Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-06-02
1He EGGS OF MURDER.
How They Are Scattered About by
Thoughtless aud Callous Men.

How They A-e Scattered About by
Thoughtless aud CaIious Men.
''The ca1ses Of capital crimes, said
a Toinbs lawyer TO party of friends
/ at a restaurant table the other night
that is. the real and immediate causes
are frequently overlooked by juries,
/ Just listen to that man at the table
/ over there. Got a voice like horse
( eddie lie is letting the whole room
/ know the list of hereditary diseases
that affect his family 1t would be a
blessing to humanity If that man was
shot dead as a hammer, yet his slayer
would be charged with manslaughter
and probably convicted by jury OF
the crime. tell you that the words
Of that curio will CRATE upon some ears
in this room tonight, and viii probably
der.nge for the time being some sensi-
tive physical organism, under the infiu-
ence of which vindictive act will be
committed that will perhaps cause life
long regret if not a punishment by law.
"a client Of mine was once charged
with murder in the first degree. The
statement presented by the prosecution
was that the prisoner had had differ
ence with an acquaintance. Two weeks
afterward he met this acquaintanc com
ing out of an uptown cafe after dark,
drew a revolver Immediately and shot
him To death The difference referred
to was in itself absolutely trivial 1t
had resulted from an argument over
the relative merits OF Langtry and Mrs
Brown Potter They had actually part
ed good friends but their high words
at Que stage of the argument had been
overheard.
Now. on the night in question my
client had gone into a restaurant for
dinner One of those creatures with
the deicacy Of a rhinoceros sat at the
next table He had been attached to a
sheriff's Office once upon time, and
Immediately upon sitting down he be-
gan to tell the man near him of the
hangings that he had witnessed and the
details of the revolving crimes for which
the prisoners had been hanged. My
friend was at about the middle of his
dinner The words of the brute were
like so many leaden balls dropping
down into my clients stomach. He
tried to continue, but he could not
choke down more food. In desperation
he called for glass of brandy and then
another glass. and before he left the
place he had taken a half dozen large
doses in quick succession.
That morning in starting out he
had put revolver in his pocket, in.
tending to sleep at the house of a friend
in the country, the way to which lay
through a lonesome piece of woods,
which he would have to pass late at
night As he left the restaurant he
thought of taking the train, and put
ting his hand in his overcoat pocket he
found the weapon.
Just at that very moment the ac-
quaintance approached, and what real
ly happened was this My client went !
up to the other and said, Charley, |
feel no desperately miserable that
almost could commit murder or suicide. !
See here, have a pistol too In try
ing to take the weapon from his pocket |
it became entangled in the cloth. An
explosion followed and one of the men
fell dead.
Il exhausted my powers of speech |
upon the jury, and after proving by
hygienio experts how talk of the kind |
referred to would act upon a sensitive
man, succeeded in securing a verdict of |
The man ought to have
been acquitted. New York Recorder. |