St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-06
GREAT GRAFTON BEGUN.
Mr. Nye Begins His Address tc'
the Jury

When Mr.. Nye arose to speak, and
falf staggered forward to confront thS
Jurors, look of hard determination
Settled over his face. He looked filter
for a bed than a court room. Before
he began, and while he was steadying
himself for the great effort, Hayward
dropped his chin into the palm of his
left hand, and, half-facing the county
attorney, began rolling his eyes in a
startled manner. Mr.. Erwin spoke to
him, and Hayward settled back with
his jaws tightly clenched.
Mr.. Nye began in strong voice, de-
spite his feeble appearance, and the
silence of the tomb pervaded the room
when he said: May it please the
court and gentlemen of the jury"
Every eye was upon the pale, ema-
ciated face, and throughout his long
argument Mr.. Nye was accorded the
closest possible attention.
Whoever has shared in the labors
and responsibilities of this trial. he
began, must feel some relief at least
as we approach its close. / can hard
ly hope for sufficient strength to do
justice to the remaining duty which de-
wolves upon me. But 1 feel that the
SA1Ao
any arm Of flesh. God, who rules all
the universe, and who is underneath
and over and around about this case
will bring the eternal sunlight of truth
out of it. Brilliant and transcendent
genius shall have little part in decid-
ing this case. Children are we all in
the hands of Him. who out of the dark
ness and horror and the terror of this
ha1 hriT1
and white-winged, born of God, en-
during and everlasting.
81 am grateful for the indulgence of
the court, the generosity of the counsel
for the defense, and for your patience,
for the personal indulgence which I
have received on account of severe ILL
health.
II do not expect to deal with the
case in a specially analytical manner.
L have not the strength to go through
all this vast volume of testimony and
carefully analyZe and weigh and mea-
sure it.
Twelve honest men and twelve con-
sciences sit here, aye, twelve souls, to
determine the truth. You have weighed
and remember all this long testimony;
you have watched the tide of conflict
the weapons drawn with despera-
ton, and with a skill and adroitness
on the part of the defense that no one
on this side of the table had the ego
tlsm Tor a moment to suppose that he
had the ability to cope with.
L have aimed at but one thing, and
that was to move straight forward
and present to the state, to the public
all the evidence in this case, that the
world might know and Judge when the
last scene is ended, and the verdict
rendered, that the people of this state
ana this county might feel that there
was law, and that there was Justice.
whoever shall attempt to consider this
case along in narrow lines in any seq
fegated part, whoever shall be dis
honest in the slightest degree in the
consideration of the testimony in this
case, is unworthy to be in it. 1t is the
most wonderful demonstration in all
the realm of humanity that l have ever
known or read of in my experience. A
power greater than man has ever been
at work. The law of human con-
science has played it's important and
conspicuous part
IBIS torn and PROSTATE and ignorant
assassin himself is brought to his
knees before his God and his fellow
men to beg for mercy from heaven
and from earth. 1t has torn the ties
OF kindred, snapped the bonds of
brotherhood, torn family almost
asunder 1t has wrought sort of
moral earthquake such as 1 am unable
TO describe. 1t makes man himself
feel very small when he considers how,
THIS law, a law of God Himself, has
worked out and wrought out to a per-
Iect solution, it seems to me-. that
winch was profoundest mystery"