The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-01-07
COL. DANIEL X. BAIIOU.


The sturdy common sense of the New
Englander and his unbiased second
thought rarely allows him to submit
quietly to an injustice of any kind, and
when that injustice seems TO be directed
against one whose reputation and integ-
rity is and always has been above re-
yoach, the Purtan's feelings are usually
expressed in manner too positive to
admit of doubt as to his opinion.
AT the moment of writing it is of
course impossible to state exactly what
the result of the charges preferred or
said to have been preferred against Mr..
Daniel II. Ballou, will be, but if Mr..
Ballou ever had any suspicion that his
friends doubted his entire innocence of
such charges that suspicion must have
dispelled by the greeting which was ac-
corded him yesterday by all who knew
him. These men, and there were scores
of them, asked for no personal refuta-
ton Of the accusations reported from
Denver. They wanted none. They
knew the man, and the confidence in
him which had grown ont Of years of
acquaintance needed no strengthening
in their minds. Not one doubt arose;
not one question was asked as to the
facts of the case, but almost every one
expressed the thought ''can | be Of any
service TO you, Mr.. Ballou? If / can
you have only to speak"
And these words not only indicate the
feelings of those who called personally
but they are the expression of the senti-
ment of the whole community. No one
could have failed to notice how, during
the whole trial, there has seemed TO be
an attempt to smirch the character of
Mr.. Ballou. He was recognized as the
most intimate personal counsel of the
accused. He was known to be the only
attorney for the defendant who had had
personal relations with him for
any long period of time. He was, as it
were. the shield which stood between
the doctor and his accusers. Ii was
shrewd move therefore on the part of
the prosecution to attack the character
of Col. Ballou. If his character could
be sullied then DR.. Graves would have
no intimate friend from his home
who could effectually plead his case,
and left thus partially defenceless con-
viction would be the more easy. While,
however, this move seems TO have been
jury in Denver Qor we believe that no
Eastern lawyer looked for conviction on
the evidence presented) it has not been
effective here in lowering the reputation
of Mr.. Ballou. On the contrary it has
caused revulsion of feeling in his favor
that cannot be mistaken.
Shrewdness has outdone itself, and the
result is not to the credit of those who
are supposed to have originated this in
direct method of attack upon the pris-
oner-a method which can be justified
neither by moral law nor by zeal for
truth, and certainly not by any legal
usage known TO lawyers of repute. The
well-worn saying: when you have no
case abuse the opposing attorney may
be an excellent motto in some States,
but it is out of date in New England.
We have higher grounds of action than
that, and the attorney who has been the
subject OF such treatment in Denver re-
turned home two days ago only to find
that, instead of being the object of sus-
picion. as was apparently intended by
his opponents, he is the much loved,
much trusted and highly honorcd citi-
zen in community where justice is the
foundation Of public opinion.