The herald., 1897-12-10

Heights conductor. He denied havinf
conversed at all with Longfellow on Sat
urday afternoon, the 9th of November
as he did not even see him on that date
But on the subject of the Monday inter.
view he was mute and the meeting Of
defendant with Longfellow was conced.
ed by counsel for the defendant.
Judge Smith, in adjudging the de-
fendant guilty Of contempt of court al
| charged, said:
Il think, from an analysis Of this tes-
| timony that it would challenge the
credibility of almost anybody to give
very much credence to the statements OF
this defendant under the circumstances
We are confronted by this condition:
that men approach Jurors in order to
bribe them, and do bribe them IL they
get chance
Il do not know what lawyers think
about these things. A lawyer is very
necessary person in all communities; q
lawyer, an honest lawyer, a conscien-
tious lawyer, will always be looked ur
to as leader by everybody, in all coun-
tries but in our country after belonging
to the profession now for a third of a
| century, 1t seems to me that 1t has come
to pass that the legal profession has lost
caste, and the good have to suffer will
the bad. I do not know but 1t Is dis
grace today to be known as q lawyer
simply because q class Of men in the pro-
fesslon resort to perjury and suborn.
alton of perjury, who hesitate not tc
bribe jurors and do any and all disrepu-
table things, which absolutely shock the
sense-I was going to say the mora
sense but / will leave It OUTPUT abso-
lutely shock the sense Of all good citi-
zens.. 1t is saddening; 1t Is appalling;
it Is awful; 1t Is outrageous. How car
it be stopped? l do not know. We have
to do the best we can. The simple ques-
ton is, What are we going to do? How
can we get rid of these things? How
can we stamp out this kind Of prac-
tice?"
Mr.. Meserve-"I would like to ask
whether your honor's remarks are d.
rected to us ~ to our position here?
do not understand that they are, but
others might think so?''
The Court-"Oh. no. Every mar
should have an attorney to defend him
no matter what he may be accused Of
1t Is Just as proper in this case as If the
man were charged with murder. That
Is the law and 1t Is right. No question
about that I am speaking of a class OF
lawyers that do the dirty work in the
dark places and In the back offices, and
have their spoilers and their cappers
and their hand shakers, and their bun
co men all out through the city, running
here and there. The man who has
means to put up money In case here
Is almost certain to be acquitted or tc
tie up jury.
1t is come to a pass in this city thai
man of any means cannot be convicted
simply because there Is a class Of law.
yers here who have spoilers and cap.
pers out through the city: those little
fellows who belong to the profession who
do nothing else but act as cappers fol
others, bringing in their perjured testi.
mony and suborning jurors to defeat the
ends OF Justice and make our courts q
stencil In the nostrils of every decen!
man. It is awful; 1t is simply awful.
am sorry for this poor fellow here"
IT wish he would say whom he is talk
ing about" said Mr.. Meserve to MIR
Pendleton in loud aside, but the court
said 1t not The court then fined Nichol-
son $500 or Imprisonment in the county
Jail at the rate Of one day for each 81
of the fine.