clearing up the weaker and
strengthening the stronger features. Be
tore the defendants story TO atoms, show
ing IT. palpably lalse. He said there was no
doubt that Lat mer intended TO return 20
De rot on the a. IN. train. Why he miss
ed IL no one but the defendant knows. His
abb scheme, the speaker said, would have
been all right but for the extraordinary
rdpidity of Official action, which brought
{ q evidence together while il was fresh in
the minds OF the conductors. His "IrlXy
story was improbable, and his reasons for
returning TO jackson and then TO Detroit
absolutely silly.
Latilner did not use poison from the fact
that his know edge Of the drug would have
pointed at once to him as the most probable
murderer, argued Mr.. Conely He told in
impressive wo rds of lrvings lack of feel
ing since the murder. He depicted the
probable struggle between Irving and his
mother with horrible emphasis, and of her
biting his thumb in the agonies of death.
He covered the trip 10 Detroit in every de
tail, tracing in his mind Latimer every
movement He urge1 the jury not 10 yield
to sentimentalty, and remember the bad
reputation Jackson county has for murder
Gus affairs.
"If you return the verdict | believe you
should, Mr.. Conely concluded ''you will
go TO your home with that which Irving
Latimer will never see again, the peace OF
an approving conscience"
Judge Peck charged the jury at once
His charge contained no points of especial
interest, and differed but little from the
usual charges IN cases where circumstan
tial evidence is the only proof Of guilt.
The jury retired at p. IN. Only two
ballots were taken. On the first 10 voted
for conviction and two blanks. On the
next ballot all voted guilty in the first de
gree, being out but few minutes. The
prisoner listened 10 the verdict of the jury
with the same Indifference he has all along
shown in the proceedings
WINGED MISSIt LES