St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-03-10
A FLOOD OF ELoQUEACE.
ARGUMENTS or COUNTY ATTORNEY
HYE AND Mr.. 8YREES


and Than the Jury-A Crush
OF Humanity in the Court
! Room.
The arguments in the Floyd trial
were made yesterday. and Frank Nye,
, the prosecuting attorney. made the
! effort of his life, from an oratorical
point of view. He made an elaborate
! exposition of the evidence in the case,
! and in an eloquent manner depicted the
/ worthless character of the defendants.
! He concluded his address at 4:l5. after
speaking four hours and ten minutes
Then Mr.. Byrnes took up the cudgel in
! defense of his clients, and occupied the
! remaining time in cleaning off the mud
! thrown by The opposing colnsel. He
! VIII take two hours today and finish at
! noon. In the afternoon Judge Jamison
Will charge the jury, and it is expected
/ the jury will retire not later than
o'clock.
There was tremendous push in the
; court room and at no time of the day,
| after court had once begun, was it pos
! sible to effect all entrance without the
aid of battering rams. Women and
''Cholly boys" predominated in
this crush of sweating humanity.
Three score of the former
went to the court room early
in the morning armed with starched
! skirts and lunch baskets. When court
i adjourned for dinner these three score
women declined TO bulge from their
! seats. They just sat there and luncbed
and lunched, and when the afternoon
session began they had their seats. That
! WAS enough for them. Fully 200 women
attended the trial during the day, ana it
/ is estimated 50 per cent of them were
married and had children. How many
husbands dined at lunch counters, and
how many infants bawled, squalled and
| sprawled about on the floors, while the
| wives and mothers attended the Floyd
trial is matter of serious conjecture.
Judge JamisOn remarked yesterday he
was heartily sick of the whole affair
! He was Surieited. In his address 10 the
| jury Mr. Nye said in part:
Now. what is this defense, In its
core, in its hear? l need not 90 over
! the long story that is before you; but
/ the defense is, and everything hangs
upon the thread, which you have seen
/ snapped asuEder, that Phil Scheig was
| uoNIIIS liOUOit Will HIS lltLlG VILE anu
| he must get ont of the country and ples
tend to kill himself Whv, whoever
! claims it is true shows consciences and
hearts for the Floyds worse tn all that
| of the thief. A mother, capable of
| honest love for her sons and who pro.
| feSSeS love for their boon companion,
/ cannot invoke defense like this with
out invoking the severest censuIe.
| Why, according to her story, she loved
! Phillip NJ. Scheig as her own sons. If
| she was sincere then the honest future
| of her SONS friend was next TO that of
! her own sons. And could she seek to
| separate the husband from the young
I wife, TO give the IDEA OF suicide-Send
back that cruel shaft to the ruined
| household. say that if they, 10 es-
cape a few years of servitude can con-
| coct such tale. then they are guilty of a
| crueler, worse wrong than the one Of
| Phillip NJ. Schieg himself"
/ The stentoriaG voice of the speaker
! then broke forth and poured solemn
wrath upon the head of Mrs. Flol d. who
sat pale and flinchlng before the point-
ed finger OF the figure standing before
| her.
Yes, Mrs. Floyd is free. Let her go
! out into tie world, free from the law OF
! this court. She IS a mother and wom-
q
! of heaven Will follow her. The memory
OF this dark hour Will never leave her 10
! the passing of her last moments, and
! she Will pray her God TO remove the
! burden Of guilt from her conscience"
At AIS Attorney Tim Byrnes for the
! defense began his address to the iury.
/ Ills Introduction was crowded with i'll
! termingled praise, surprise and grief al
the treatment OF Mrs. Floyd by Mr. ye.
/ He said:
The first act in this terrible drama
! has been played. l have Just listened
! 10 the most magnificent and eloquent
J effort l have ever had the pleasure TO
hear in 4 court of justice. Picturesque
/ and vast in proportions, tue words OF
| my fIiend Mr.. Nye have reached out,
! taking hold of the very heartstringS Of
the people gathered mere, and have
moved every member of the jury. If |
| had the eloQuence OF my friend and the
/ beauty of his speech. would have this
! jury return u verdict OF Not guilty in
/ side of fifteen minutes after | had hH-
! ished. | have observed here a scene
! today, scene like unto which | have
never before witnessed. When my
| friend Nye SO far forgot his galIantry as
to stick the dagger OF prejudice into the
, very heart OF an innocent woman,
turned about and saw a woman who
| only yesterday brought me evidence
! against the man who sits there" point
! ing TO Phil Schelg, "a woman who was
! former paramour Of Phil Scheig:
| saw her lea dIng IN the unseemly ap-
! plauSe that broke forth. l saw mothers.
! TOO, III their applause. aiding III driving
| deeper into the heart OF this woman
| here the poisonous dagger of prejudice,
| ana l said. OH. my Got! can this be
| justice?'"
why is it that this mob clamors for
blood?" exclaimed the speaker, gazing
| about with Quivering chin, so intense
were his wrnught-up feelings. cit is
| the sentiment" he continued, cot the
| mob who takes a man to a tree and
| hangs him without trial. Gentlemen.
| what Is judge and jury for but to
! render justice? But do not falter, for
| l look upon the bench and | see one
| who has been my dearest friend since
| my boyhood days. and l say, Here is
! one who will see that l have JUSTICE
| And, gentlemen, ask You to cast aside
all this prejudice, and standing here,
| ask you Tor Justice-l ask you for
! justice"
| While he was speaking the eyes of
Judge Jalnison grew dim with tears
! that lie could not stay. and lis entire
| demeauor showed that he was greatly
| affected by the reference of Mr.. Byrnes.
| The speaker said that be agreed with
the attorney that the libertine, thief and
| gambler were not entitled To the same
! consideration as other people are. bur
! asked why 1t was that Phil Scheig was
upheld while the Floyds were down
| trodden. The speaker did not think il
hardly fair that the beautiful young
wife of Mr.. Scheig should have been al
| lowed TO appear in the court room. as
he thought her presence carried a Ger
tain amount of influence in the case.
While he was speaking Mr.. Byrnes
took the opportunity to roast Mr.. Scheig
| to his hearts content, and he did
| thorough job while he Was about it.
| u may seem little severe" he said
TO The jury, but these words hurt me
more than they do Mr.. Scheig. | could,
if | wished, paint you picture of deg
radiation in many homes of this city,
where Phil Scheig was chief actor,
I; but | have left all this out. aud have
| tiled NY case in another Way'