Morning journal and courier., 1890-03-25
PkGUILLoU,s MASTER PLEA.
The Great Paris Lawyer Defends sh
 Man Who Fried to Rob Him.

The Great Paris Lawyer Defends the Man Who Fried to Rob Him. From the Philadelphia News.l There was a stir of curiosity in the crimi- nal court room when Lawyer Peguillou ad- vanced to the witness stand to give his testi- mony against the accused. The public were not accustomed to see him play the role of accuser. For Lawyer Peguillou is one of the glories of the Paris bar. His name figures in nearly all the great criminal trials. Mur- derers swear by him. He Is a virtuoso of speech, Paganini in defense. He has the passion and even the conviction of his art. Lawyer Peguillou relies on emotion, tri- umphs by exciting pity. His grave, ardent and musical voice has accents which stir; his eyes moisten, his gestures, of irresistible fulness, make the spectators shiver and be- come terrible at the right points. His storm, then the full thunder, accompanied l by lightning. No ons knows better than he how to draw touching pictures of poverty, to | call up the specter of hunger.
 And it was he who had come into court to ! overwhelm with his accusations poor devil, an unfortunate father of Q family driven to robbery by distress.
 ! lulS IS uOW Lu0 tutuk Chuc dOOubs AWO months before, when he was kept awake one night in his bed by case he was to plead 1 the next day he heard noise in his study. l He arose cautiously, suddenly opened the l door and found himself in the presence of | an individual engaged in breaking open his desk. With bound he was upon him, overthrow him and tightly grasped his throat | with his powerful hands.
 "Mercy, Monsieur!" gasped the robber. "I have four poor little children"
 "I know all about that dodge." sneered Lawyer Peguillou, as he tied the house breakers heads behind him with a piece of red tape from @ bundle of law papers.
 Then, having hastily got into his clothes, he said: "Come, march in frontl If you make
 a suspicious movement I'll strangle you.
 He took the robber to the police station and l returned calmly to bed.
 1 Attempted robbery, with house breaking,
 in an inhabited dwelling at night, and
 caught in the act. The judge of inquiry worked the matter up in the twinkling of an
 court.
 Lawyer Peguillou, summoned as the sole
 witness in the case, was i'll at ease and furi- ous. The thing was by far too stupid. An
 accused altogether worthy of interest, never
 arrested before, and left alone with four
 children to feed after having lost his wife. All the information gathered agree in pre-
 
 man. But dull times had come on, the children were without bread, and all the
 honest past of this man had foundered in
 the gulf dug by poverty.
 Ohl yes. Lawyer Peguillou was furious.
 Not that he was filled with compassion be-
 yond measure by this information, but the
 ridiculousness of his situation was so appa,
 rent to him. Besides, he thought, as law
 yer, of the chance there was in this case-
 what rnaonifcent pleading in perspective,
 what superb acquittal to bring about
 Never had such an occasion been offered him
 to thunder against society, to make torrents
 of tears flow, to exclaim in g tragic burst
 s.No, you will not convict this man; yor
 cannot do it-I forbid you!"
 Everything, even to the four children O the accused, united to render this ease ex.
 ceptional. Lawyer Peguillou had often hai
 occasion to observe the influence of thi number four upon the jurors. Below tha !, figure the effect lost it's intensity; above ! looked n If the father of the family ha,