The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-09-18

Lees, who was specially engaged in this
case. All they had to do was to stand
upon Lone Mountain and sound the horn,
Ike Roderick Dhu, and thousands OF
people would flock TO their bidding GU
have heard Mrs. Tibbets; you have wit
messed the attack upon her. Has any
oody been able to produce aught against
ner? ask you If many men or women
In THIS city and county of San Francisco
can stand the test"
Then johnson started to denounce the
metDods nf the other side. He said: The
little !oker-not to say trick, for they
don't Ike that-the little joke: played by
the other side in handing her forged
VIII Is OF no account. II it were Brock
enfeld or Schmidt, or Maxwell. or Foele,
You might pay some attentian to it, They
are tferent They claim to be experts.
/ But to her, poor old woman, who can
hardly read and write il was boys play.
1t shows how easy it is for money to buy
brains and procure forgeries. Then
johnson read with great gusto sections 133
and 134 of the Penal Code, referring to
frauds practiced on witnesses. 81 read
that law for you to think OF, and for the
! other SIDE to answer, If they can.
Did Guldsten procure any fther ex-
hfbits? Did he forge anything else? Did
he have the first will in his possession
during the four months 1t was absent from
/ the County Clerks office? Did he tamper
| with 1t? make no charges; l simply ask
| the questions and / ask you to answer
them yourselves" In leaving the Ques-
ton OF the testimony of Mrs. TIbbets,
! johnson reminded the jury that she was
cOrrOborated on all sides, and by no one
more than by the druggist, Kearney, whose
| testimony was never attacked. COrrOb-
GRATED as she was by every witness in the
case. cOrroborated as she was by herself
| as an honest woman, she ought to be be-
! lieved. Nor did the other sides prOduc-
| Of IF dicfa M of
| Sheridan came to the battle of Winches-
ter, although twenty miles away, so Henry
Mar in went to Mrs. Tibbets' house,
although mile away. Pm not so old but
L can remember that battle.
Nor do l care for experts. I'm not so
/ old but l can remember when Edison was
| denounced as a crank, Morse considered a
! lunatc. Yet every day since the begin
| ming of this trial have cOnveTsed over the
wire with nv son in Sacramento. So 10
| this case. This woman spoke the truth.
| She knew these things because she saw
them-in spite of experts.
That old woman is no perjurer. She
| told the truth. And unless you believe
that she has the soul of a devil you must
| believe her testimony. If you decide
against this will you denounce her as
perjurer; you brand her with the brand
Of Cain.
| IF good old honest Jennie Tibbets
| lied then fifteen good witnesses in this
case lied also. Are there no honest peo-
/ pie in this world?
"Can no one in San Francisco tell the
truth except ex-Msyors, exhibited States
| Senators, bank clerks and rich people !?
Except in the classic precincts of the lit
tie village of Weaverville? An adverse
verdict in this case means that poor peO-
pie cannot tell the truth. That is the only
construction that can be put upon It,"
Johnson once mora called attention to
hn font hat fba Il 4.
| cuSed of perjury in this case were women,
Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Corn wall, Mrs. Tibbets.
! If these peOI lie were peTjurerS all the other
! witnesses were perlurerS by Inference, and
why the wholesale accusations of perjury
''They say the second will is false We
have already proved it genuine. Tney say
| the letter Of February %, 1899, is a forgery.
| We have already proved 1t to be genuine.
! Yet the eXigeucies of the case demanded
that they pronounce it forgery. They
say the same of the letter OF Kebru-
ary q, 1892. They say it was forged be-
tween a Friday and a Monday. That's all
rot, all stuff. lu the language of the boys
of the street, its punk Gentlemen. there
sits General Barnes" pointing with his
finger at the compliment Old war horse.
They dared not ask the general that ques-
ton about that letter when l withdrew my
| objection to H."
Referring to the nOn-producti0n of the
letter of February "a, 1892, Johnson said
| MRS. Martin sws6Ts she made solemn
promise TO her mother. She is uncon-
tradicted. And who is there of yon, gen.
tlemeD. that does not know the value of
| such a promise. My mother is Dead
and here the speakers voice broke. For
forty years | have not known the touch of
mothers caress, the sound of a mothers
voice. Yet. ii she were alive, would l
| break solemn promise given to nv
mother ? Would any q f you, gent emen ?
| No / MN nnF Y 4
rather sink into the depths of sin than
! violate such a promise.
"Whv not give Isabella J. Martin the
credit for THIS little good. God knows she
needs it. Give her the benefit of it, de-
spite the sneerS of the learned counsel on
the other side. Counsel laugh to seorn the
statements of their own witness. | ask
you to believe that she is actuaed by the
| same thoughts and feelings as other
| human beings. We do not understand
! her sorrow; we are not called upon to de-
fend her, but we know that her reasons
! are human"
| Then johnson spoke of the reasons that
doubtless actuated Henry Martin in max
! ing this second will on the eve of his
| death.
''He either loved this baby boy because
he was the offs prinR of his brother John
or because be was the sinless child of the
| sin OF this woman and himself. He want
ed 10 provide fer the Little boy. He had
no idea that his will would be contested
| Sick and weary in body and in mind, sur-
rowful at the recoliectiOns of the past
| Sorr0wing for The occurances of the pres
ent, his own wife sick. his sister-iu-law in
| poverty, oppressed with his OVID loneli-
ness, burdened with his own misdeeds.
remem bering at last his gratitude TO his
brother John, feeling upon bis lips the
kisses of the baby boy, feeling upon his
| heart the baby image stamped there by
| love and by sorrow, is it any wonder that
| he poured out his secret and told the
truth Il is his will. 1t is the express
! sion Of his last wishes"
johnson smoke of the witches of Endnr
| and said: "Oh, that | had their power
l would summon Henry Martin here 10
TIL bis own story. l can almost feel the
rustic of air now as he comes in and
| stauds before me and you" He spoke of
| BelshaZzar'S feast, aud of the finger that
wrote on the wall the doom of King and
| kingdom. So, he maintained, MARTA
would act, could his spirit appear. He
would say: ut lies with you to repair
wrong did. Give tue boy his due and l
will bless you"
Thus. gentlemen, said the speaker,
with tears in his eyes, "spesks Henry
| Martin from his grave"
| johnson spoke of the testimony of the
witness Hutchinson, ''fresh from Nova
| Scotia" He said he held tho hand of