Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-07-27
JURY HAVE THE CASE
To-Day VIII Probably End the Cele'
bFated haSSey-PilOt Suit.
THE PROCEEDINGS YESTERDAY.
Er. Thorn Makes The Concluding ArSu-
msnt for the Plaintiff.
A MOST MASTERLY EFFORT.
A MOST MASTERLY EFFORT.
He Pays His Respects 10 Mr.. Wise in
Plain English.
RHYME. REASON. AND SARCASM.


lafi inc 'tltbIdttn euSc OF thc Hon. JOhn
l.. Massey vs.. the Pilot Publishing Com
pauy and others has been given to the
jury.
Tho end. so FAR as The counsel in the
cause were concerned. was reached at
] sd to-day. when Mr. a. j.. Thorn made
the closing argument for the plaintiff.
Immediately after court convened. Mr..
Thorn arose. and. addressing Judge Prem
ts. sail that ne regretted exceedingly
90 announce the iudisposition of Mr..
Wllkc. the associated counsel. who was
81 have concluded the argument for plain
tiN. and then stated that he had been
called upon to fll his place.
With that brief Introduction. the speak
or at once proceeded with an argu-
ment which lasted three hours. Not
outstanding the fact that Mr.. Thorn
bad opened the case. ana had apparently
done himself full Justice. yet in his close
DIS argument was even moro eXhaus-
tive. his reasoning more logical, and
DIS Efforts more able than in his first
speech.
ln commencing his argument. Mr. Thorn
raI that he must call attention of
the jury to the methods Of attack en-
Noyel by the gentlemen representing the
defence Two of the gentlemen who had
preceded him had made strenuous ef-
forts {. cruelty the plaintiff upon the
cross Of a date They had gone over the
financial transactions of fifteen years.
and b""iuse at times the plaintiff had
made mistakes they had tried 70 make
capital out of such error lie argued
that the Same responsibility rested upon
sworn attorney in the discharge Of his
duty as rested upon the shoulders Of a
witness upon tho stand. He said the
defence had lai1 great stress upon the
Few inaccuracies OF the plaintif. while
they, with Ike responsibility. had filed
their statements to the jury with mac
Clracies and Interpretations.
lie then took mp the itsmizel statement
Of Mr. Aassey's receipts and disburse-
mcuts for three years. claiming that this
was fair example of ali and spoke from
this text for nearly an hour
The gist Of his criticism Of the de-
fence VAS th7t thsy haG tired 20 impress
upon the jury that the accounts were
accurate ON one eide--viz.. 'he iu-
come-ard grossly Inaccurate as 10 the
expenditures. lie called the attention OF
the jury 60 the fact that Mr.. Wis., had
made a desperate effort 10 discrcdit Mr.
Massey testimony as 90 his financial
transactions on the ground of the mac
CuTacy of the accounts from which he
derived his Information. ana yet ne asked
the jury 10 give fun credeucc 60 his tanu-
lated statement of figures. whom II had
teen forced under the eyes ~ the jury
He further pointed out that Mr.. Wise had
eudeaVorel TO show that the amounts
paid for labor ON the farm We're grossly
Inadequate but ne failed in that con-
nectiou 20 call attention 10 the Welt
known fact that tho greater portion OF
the farm-wases paid i'm the South are
paid in produce and provisions and not
in money. The defence had tried 30 dis
parage the productive POWER of Mr. Mas
sey's farm bur N his (ThOm's) experience
amounted 20 anything, II took "a pretty
good farm % require 5000 barn lie
said Nr. Wise had eniedvorcd 10 prove
Mr. Nasseys accounts to have been
falslhed. and yet in the same breath hal
taken advantage Of these self-same ac-
counts 10 fasten upon the plaintiff the
charge Of bribery.
VERY CLOSE REASONING.
Mr.. Thorn then said that he sup
posed Ut MI " l~f ltu u Ml al wv
court for the purpose Of representing
the Moser heirs. il would have been ms
Measure To have made an effort 10
show that Mr. Massey's receipts were
inaccurate. claiming as ba is FOR such
supposluon that they did not show the
U-ual and legitimate incomes from the
s4rm Mr. Thorn at this point eX-
iauetyoy commented upon the receipts
as shown hy the testimony as compared
with what 70 was scll-evidcnt they should
o. ana from this he impressed moss
1aretfily upon the jury the inevitable
fact that not only were the expenditures
more or less inaccurate. but that the re-
Cer.ts were also incomplete In the same
proportion lie said Mr.. Wise he'd made
considerable sport of the small amount"
which the accounts showed were spent
Tor clothing, shoes. and household eN-
aenses As an illustration of the point
that the expenses OF country people are
usually small, hc drew from his recollec-
lions as a boy on "a farm. and said that
during this period II his life ana in his
county eggs were the universal cur
rcncv, lie said that h. had. while down
on the farm" suit of clothes which
ne considered the most beautiful he had
ever seen. and that n his memory serve.
him right. they cost s.. but when he
went 20 Baltimore his eyes were opened.
and ne found as every other country boy
does that country people do not spend
money as do city people. Mr. Thorn
said that he would not endeavor to fol
low all the figures but as an illustration
~ the inaccuracies OF Mr, Nlse's imam
cial statement. he would ask why 1t was
IN ono Of his conclusions he had unwdr-
ysntedly added $1,000 90 one side OF the
nroount and deducted it from The other
Hcre Mir Wise and Mr. Thorn had
,,t,ltcd discussion as 10 correctness Of
she statement which ended by MI
,rborn's reiterlting that the facts were as
.. bad repregentcd. lie said that Mt
Ivis. mad stated 20 the jury In connec-
zion with the Ash Lawn transfer that
al of Mr. Massey's debts had been pali
.r 1874 while he (WisD knew a. matter
az fact that they were noI P. ... w"
lC6. And yet" said Mr.. Thom: IN pr
O. those misrepresentation Oh V ,,I,,,
fatse defendants think mat MI Md"se'
must b. cruciiied on date.
VERY PLAIN ENGLISH
The speaker contended that the p'aln,,u
i.l been subjected 10 the most bl'ter
t.,.otlres due 10 mis- suggestion On the
EarI that Senator Flood was III "a.
,,rlloy Of Messrs CHM a. co. IN 1871
that Mr. wise had represented that the
tD.umouv proved that Flood was no'
81 cmp'oyed in this capacity untli 1871
which statement was as absolutely IN
accuatc as many Of cOunseis other statt
meuts II these inaccuracies hau 'ne'
iai,l from Mr. Massey. he "oulu "nu
could o. branded as IA liar, a peiJ"''''
ana briber
Nr Thorn then discussed the supreme
Court decision In the case OF MI MISSY
iiou technical point. and again dll .ns
H. AL.