The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-01-01
AND MAINE FRIDAY MORNING.

then proceeded In Gonyersabl0nai way
with his argument which was closely 1oi-
lowed. Mr.. Hoar said the jury had seen
on the witness stand a man who had
committed the terrible murders, for every
living person who was on board the Her
bert Fuller on the night the crimes were
committed had given testimony. D.
He felt surs, he said, that the jury
would unerrincly select the guilty man
from among the nine whom they hau
seen. 1t has been proved, he said, that at
least FIVE sailors on board the vessels
were not guilty OF this crime IL. 10 aas ALSO ALSO
been proved that there were but three
men who could have commltted tnat
murder. Thomas Bran, Charles Brown
ana Frank Loheao.
Whom did the counsel for the defence
make his first attack on in this caseY
Why, Lester Monks. 1t was insinuated
at the very beginning that certain Things
were wrong about him. The defence
next began to snesr at his truth anu
yeracity. and at the fact that ne was q
Harvard student, and the son OF rlcn
man, who had employed counsel for his
protection while placed in a trying
position. 1t was an attempt to crshbe
prejudice against him as witness. Inc
counsel argued that Monks on the VIII,
ness stand had been frank and fn1r Ia M
his testimony, and had admitted that she
6EaG6mGub uEAWu up Oh bOulA oHS
was his theory and he has never oenleu
that il was his theory.
Attention was then called ny the c0un-
sci to what WAS characterized rs Mr.
Cotter's Inaccuracies in dealing with the
testimony of Monks. With all his inge-
puity, Mr.. Cotter had not been able 10
connect this young man with the crimes.
AS to Charles Brown, his appearance on
the witness stand was far superior TO
that of Bran, He was quiet, modest,
upobtrusive, the attitude OF Innocence.
While BRAIN had the bravado OF guilt.
Mr., Hoar then addressed hlmself TO Une
conduct Of Detective Power OF Hal1Iax,
and said that he had done only what any
good officer would have done under tne
circumstances.
MIR. Cotter tried to show that ne was
in some way in tne employ Oh Motss Snstsin
but there was no testimony to suseaih
this theory. MIR. Cotter tried by TINS
method to appeal to the prejudices OF the
1ury in order to discredit the statement
of Bran. made while he was unoer arreft
at Halifax. Charles Brown told his story
with great fairness, even when ne knew
that the statements he made were agalnst
himself. He it was that told tnao ene
door of the after companionway was
omen. and he it was that told OF the
shooting that had occurred at ROTTERDAM,
about which the defence had 50 much TO
saw. it is true that on the witness stand
he denied all this, but then he is not
man Of intelligence and his English was
vsry broken. His story was rambling
one. and he realize0 that he was not
bound to tell what was purely hearsay
evidence.
There is no doubt that he was out OF
his head at Rotterdam, even the expert
testimony of the defense shows this, but
il was not a homocidal mania. Neither
was II sudden inspirat ion coming from
the Almighty as has been suggested.
There wHs too much method aDoub tnese
murders for this. Does murderer show
the delicacy Of feeling and senellnens n1
that was shown by Brown wnen he se"eu
up the body of Mrs. Nash? Never.
Mr.. Hoar went into all Bram's trips
and severely criticized his actions
wherever there was any chance mny
ia not his wife presepJ at this trlal?''
asked MIR. Hoar. "Why did Bran give
his home as Nova Scotia? This coupled
with telling Monks that steamer voyage
was best, Ia sufficient to me that ne
planned this murder before leaving port:
This court has not seen such criminal
M Thomas Bran. You do wrong to let
such a criminal loose In the communl-
ry." - 49,
MIR. Hoar gave a rambling talk on the
chart book and said Bran perverted uhe
truth as regards the course and proved
himself unworthy of belief. 1 don't be-
lieve be meant to kill Mrs. Nash. clal %
Brown could not leave the wheel and all
the sailors say that the vessel stesred
easily and required constant attention.
MIR. Hoar criticized the defenses witnesses
as ex-ca ptains, who gave one sided test
mony.
Mr.. Hoar announced that he would re-
ouire an hour to finish his argument and
the court adjourned until ten O'Clock
Friday morning.