The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-13
SPADES SHED TEARS
HE WAS VERY MUCH MOVED by HIS
OWN ATTORNEYS ELoQUENCE.
Wet-Jury VIII Take the Case
To-Day.

Michael Fl. Spades. the defendant in a
$1,000 damage suit in the Superior Court,
wept with the jury yesterday. Attorney
Henry Spans argument was largely the
cause Of the humid condition of the jury
box. Mr.. Spaan talked all of yesterday
forenoon. At o'clock in the afternoon
attorney Charles Cox opened the closing
argument for the prosecution, concluding
at O'Clock. The> jury will be instructed
at o'clock this morning. There are a
number of aged men on the jury and Judge
Harvey did not care to subject them to a
night in the jury room. MaTk of the
jurors are almost worn out from the
strain incident to the tedious length of Me
case.
At intervals during Mr.. SPANS telling
argument the tears trickled down the face
of his client, and occasionally a juror
would apply his white handkerchief to his
eyes. Mr.. Spaan began with the conten-
ton that the reputation of Grace Frances
Patton prior to March. 1894 was bad. He
quoted the evidence of many witnesses who
had testified against the girl. He declared
that the plaintiff, to oppose this testimony,
introduced witnesses who knew nothing
about her except when they saw her ON
the street or in her home. They all
admitted that they knew nothing about
her inner life; nothing about her visiting
the wine room her associations with
the notorious Peter Conway. The attorney
maintained that the plaintiffs surroundings
had been bad. Her mother rented rooms
for immoral purposes, he asserted, and the
daughter accompanied Peter Conway on
fishing excursions that only ended with
the dawn of day. Conway was her banker;
she had Conway pay her dress bills, and
cIn coll cd IT.
plaintiff had her picture taken at Fair
view Park wilma young man whom she
did not know. and while she was drunk
Mr. Spaan said in conclusion
Gentlemen, after all this testimony will
you find for this plaintiff? If you do you
endanger the position of every woman who
has to work for a living, because If
woman of this character can recover, no
man is safe. There is placed in your keep
ing not only the reputation of your client,
Mr.. Spades, but that also of his eighteen
year-old daughter; that of his wife and his
young sons just growing into manhood.
place all of these momentous issues in your
hands. 1t is for you to judge
Attorney Charles Cox's denunciation of
the defendant and his arraignment of the
witnesses introduced by the other side was
bitter and caustic Spades left the court
room before attorney Cox began and did
not return. His absence was noted by the
attorney. One of the attorneys particu-
larry pointed utteranceS was as follows:
Mr. Spaan asks why did the mother of
TINS girl live in the disreputabe place she
did II her daughter was pure. Gentlemen,
In the novels of the poor do you not find
chastity? Do not some characters as sweet
as ever lived come up from the pits? Now
a word about these witnesses. There is
Harry Hathaway, put on the stand by the
defense. The man who shed crocodile tears
over his own shame, while he told story
"A a xxrn0 ar-n tolJ ke.s H.
Of hell. Who got these witnesses? Why,
william Rocker. and has anybody denied
serpent. of corruption is over them all
innate immortality that causes the he
Il is because of the wiles of such men as
Mr. SPANS CLIENTELE man who don't dare
TO sit here now. My friend says that in
bark is split. l don't think so. Dr. Jor-
dan is the man who used to have
stomach on the outer wall. . What is
the use OF fighting ghosts in this case what
have had almost all the devils of hell to
night already IL this testimony, with all
its Nth and slime. is to, overcome the re-
sumption of chastity, then whose good
name is safe when he is a poor man and
wealth is on the other side? / want to say
right now that haven't much respect for
I1ighman. yet once in while in all this
filth there is CLEAN of truth like you
have seen pure stream trickling down
this girl a child throughout this case; /
call her a child now. She is child in
years. Gentlemen of the jury, was your
daughter woman at sixteen years? Has
this girl got the understanding of a.
woman; Why, her very petulance shows
her childhood. Her life has been cast with
the pangs of poverty, but through it all up
to last spring, | say to you that by this
evidence you will have to admit that her
life has been honest
The closing words of attorney Cox were
DEVOTED, to William Rocker, to whom he
referred with scathing speech