The Daily Texarkanian., 1894-05-09
C0MM0NwEAL COMMANDERS.
The Great TriO" Convicted After
-Four Days Trial at
Washington.


The main feature of yesterdays
session of the trial of Coxey and his
Lieutenants, Brown and Jones, in
the city court at Washington D. c.,
was General Coxey's explanation
of his plans for redeeming the I'm
tied States Government from inn
pending dissolution.
1t is apparent that the case is be-
ing tested on the broad grounds of
justification for Coxey's movement,
for the assistant district attorney
in his opening address called Brown
a crank and did not hesitate to in
innate that he was a knave, while
the opposing lawyers endeavored to
make the trial appear a persecution
of the people by plutocrats and ap-
pealed to animosity against Wall
street.
The defense had its Ginning" in
the police court trial, where the
leaders of the commonweal-Coxey
Brown and Jones-are on trial for
their Mayday demonstration at the
Capitol. Attorney Hyman, who
defends Brown and Jones, made the
opening for the defense There
was no denial or defense for what
the Commonwealers had done, he
began. The defense would insist in
the lawfulness Of their actions. He
could remember but one similar,
occurance in history, the attorney
said, and thereupon he produced a
Bible and began to read pass
age.
"I must object to that, inter
posed the district attorney. "The |
gentleman should confne himself to
statement of fact
'Does the attorney deny that this
is fact?" demanded the lawyer,
holding his Bible aloft dramatically
He was permitted to proceed and
read the passage of the old Testa-
ment reciting that the Lord had
commanded Moses to take off his
hat because he trod on holy ground.
He had not talked long before judge
Miller was compelled to make the
same objection raised by the dis
trict attorney, and to request the
lawyer to devote himself to the re-
cital of what. was intended to be
proved.
Instead of police the defense
would call citizens who witnessed
the occurrence, Mr.. Hyman said.
From his somewhat discussive stat
ment, it was gathered that the de-
fense would be based largely on the
brutality Of the police in clubbing
citizens. 1t was to be shown that
Coxey had not walked on the grass
and that Brown had been driven
through the shrubbery by the po-
lice.
The first witness for the defense
was Mr.. Frank Harper, a young |
newspaper man from Alexandria,
Va. According to his story the po-
lice had driven the citizens on the
grass before the procession arrived |
in order to clear the pathways. He
saw General Coxey arrive. The
general wore nothing designed to
draw notice to his organization but |
walked SO quietly to the steps that |
he was not recognized until the
people who knew him pointed him
out. Thirteen police stood on the
steps and surrounded the general
when he arrived. The witness was
certain that Coxey had not walked |
on the grass
Numerous other witnesses were
examined and cross examined, in
the course of the days proceeding,
and it is thought that the end of
the trial was very near, when court
adjourned for the day.
LATER.
Washington, May 8.-The three
leadert of the Commonweal, Coxey,
Browne and Christopher Columbus
Jones, have been found guilty of
violating the laws by jury of their
peers and will have to submit to a
sentence thereafter to be imposed
by the court for their recent dem
onstration on the Capitol grounds.
Thus ends what its leaders styled
"the greatest march of the nine
teenth century"
All three of the accused were
convicted on the first count Of the
indictment, which charged them
with displaying banner designed
10 hrinr into nnblic notice the j. S.