Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-15
I'd EDITION.
PLEADING FOR HAMS.
Judge Goodies Address in the Hamp-
ton Trial.
A RECESS Is THEN TAKEN.
Senator Voorhees, viii Close the
Argument This Afternoon.
GENERAL TELEGRAPHIC NEWS
| RECESS Is THEN TAKEN.
GENERAL TELEGRAPHIC NEWS
PROBABLY THE LAST DAY.
The End of the Hams Trial Drawing Near
The Speeches Today.

The Speeches Today.
Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.
| HAMPTON, Va, September Is.
What promises to be the las. day OF the Hams
murder trial opened this morning at $50
o'clock in the big court room at Hamp-
| ton. Long before the hour of open
ing seats were out Of the question
and desirable standing room was ut a premium.
Nothing but the trial and the probable result
have been talked about here for tine past twenty
four hours Whatever the verdict may be, the
trial will always be known as an exciting and
skillfully-fought legal battle.
| The fact that the result might mean the
| liberty and exoneration of young man has
made tine events of the past week here of the
utmost interest. There are people. women as
well as men, who have not missed single
session of tho trial. but have been on hand
early every day to get good seats, and have sat
through the long hours of each day listening to
every word that has been uttered by the wit
nesses or the counsel.
| No case since the famous Pitts murder case,
that was tried in this same court room on a
change of venue from one of the eastern shore
counties, has attracted any thing like the amount
] OF interest that has been conferred in the Hams
| fatal shots were fired.
When the case adjourned yesterday well to-
ward dark, Judge Goode was engaged in max
| ing the final argument for the defense. He
had reached an advanced stage in the GRAFTON,
but had still several hours more talking to do
before he would be willing to trust the interests
of his young client to the decision of the jury.
To many people in the audience the splendid
showing made by the two Washington lawyers,
Messrs- Lipscomb and Shillington, was of even
| more interest than the efforts of the older law
| yers. Messrs. Wise and Goode, whose reputa-
| tions were already established in Virginia and
from whom it was known that much might be
! safely expected.
Messrs. Lipscomb and Shillington have been
pitted against each other in the present hear
ing and both have made most favorable i'm
pressions as slrewd lawyers and eloquent
speakers.
JUDGE GoopE RESUMES.
After the court was formally opened this
morning Judge Gooie continued his address
for the defendant. The latter entered the
| court room alone and took his usual seat, where
he sat chatting pleasantly with men,
Der Of his counsel and one or two friends be-
fore the well-known Norfolk lawyer resumed
the appeal in his behalf. Col. and Mrs. Hams
and the other members Of the defendants fam
lily entered a few moments later and took their
seats beside the defendant.
Judge Goode occupied the interval by slowly
turning over the leaves of large-sized calf
bound law book, and when everything was
ready and quiet restored the judge raised his
ponderous frame from his arm chair and
hs<xk - ~. i.
began his address to them.
Il hope" said he, THAT you have come into
court refreshed. This trial has been in pro-
gress for one week, and during long
experience / never looked into the faces
of jury who expressed n deeper in
| terest in the evidence and addresses. Your
part in this solemn drama is nearly over and
you may soon return to your customary avoca-
| tons. l shall be brief as possible but / trust
you will bear with me, for my feeble words will
be the last spoken to you in behalf
of the defendant before you retire for your
deliberations, and should never forgive myself
if should leave q word unsaid that should
have been said in the interest of
young man whose life to certain ex-
tent has been intrusted to my hand. Yester-
day attempted TO show that it was not possible
under the law and the instructions from his
| honor for you to bring in verdict of
guilty, either in the first or second, for
the reason that the defendant had no malice in
his.act and entertained no grudge against the
deceased. There can beno manslaughter where
the killing is the result of necessity.
1T is now my pleasure to attempt to prove
to you that my client is entitled to an acquittal
on the ground that he acted under an i'm
perious and overwhelming necessity. 1t is
your duty to let the captive go and
| return him TO the arms Of that mother who has
sat through the trial, watching its every turn
with depth Of feeling that only mothers
heart can feel An. who can measure the depth
and breadth Of a mothers love? Well, well
might Coleridge say: a mother is the hottest
thing alive
COMMANDER EVANS TESTIMONY.
1.-THE Ajax Telenon of this case is Robley D.
Evans and you are asked to send my client to
the gibbet because otherwise the sensibilities
might be hurt forsooth. But If Robley
Evans says the defendant stepped forward
and fred two shots at the heart of his best
friend without Irovocation. then. gentlemen.
my client is inssne. He il a mailman. No
man ever acts without some motive. and ask
YOU all to look back over your own careers and
tell me II you ever knew n man TO shoot his best
friend on earth without reason or motive.
! IL Robley Evans saw what he says he did and
| then went into supper and acted as he himself
says he did. then say. he was unworthy of the
encomiums that have been passed upon him
| in this trial He the deadly
enemy of thornton ]. Hams and came upon
this witness stand biased and seeing every
thing with q jaIndiced eve. His dcport-
ment in this room would show him to be the
mortal enemy of the defendant. How anxious
lie to testify when questioned by the COM
monwealth. how slow to answer when ques-
toned by the defense. And yet you are asked
to send this poor boy to the gallows because it
is Roblev ID. Evans who testifes against him.
Commander hans on the quarter deck is
absolute monarch. but Evans in the court room
is no more worthy of credence than another
witness. Remembr the instructions of the
court asked for by the commonwealth
that if YOU must dis,redit the part of witness
story about which h, ought not to be mistaken
then you are at liberty to throw IL all out.
That rule may prove to DO a boomerang.
Upon that ruling Commander Evans testimony
comes in very questionable shape, and i chal-
lenge it, Remember he discrepancies OF Mr..
Evans story. As lighthouse officer stationed
| AT Fort Monroe he should have known the
length Of the light hous wharf, but you know
how badly he was mistaken there.
| AS TO OTHER WITNESSES
"As for Col. Bird, an honest man and a
credit to his uniform, his we was off the boa,
for a minute In a life-and4eath struggle much
| . ,,,;,,<a mr. -. vo,.c