The San Francisco call., 1895-12-19
AN OFFICER CRITICIZED.
Secret Service Agent Harris Denounced
in the Howell Case.


in the Howell Case.
The Federal Governments Secret Service
Agent, Nicholas r. Harris-the man
whose work is to see that individuals do
not put into practice the theory of free
and unlimited coinage of silver, nor fol-
low the fine art of converting base metal
and other doubtful alloys into supposed
coin of the realm-was on the gridiron
yesterday in the Howell counterfeiting
case.
For some weeks this case has been going
on in the United States District Court be-
fore jury of business men and Judge
Morrow, but at last the argument has been
reached, and yesterday was devoted to
persuasive eloquence by both sides. The
patient and long-suffering jury took it all
good-naturedly, and the court was model
OF liberation. The argument will continue
to-day.
A casual listener would have supposed
from hearing the impetuous and vehement
oratory of Attorney Evans S. Pillsbury,
one of the defendants advocates, that Mr..
Harris and not Martin D. Howell of Stock
ton was the man whom they were to pro-
nounce guilty or innocent. Mr.. Pillsbury
trained all the artillery of his voca bulary
on Harris, and the latter had TO take 1t, for
to the license allowed attorneys in cham
pioning their cause to twelve good men
and true he has long grown accustomed.
Assistant United States District At
torney knight and Mr.. Pillsbury
divided the day between them, Mr..
Knight occupying the forenoon and
Mr.. Pillsbury the afternoon. This morn
ing Attorney Joseph D. Campbell will be-
gin where Mr.. Pillsbury left off, and will
make the oratorical effort of his life it is
anticipated to save his client from the
penitentiary. Finally District Attorney
Foote will close for the Government.
Mr.. Knight reviewed the evidence
against Howell step by step, dilating upon
the voluntary appearance of Matt Jones in
court to contradict Howell's old defense
the HarSin suory-which had succeeded in
tying up the iuries in the two former trials,
ana he chanced to remark that "Mr. Har-
ris believed the defendant guilty" This
was the cue for Mr.. Plllsbury.
No terms of reproach seemed too offens-
i've in Mr.. Pillsbury's illusions to Harris.
He referred to him as ''tiend, " hound"
and ''cur," and accused him over and
over again of "hounding Howell to the
penitentiary," while the "self-confessedly
guilty ones-Matt Jones and Fred Marsh
were granted immunity from prosecu-
tion.'
Mr.. Pillsbury's precise words should not
be reproduced in print. Carried away by his
solicitude for Howell his argument was al
most entirely long string of abuse of Har-
ris, and all the category of canine epithets
were exhausted. The idea he endeavored
TO i'm press was that Harris was merciless
sleuth of the Government, relentlessly pur-
suing an innocent man to felon's cell.
Insinuations were MADE in the most pro-
miscuous manner. Pillsbury observed that
Laura Welks (now SchnelD, Government
witness ana formerly domestic in How
elPs employ, had received about $1,000 in
all in witness fees, etc., and he endeavored
to make it appear that Matt Jones was
really the guilty one. He argued that
Jones' knowledge of this guilt made him
take flight into Mexico, via Ell Paso, from
Stockton, and with "stolen" money in his
pockets ''ieave his wife and children be-
hind to exc out the best existence they
could. Mr.. Pillsbury dilated upon Jones'
leaving his family.
He concluded by hoping that when the
members of the jury were enjoying their
Christmas at home and by their family