The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1894-11-09
STILL CALLING IT AN ACCIDENT.
Attorney Strong's Reference to the
YoIo Train Wreck.
Everyone Villains Except the Men
Who Murdered Five Innocent
FelIow-Creatures.
snec,al TO the REcoRD-UNroS.

woon1AND. Nov. S.-Promptly at III
o'clock to-day Attorney Strong began MS
argument in defense OF Worden. he
began by referring to the gathering OF
froops in Sacramento as an attempt 10
coerce honest workingmen, and declared
hat the recent strike was due to an at
tempt of rich corporation to tyrannlZe an
army of wage-earners. and that the
strikers were only asking chance to
earn enough to feed and clothe their fam
lies. He referred to the grand and
gorgeous Fourth OF July last as not being
q day of liberty. sit was one of tumult,
of strife, of dissension and OF slavery,
and while these men were on the verge
of desperation, Harry A. Knox mounted
a car and pleaded with them not TO resort
to violence"
mo such testimony in evidence" in
terrupted Mr.. Cook, and Worden ex-
claimed. THAT'S right! Knox ola no
such thingW
This interruption broke Strong's now
of eloquence, and he at once look up the
evidence of the detectives and referred TO
these men as hired agents OF the railroad,
with the sole aim in life OF swearing
away the lives of innocent men. Counsel
used the model OF the track introduced
in evidence TO illustrate his theory OF the
accident" and tried to convince the
jury that the condition OF the track ana
the position of the rails were such that
the wreck could not have been caused by
design. he reviewed at length the EVIL
dence of the boy Sherburn and said that
the testimony OF this witness was manu-
featured TOR the occasion aud not to be
relied upon.
He went over the entire ground alleged
TO have been travelled over by Worden
on the day Of the wreck, and notwith-
standing the witnesses for the proSecu-
ton, Strong located Worden at the rooms
of the Mediation Committee Ill Sacra-
mento when he should have boon at the
trestIe. He said that Graham, the track
walker, was more guilty of murder than
Worden, because he did not nag the
train and prevent the wreck. he also
said that the failure oil the prosecution 10
corroborate the testimony OF Graham
was fatal to the prosecution and conse-
quently it was their duty to acqult the
accused, and he hoped and believed the
jury would do so. Counsel paid his
compliments TO Detective Burke, and
said he had not earned an honest dollar
in twenty wears. He characterized him
as perjurer. hired by a gigantic corpo-
ration TO send the souls of honest men TO
everlasting punishment"
After the noon recess Strong again re-
sumed his argument, and dealt with the
testimony OF the alibl with at length.
He referred TO the confession OF w orden,
and stated that Worden had denied to
him that he had made the confession, and
declared that Detective Stillwell and the
attorney for the prosecution were the
only persons who knew OF its existence.
Stillweli came in for roasting at the
hands of the counsel, who said he be-
lieved that WOrden wrote the statement,
and that he expected 10 be discharged
and receive S5UO from Stlllwell, who
wanted the confession" for the purpose
of convicting Hatch and Appleman.
Counsel declared that Worden was
crazy, and cited the fact of his taking the
Sherburn boy with him on his ride to the
trestle as being conclusive on this point.
He closed his remarks with an eloquent
appeal for the liberty OF his client, and
declared that no jury could conscienti-
ously convict him on the testimony as in
troduced.
MIR. Cook then began his talk on the
part of the prosecution. He declared
that the case demanded simply resume
of the facts, as brought out by the evil
dence, and that no attempt at oratory
would be made by him. He characterized
the wrecking of the train and the killing
of Samuel Clark as a red-handed MUIR
der, and declared that the recent uprising
of the railroad strikers was not just up
rising in the cause of labor; that our very
nation was trembling in the balance, and
only by the prompt and decisive action of
our Chief Executive did we avert the ca
lamity which threatened the very found
alton of our Government.
He likened the accused men to band
of assassins, and predicted that justice
would now overtake them one and all.
Mr.. Cook paid high compliment to At
torney Strong for the manner in which
he defended his client against, in his
judgment. an overwhelming amount of
evidence, both direct and circumstantial.
He explained TO the jury that their ver-
dict must be either guilty OF murder in
the first degree or acquittal.
That poor engineer, those poor sold
iers, regardless OF their homes, regardless
OF their loved ones, regardless of the
gray hairs of their poor mothers, were
sent to their eternal home without a mo-
ment's notice, and you are here, gentle
men of the jury, to determine whose hand
it was that deprived their earthly homes of
loving father, or devoted brother, and
it is your duty to meet out justice TO the
guilty hand of the cowardIy assassin
pleaded the attorney.
He reviewed the argument of the attor-
ney for the defense, and pointed out what
he deemed the weaker points. He then
turned to the evidence and began a mi
mute analysis of the testimony. He i'm
pressed upon the jury the fact that even
If Worden left the carriage at the cross
ing, as he claims to have done, he was
still as guilty in the eyes of the law as if
he had gone to the trestle and lighted the
fuse that exploded the powder.
Mr.. Cook had not finished when the
time for adjournment arrived, and will
conclude tomorrow morning. The case
will probably go 10 the jury in the after
noon.