The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-10-04

he didn't know what sort of bond he
was signing for this company, which he
tells you was doing perfectly legitimate
business. His story 10 Incredible and
there is no truth in It,. he testified in
direct examination that ne nad not been
told this company was illegal and on
cross examination he tells you he knew it
was illegal. II prove Waite is liar I
know am laying the State open to the
proposition that he lied about the con-
fession but am willing to take the risk.
What did he tell the Marshal, Deputy
Hartnett, Officer Pickett when he ao-
knowledged that he had Deen fooled and
had made q fool OF himself.
Is it reasonable to think that any man
would have signed paper like that If
he was innocentS How would he have
known so much about these fires II he
had not set them. How would he have
known how many there were and what
time they were set:
saw how cool and collected he was.
You have heard how he told several of
these men about setting these fires with
candles. He set the fire in the fruit
store with long candle and he was far
away when that flame was discovered
What did Waite do when he was asked
to give a bond telling about some of his
|
matter with great care. He was afraid
the men were detectives and itswassa long
time before he would tell these men what
he had DONE And when he told them
about setting these fires ne was careful
enough to have the transom closed. If
he was putting up job to get a position
of trust why has he SO careful? Then in
the presence of the police officers he said
he set fire to the Casco building, to the
Thompson fruit store, to the Harrington
block and to about a dozen other build
ings. He was anxious TO tell about these
crimes to some one and made u clean
breast of them to Brady. He didn't ex
pect to be arrested, he thought he could
trust these men and so he told them all
about it. bWhen he relieved his mind
from the responsibility which was weigh
ing upon him he felt relief. He was
free to talk and in the hearing of the
officers under the bed he told of the crime
he had committed without hesitation and
freely. This man who said he had al
ways lived Sunday school life was will
ing to go into the smuggling business and
to break the laws of the state to get
money. Isn't he just the kind of man
who would set fires to start his patrol
systemp He set these fires to make peo-
pie nervous SO they would want a patrol
sy stem to look after their property. And
about that time the merchants and the
risky to set fires and so the fiaes stopped.
But in June they broke out again and
there was another reign of terror. But
during all of these fires the man who had
got badge so that he could go to fires
didn t go to but one fire.
Mr.. Libby said that frankness was
when q man takes the stand and tells the
truth. If Waite had taken the stand and
admitted that he signed these statements
| to get money it would have been frank
ness. But he didn't do that. He lied
about the matter and told very thin
| story. What did he tell his wife who has
| been faithful to him through thick and
thin? He didn't tell her about this snug
Cling scheme but he told her that he saw
| long road ahead of him and that he had
got into awful trouble and was afraid. He
| had chance to tell her the truth then
1 but he didn't. Acts speak louder than
words and in this case they speak strong
| ly against this respondent. A man who
| would be willing to go into smuggling
city. They. claim the marshal was man
who would swear away the life of man
| but he isn't that kind OF man and he
would MT have done it for the paltry sum
of $500 Evidence has been introduced
here to show that reward had been
offered for the arrest OF the man who set
these fires and the defense attempts to
!
this reward. The city marshal says he
d i'd not see this offer of reward and knew
nothing about it. My brother would
have YOU believe that George W. Sylves-
ter for tn paltry sum Of $500 would run
this man down to state prison and de-
prive him of his liberty; But the city
marshal would not get that reward any
way. He was doing his duty because the
city was in danger. He wasn't looking
for money. The defense tried to show
that the city marshal paid Brady out of
his own pocket so that he might get the
reward but the city marshal knew moth
ing about this reward and if he had
known about 1t ne was 100 good man
To have done anything Of this kind.
There are some things in this case
which my brother, Mr.. Heokbert, did not
cali to your attention. The government
Inn case of this kind must rely upon
artif1oe, cunning and any tricks that can
Iasd to the detection Of the criminal. We
,nnst reIv on circumstantial evidence .
II might be considered reprehensible by
some. the way in which some of this
evidence was obtained but the State has
ro no these things to catch criminals who
are cumming and shrewd. The defense
claims that this confession was not vol
: untary but you have heard him admit
himself that the confession was volun
tary. Do you believe that all of these
nerinry and that Waite alone has told the
fr,,thp' You have the very strongest evi-
dance of this mans guilt. You must not
allow sympathy to influence you in de.
Gliding upon his guilt or innocence: Fo,
If sympathy or pity We're to control In
such matters the officers of the law. might
inst AS we'll be discharged and the people
left to take care of themselves.
I have represented the state in this
case as fairly and carefully as 1 could
and have presented the governments side
of the case to the best of my ability. The
state claims that there is enough of cir
cnmstantial evidence in the Temple
street. fire without the confession to com
nit this man of setting 1t. You may fine
some fires in this case which you viii
} think the respondent did not set but vol
have his confession for the fact that hi