Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1891-12-11

that he should be given the benefit Of
the presumption of doubt.
ATToRNEY.eENERAL BIGes FOR THE
STATE
II would be perfectly willing to leave
the case with you now, but | have a duty
to perform to the people of this state.
1t is unnecessary for me to add anything
to what my learned friend has said as to
the standing of the DuPonts.
Here Is true bill rendered by the
grand Jury of your court, charging him
with the crime. 1t has come here in the
uaual way. Il has been returned TO this
court like any other bill. You have been
drawn as jurors just as any other jury
has been drawn You viii try this case
Just like you would try any other case.
You must try It by law and the evil
dence. II you entertain a reasonable
doubt you should aequit him. think
the evidence will bear me out In asking
fer a verdict Of guilty / am here as a
representative Of the people Of this com
monwealth and In the interest OF their
safety
John Bird tells you when he left the
barn it was all right The fire was first
discovered by James Horty. he smelled
It he went into the house and told
Francis q. Dupont. When he came out
he saw little smoke towards Hagley.
he went into the barn, saw that IL could
not be saved, left his wife, children and
property In Horty's care and went TO
Hagley, as he tells you, to save human
HE. A Dupont never sends q man where
he will not 60 himself
&c bbons is seen on the premises
scarcely more than an hour before the
fire, perhaps he went home and came
back and perhaps he didn't
Mr.. Biggs then went over the testi Z
mony, which has already been published,
and said
when Gibbons was seen first at the
house o. Francis G. DUPONT he was
standing still aud walking, as testified
by two Witnesses. De was not acting as
man who was going to fire. The only
trouble with him was that he got there
too soon and was waiting for an oppor-
tunity 10 get into a crowd. l would take
the evidences Of Edward Bme alone. and
Try this case before fair-minded jury
James Moore may have been ratified but
he told the truth Do you suppose he wan
fool enough TO tell Eggleston that he
knew anything about it2 he never told
any one ill he told Detective Wilkinson
az the Clayton House. 1t is the fault Of
the defence that you did not hear how
that defence was made After the hear
Ing at the magistrates office he feared
for his life, aud he went away at my sug
gesiion ask you how you are to get
rid OF the six different confessions made
When a crime has been committed jurors
and the court look for the motive This
q sr IL L.. Fas Il
you will consult these charts you will
find that this mans family lives a mile
away from Hagl-y yard. You might
not harm them
my learned friend has uttered a criti-
cism upon Thomas Lynch. Thu are
some classes Of crime that 1t is almost
impossible to ferret out without detect
ives | have not had great deal Of ex-
perience but in my little experience,
have found it to be absolutely nee ssary
to have detectives TO bring people u
| Justice say II there were no such
things as detectives there would be
crime after crime the perpetrators OF
which would never have been brought
10 justice They are necessary for the
we'll being Of society. Now for Thomas
Lynch. de heard this man say these
things himself. / ask you as he asked
Gibbons what oath Burns had taken. b
had acknowledged there was an oath an
said that Burns had taken II
Therefore i, leaves but one conclusion
that there was an oath My God Men
can it be that In this enlightened age. IN
this little state whose record has heen g,
clear and clean there are men sworn T.
burn and Destroy Can there be am
other conclusion2 Think of it when Vol
60 to your rooms Think Of it well tina
the responsibility rests with you In tn
duty you owe, that fends like him Ar
brought to justice, and our citizens ar
made secure.
when the law says to him give al
account Of yourself what does be say
dis alibi, if you can call It such rest
upon two witnesses-Maggie Gibbon
ana Phillip Dougherty. am not goin
to spend any time on her testimony. Sh
was not going to have it a quarter of
minute out of the time. That Is wha
she came here for. She did not look a
the time, yet she swears most pos'ivel
that she cannot vary ia her testimon
one quarter Of q mi mute. That is utterl
absurd
liar or the bsst fool ever came across
Either way he is not worthy Of consider
alton
They are the witnesses who hav
come here to cheat TIE state out of
verdict; to swear away a verdict whlcl
rightly belongs to It,
"Why show 1t that Gibbons was s
engaged in saving the property OF th
DuPOnts3 He only wanted to cover him
self from suspicion.
"The testimony as to character
simply stand of He brought six VIII
said that it was good, and brought ST.
who said 1t was bad Ii Is a hundre
times easier TO get man to say that
is good, than to say that It is bad
There is one point my learned frien
overlooked, and that Is that Gibbon
told Horty that he went to tn
Ere BY an entirely different rouu
from that set up in the defence. If b
had known that he would never hav
tried to set up an alibi The alibi
I rotten 1t would not stand the light o
reason and skaters under William Gil
bons's own statement. / say that II tn
alibi was alive before, It now has not 60
the breath Of life within It. Gibbons ha
knocked the life out Of IL. 1t Is absc
lutely nothing He stands before 20
absolutely without defence. II the de
fence had put no witnesses on the stand
he would have been just as well of a
now.
Let me ask you in all sincerity to rt
turn verdict OF guilty on the strengt
of the tegtimonU nrasanted We hay