Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-10-30
Copyright, 1895, by the Author.
CHAPTER XII.

ever undergo. Day by day saw the
world slipping from under my feet and
the net drawing it's deadly folds closer
around me. Soon we all we've forced to
realize there was no escape for any Of us.
Of course we were all guilty and de-
served punishment-I need not say we
did not think so then-but the evidence
was most weak, and had our trial taken
place in America under the too liberal
construction of our laws undoubtedly
we all would have escaped But in Eng
land there is no court Of criminal appeal,
as with US, and when once the jury
gives a verdict that ends the matter.
The result is that if judges are preju-
diced or want man convicted he never
escapes. The jury is always selected
from the shopkeeping class, and they
are horribly subservient to the aristo-
cratic classes. They don't care for evil
dence. They simply watch the judge.
If he smiles, the prisoner is innocent !;
if he frowns, then, of course, guilty.
With US when man is charged with
an offense against the laws he engages
a lawyer. One is sufficient and quite
costly enough. In England they are di-
vided into three classes-viz, solicitors.
barristers and queens counsel.
The solicitor takes the case and trans
acts all the business connected with it.
A barrister is the lawyer who is ell
ployed By the solicitor to conduct the
case in court and make the pleading:.
He never comes in contact with the
client, but takes the brief and all in
structions from the solicitor. The
queens counsel is lawyer of higher
rank, aud whenever his serene lordsl!ip
takes brief he must, to keep up his
dignity, be supported" by barriste-.
So my reader will perhaps understand
the raison d'etre of the proverb, "Tbc
lawyers own England" AS no solicitor
can plead in court, so no queens coun-
sci will come in direct contact with I
client and must be supported by a
barrister. Ergo any unfortunate having
case in court must fee two if not three
legal sharks to represent him, if repre-
sented at all.
We employed as solicitor Mr.. David
Howell of 105 CheGpside, and thor
oughgoing. unprincipled rascal he proved
to be. He was small, spare, understood
man, with little beady eyes, light co..
plexion, red hair and stub5y beard, "a |
when he spoke it was with thin, ree' V
voice. From first to last he manage |
our case in exactly the way the prosecu
tion would have desired. He bled u
freely, and altogether we paid him nea
ly$lO,OO0 and our defense by our eig,'t
lawyers-four queens counsel and foar
barristers-was about the lamest and
most idiotic possible
We early came to the unanimous con.
clusion that in our country Howell
would have had to face jury for rob-
bing US, and that but one of our eight
lawyers had ability enough to appear IL
police court here to conduct hearing
before an ordinary magistrate.
I do not propose to enter into the de.
tails of our preliminary hearings before
the lord mayor at the Mansion House, or
of the trial. Both the hearings and trial
were sensational in the highest degree
and attracted universal attention al
over the English speaking world. Full
page pictures Of the trial appeared l
all the illustrated journals Of Europe
and America, and our portraits were on
sale everywhere.
After many hearings before Sir Sid
ney Waterlow we were finally commit
ted for trial.
For eight mortal days the final trial
dragged on, and there we were pilloried
in that horrible dock-a spectacle for
the staring throngs that focked to sec
the young Americans who had found a
pregnable spot in the impregnable Bank
of England.
The misery Of those eight days! No
language can describe it, nor would [
undergo it again for the wealth of the
world.
The court was filled with fashionables,
ladies as well, who focked to stare 1T
the misery, while the corridors of the
Old Bailey and the street itself were
packed with thousands eager to catch a
glimpse of Us. The judge in scarlet sat
in solemn state, with members of the
nobility or gouty aldermen in gold
chains and robes on the bench behind
him. The body Of the court was filled
with bewigged lawyers-a tippling lot
of sharks and rogues, always after lunch
half tipsy with the punch or dry sherry
which English lawyers drink, jesting
and cracking jokes unmindful of tn"
fate Of their clients. Captain Curtin
and score Of detectives were present.
No fewer than 21S witnesses wer"
called by the prosecution. Of these about
80 were from America, and by then:
they traced our lives for many years be-
fore. AS the forged bills were all sclr
by mail it was necessary to convict lis
by circumstantial evidence. 1t really wa>
all very weak save only in that re-.
markable matter Of the blotting paper.
The jury retired to consider their yer
dict shortly after o'clock, and OH re
turning into court after the lapse oi
about quarter Of an hour they gave in
averdict Of guilty against all Of the four
prisoners.
Judge Archibald proceeded to pass
sentence. He began with the interesting
and truthful remark, II have anxiously
considered whether anything less than