The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-08
AN INANIMATE CLIENT.
Plea So Passionate That 1t Moved the
Empty Chairs.
From the Chicago Chronicle.

From the Chicago Chronicle.
A business man, who has his office in a
big building on La Sale street, not over
eight miles from the court house, was
writing at his desk the other day when he
CHANGED to glance out of the window,
which opens on an interior court. AS he
looked absently across at the window OPP
posite a strange sight presented itself. The
window Immediately across the court be-
longed to the office of a well-known GRIM
inal lawyer. The attorney stood in the
middle of the room, with a large bunch of
typewriter paper in his hand. In front
of him were placed row of empty chairs.
AS the watcher looked first the attorney
began striding the floor in a melodramatie
fashion, occasionally running his free hand
through his hair, which is rather long.
The business man saw the lawyers lips
moving, and it came over him that what
he was looking at was a rehearsal of
speech to the jury. He became more in
terested, and wheeled his chair to the win
dow so that he could see better. AS the
lawyer proceeded he frequently glanced at
his manuscript to get the headings of his
address. His frame swayed 10 and fro as
he talked and the spectator was sure that
he was telling the jury that he congratu-
lated himself and his client on obtaining
such an intelligent and honest lot of men
TO try this important case. He seemed par
ticularly anxious to compliment a big
leather chair on the end which the spec
tator suspected was the juror in whom the
attorney did not have full confidence.
Having paid his respects to the jury the
lawyer then addressed himself to the case.
The watcher could tell by his impassioned
gestures just when the state was scored.
He saw the clock on the WALL which repre-
scented the INSCRIPTIONS states attorney,
hide it's face behind its hands when it was
scathingly hauled over the Goals for it's I'M
blushng subordination of testimony for
the prosecution. He asked the jury to gaze
upon his client, the rolltop desk, and say
whether so innocent piece of furniture
could be guilty of the horrible crime charg-
ed against 1t. He appealed to the jurors as
follow furniture TO give the desk dts free
dom.
AS for that cringing, perjured creature,
the copying stand which had been the
chief witness against the defense, he would
tell 1t and the jury what he thought of IT,
Then he wrought himself into great state
of virtuous indignation. He romped up and
down the room, swinging his arms and
shaking his flowing locks. Against the wit
ness he employed invective and satire of
the most imprisoned kind until the poor
copying stand wished It had been a type
writer or anything but what it was.
Then he pictured to the jury the stain
which had been put upon his client-an ink
stain. He told the twelve chairs that the
prosecution had utterly failed to prove its
case, and that he was content 70 leave the
desks fate in the jury's hands. Then he
dropped exhausted in a chair and the spec
tator was so carried away by the scene
that he declares he saw the twelve chairs
get up and retire from the room on their
hind legs.