Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-10
MAKING A HARD FIGHT
Law and Order Agent Robert Mcclure
on Trial for Perjury.
A STUBBORN DEFENSE OUTLINED.
Large and Interested Throngs Crowd the
Criminal Court.
NEWSDEALER SHARP'S EXAMINATION

1
to rant and tear around with little regard
for pedigree, position or personality. The
| Mcclure perjury case was on and the array
of legal talent, of interested parties, and of
open-mouthed curiosity seekers was SO
large that the court bailiffs had difficult
time in maintaining the characteristic dig
nifty Of the Allegheny Criminal Court.
The Law and Order agent, Robert Nc
Clure was in the midst of the circle of his
attorneys, Colonel W. D. Moore, D. f.
Patterson and John Marion, and sitting
| just in the rear of these were the trusty
supporters of the L. & o. man. Across the
table were located Major A. NJ Brown, Dis
| trict Attorney Burleigh and his assistant,
Harry Goehring, and short distance away
was the prosecuting witness, James NJ.
| Sharp, one of the Southside agents of the
| daily papers, and a number of his wit
| nesses. The crowd without the railing were
| packed in tightly and seemed to have hard
siege of it, with the pushing, showing and
heat. An occasional feminine face set off
the sterner sex with mildness that
| seemed entirely alien to the state Of affairs
in the vaulted room.
Agent McClure's Nervous Movements.
Agent Mcclure presented an interesting
spectacle. His small gray eyes roved nerv-
ously about the courtroom and the pale red
tinge about the eyelids denoted something
like an attack of insomnia. One long, thin
hand rested on the arm of Colonel Moore s
chair and the patrician> fingers beat an in
cessant tattoo. He wore small black bow
at his neck, which somehow or other did
| not have the Beau Brummel-like aspect that
some of the other gentlemen's neckwear
had. His collar was low, excessively low,
| and dark, undulating line was visible near
| the upper edge. His whiskers, of strag-
Cling cut, had been carefully brushed, and
| the white and brown colors contrasted in
| quite a respectable manner His broad
| foot seemed to be inspired with St. Vitus-
| dance-like afflicticn and kept fipping up
| and down most rudely. Some said Agent
Mcclure was nervous, but the gentleman
had others than admirers in the room, and it
was they who thusly spoke.
The case was called about 11:30 o'clock,
after the crowd had become more or less i'm
patient and signitied their feelings by GER
tain unkind little remarks toward the un-
feeling ones who trod on their toes. The
call for the Jury was responded to by II
men, but, as they were not good and true
enough for the counsel in the case, they
were allowed to silently and disappoint-
edly fit out of the room for others to take
their places
AJury Finally Impane1ed.
The challenging ceased at last and the
Jury was impaneled. The crowd shifted
on their other foot and looked e1pectantly
at the attorneys. But they were again dis
appointed, as long and tedious argument
ensued regarding the admittance as evidence
of copy of the transcript of Sharp's con-
viction before Alderman Robe. The de-
fense averred that it was incompetent, and
for many moments did the gentlemen argue.
The question was at. last decided by the
Court agreeing with the counsel for the de-
fense, and maintained that the transcript
was only competent when sworn to by the
magistrate from whom it was obtained.
The time wore on and when Judge Slagle
softly remarked that it would be expedient
to resume, Mr.. Sharp was babe to take
the stand. He did so, and testified that he
had been summoned to appear before AL
derman Michael Robe, of the Thirteenth
ward, at No. 500 Wylie avenue on the Sd
day OF March, to answer charge of selling
papers on the Lords day, February %, to
Robert Mcclure. He said he had appeared
and testified that he received no remunera-
tion for anything he had disposed of on
that or any other Sunday during the last
six months He said he saw upon the occa-
sion of his trial Mr. Robert Mcclure for
the first time.
Doesn't Agree With McClure's Testimony.
Agent Mcclure had testified before
Alderman Rohe that he had got and paid
for paper about 7:20 o'clock Sunday morn
ing, February %, and, being in a bury to
catch a car, had picked paper from pile
of others upon a counter and left a nickel
for his purchase. Mr. Sharp said that upon
the morning in question he had been at the
breakfast table and occupied seat where
he could see everything that transpired
within his store, and that neither Mcclure
nor anyone else had entered the store, and
denied emphatically that any papers had
been sold.
Attorney John Marion began the cross
examination in manner well calculated to
inspire the witness, the Court and the
crowd with an idea that Mr.. Sharp had per-
verted the truth, and started in on the ex-
animation with a number of impressive, half
audible CALCULATIONS of satisfaction as the
witness admitted that he was a new-sagent
and a man, and made living and other es-
sential features. Mr. Marion was disturbed
by the low, apologetic cough of Agent Nc
Clure, who sat just behind him, and finally,
when this thing became unbearable to him,
he turned and sharply ordered Mr.. Mcclure
to desist, and with slight blush and an in
creased rapidity of his afflicted foot Mr.. Nc
Clure desisted.
The Result of the Cross-Examination.
Mr.. Sharp was asked by Mr.. Maroon q
score or more times where he was upon the
morning of February % at 7:20 o'clock and
how he happened to be there, and when he
began on another tack the poor witness
looked tired hot and cross, but he kept his
temper admirably. The crowd didn't. They
were not as we'll pleased, but Mr. Marion
was oblivious to the feelings of the crowd,
as he was getting well warmed up to his
task and Mr.. Mcclure had ceased his cough
ing. Sharp's cross-examination lasted fully
one and half hours and the result obtained
by Mr.. Marion was that Mcclure had posi-
lively sworn to buying q paper which had
not been sold; that the store was
open at that particular time in that
particular morning because the
servant girl was cleaning it out
Furthermore, that Mr.. Sharp always arose
at 3 o'clock on Sunday mornings, so he
could go to the newspaper offices and let
the papers be subsequently delivered to
carriers and newsboys; that he always eats
breakfast Sunday morning, and also on
other mornings, and generally ate about the
same time on Sunday mornings; that he
left his store about o'clock on that morn
ing, that his wife left at noon, that the
servant girl left before either, and that
there were absolutely no papers sold on
Sundays
The Cash Handled on Saturday Night.
He said the newsboys and carriers paid for
their papers the night before they were de-
Hvered, and that there were generally
number of papers left over from the
amount given to the neWsboYs.