The weekly tribune., 1894-05-11
COXEY'S DEFENSE.
Attorney Hyman Made the Opening
Statement for the Common
wealers Yesterday.
The Defense Based Largely on the
Brutality Of the Police In Club
bing the Citizens.


bing the Citizens.
WASHINGTON, May THE defense
had its inning today in the trial Of Coxey,
Brown, and Jones for the May day deco
ration. Attorney Hyman mode the open
ing statement for the defense. There
was no denial or defense for what the
commonwealers had done, he began.
The defense would consist in the law
fulness Of their actions. He remem-
bered OF but one similar occurrence in
history, and thereupon he produced q
Bible and began to read scriptural pas
sage. "The gentleman should confine
himself to statement Of facts" inter-
posed the district attorney. "Does
the attorney deny that this is fact?"
demanded the young attorney, holding
the Bible aloft dreamily. He was per-
mitted to read the passage from the Old
Testament reciting how the Lord COM
manded Moses to take off his hat be-
cause he trode on holy ground. From
his discureive statement It was gathered
that the defense would be based largely
upon the brutality OF the police in club
bing the citizens. 1t would be shown
that Coxey had not walked on the grass
and that Browne had been driven into
and through the shrubbery by the police.
Frank Harper, newspaper man from
Alexander, Va, testified that the police
had driven citizens on the grass before
the procession arrived, in order to clear
the path. Coxey walked 30 quickly to
the steps that he was not recognized
until the people pointed him out. Thir.
teen police surrounded the general when
he arrived. The witness was certain
that Coxey had not walked on the grass.
On croas-examination he said there were
five or six thousand people waiting,
cheering for Coxey.
"Disorderly, were they not?" inquired
the district attorney.
"Oh, no; they had tne right to cheer.
They were American citizens The police
came near running down q little girl in
front Of hin. He had been ordered of
the asphalt streets two or three times,
but returned every time"
Then you disobeyed the police?" said
the district attorney.
"The police are not the law. They are
the agents Of the people to carry out the
law" was the reply. "One person in the
crowd on the grass was Senator Allen"
Witness number two was Samuel L.
Perrick, colored. When asked his bust.
ness he explained: II am one of the
army Of the unemployed" Until the
beginning Of the democratic demon.
stration he had been employed in the
treasury. He swore that Coxey did not
touch the grass.
Being called upon to give ruling upon
a question asked this witness, Judge
Miller said it might be mitigating
circumstance bearing upon the intent
to violate the law, that the defendant
had been forced upon the grass by
circumstances. The judge added a
hundred violations of the law did not
excuse one violation. This witness had
also seen the police drive the people on
the grass.
| On n Stolen Train.
PUEBLO, Col, May 9.-The Cripple
Creek Coxeyites, who seized the train
here and started east last night, got
around the obstruction at Olney caused
by the ditching Of an engine by laying a
new track and resumed their journey.
Superintendent Derby has ordered the
water drawn from all the tanks along
the road, and distractions placed in the
way of the train, wherever possible by
wrecking engines. Not a regular train
is moving on the road in Colorado today
The Coxeyites and their stolen train en-
countered another obstacle near Arling.
ton, eighty miles east of this city, where
four engines we're ditched by order oi
Superintentent Derby. The industrials
are now laying track around the OBJ.
struction. Sheriff Moses has been all
the morning trying to raise posse to
capture Saunders and his army, but &c
far has been unable to secure more thar
forty men. The railroad authorities
are in communication with Judge
Hallett Of Denver, in regard tc
securing federal aid. The industrialf
are stalled at Haswell, twelve miles east
of Arlington, by four engines being
ditched in a cut. At latest accounts
they were tearing up and relaying the
track. At Ordway the water in the en-
gine gave out and they obtained sup
ply from a we'll, carrying it in their din
ner pals and coffee cups. The Saun
ders industrials have got beyond Has
we'll and are going east. Another en-
CINE has been ditched at Diston, II!
miles from Pueblo. Saunders train hal
passed Eads, the last station west O
Diston, where another engine wa
ditched.