Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1895-03-08
ELOQUENT erwin.
8trong Plea Made for Harry
Hayward by His Lead
ing Attorney.
TEENS WITH FIERCE INVECTIVE.
The Prosecution and Its Lead
ing Witnesses Bitterly
Denounced.
BLIXT HIS CENTRAL TARGET.

blIAI HIS CtN nal IAKdE ].
Alleged Accomplish Comes in
for a Most Scathing Ar
raignment.
MINNEAPOLIS, March 7.-The thou.
sands who crowded into the criminal
courtroom to hear Attorney Erwin's
plea listened to the bitterest and most
soathing arrignment that ever issued
from the lips of man. An attack on the
character Of the states witnesses had
been expected from the defense in the
Hayward case, and there had been gen.
eral recognition Of the power that lay
in the tall, ungainly frame of the coun.
sci for tho accused, but if any antici.
pated the picture he drew of crawling,
groveling, fear-crazed criminality, tc
illustrate Claus Blixt's relation to this
case, there was nothing in the thou
sand awe-struck Mortified faces turned
toward him to indicate that it waa
what they expected.
Was . Memorable Effort.
It was q day of triumph for w. w.
Erwin. Whatever may be the outcome
of a trial in which extraordinary cir.
cumstances have conspired to defeat
him, his effort will linger for years
in the memory of the vast crowed
that surged in the old court room.
And the student of criminal procedure
cannot do better than study the remark
able speech Of that truly remarkable
man.
Mr.. Erwin began his address promptly
at 10 a. m. before an audience that filed
the room to the point of suffocation.
At o'clock, when court adjourned, he
announced that he was but halt
through.
His Picture of Blixt.
With gestures so hideously uncanny
that they stirred the hearts Of men and
women alike, Erwin pictured this MUIR
derer from his point Of view. With
back curved in bow and face distorted
beyond human conception Of hideous-
ness-his long fingers hanging loosely
downward, Erwin pictured Blixt as
bloody-minded scoundrel from the tips
of whose CORY fingers the blood Of poor
Catherine Cling was constantly and for
ever dripping, and dripping and drip
ping.
Judas, after he had slain the Saviour,
contemplated his own uselessness and
hung himself. That was what Bixt
should have done, and then the forgive
ness of God, MISREPRESENTATION, then
forgiveness.
The Weakness of Adry.
Another witness for the state was G
man so weak and deformed Of mind
that he had not been able to compre-
bend even the divine command
''honor thy father and mother" man
so in-starred of mentality that he be.
came highway robber-plotted crime
for recreation, and ended by plotting
the death and destruction Of brother.
This was the creature by means OF
whose falsehood and perjury on the wit
ness stand the state had offered to cor
roborate Claus Alfred Blixt. Recreant,
renegade to soul and mind and blood
this tiger, this fiend in human shape,
had been placed on the witness stand to
corroborate a cruel, bloody, shameful,
hypocritical murderer, a canting tiger
of bloody mien-these were the wit
nesses the state asked the jury to
believe.
A. to Wilson and jerks.
Erwin paid his respects to M. B.
Wilson and George w. jerks and
wound up by stating that this long in
troductory address had been made in
order properly to prepare the minds of
the Jury to consider the evidence.
Mr.. Erwin entered in an explanation
of the rules under which the jurors are
to act in arriving at verdict. These
rules, he hoped, would be prominently
brought into view in this case.
He wished the jury to fully under
stand the position of the attorneys for
the defense. Their duty first was to aid
the court in setting forth all the evil
dence, and in the second place to aid the
jury in sitting as the august judge OF
the facts.
Analysing the Testimony.
II am here to help you find the
TRUTH" said Mr.. Erwin in entering upon
an analysis of the testimony. ''What-
ever may have been my ambition when
young man, that is gone. I am here,
and with Gods help, will try to show
you the light, the truth. You are here
to seek justice and truth, and not to
meet the approval Of public clamor. Let
us see what this case is? The defendant
is accused of inducing Claus A. Blixt to
take the life of Catherine Cling. What
evidence does the state rely upon? You
look at the evidence and not the charge.
> Who are the persons relied upon? Whose
evidence alone is relied upon? Here
you are confronted by your first duty.
The States Witnesses.
"You may be careful who you bring;
but if you bring murderers and insane
men we will criticise. And who have
they brought Aman from whose finger
tips the blood Of Catherine Cling is con-
tinually dripping, while from his eyes