The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1898-02-06
QUICK WITTED PATSY
HOW HE SAVED THE DAY FOR HIM
SELF AND HIS LAWYER.

ThouehtlessIy signed an Afndarlt with
Name he swore was NOS Hts own But
he Won The Judge ana His Point BY his
ExrlanatIon.
Ny first case came at Florence, Ala.
. few months alter was licensed,
writes Attorney b. M jackson The
sheriff there Captain w. r. White.
now dead, q gallant Confederate soldier
and ono Of NATURES noblemen. met me
on the street ard tod Inc there was a
man confined ia the county jail who
wished 10 see mo.
! was then II years old. but would
readily have passed for Il. The clients
name was Patrick Donovan, but he was
commonly called Patsy Donovan. Co
ing TO the jail, found man from 80
20 50 years old, an intelligent, nice
looking, devil may care Irishman
Whom entered, DO greeted me with
Good evening, miss Pretending not
10 have heard him address me as miss
and assuming much dignity, / told him
/ was the lawyer whom the sheriff had
bAVAn ASou W htllN Htih+ 1pl hApWcA 10
exclaimed, Well I'll be id, and
burst out Iaughing-laughing uproar
iouaIy was irritated to q degree by
ptson. i beg pardon. judge
II ~ 1910 look pretty young
but Tom (thc sheriff sa rgo1g are .
daisy. GET mo out Of here, isy
folks. who'ye got plenty. viii pay You
well for your trouble
He told mo his story. lie was skill
cd mechanic from Keokuk, Ia, and had
been employed by the government in
constructing d lock on the Mussel Shoals
canal, near Florence. He had shot the
physician in charge Of those works.
This physician was brother Of the
United S8tes engineer in control Of the
canal construction, and it was evident
that the prosecution would be bitter,
aparing no pains or expense TO secure :
conviction, entailing long penitentiafy
sentence. Tho doctor and my client
were both men Of reckless courage and
oyerbearing temper, both sometimes
looked on the wine when it was red,
and both, / inferred, were striving for
tie favor Of the same woman. A clash
between them soon came. They had
savage quarrel at their boarding house
at dinner The doctor being armed and
my client nnarmed, the latter had to
submit to unlimited abuse and would
have been shot but for the interferenc
Of several men who were psesant. Soon
after nightfall Of the sans day my
client went 10 the doctors Office and
aleeping room, about mile distant and
in secluded place, and, knocking on
the door, was hidden by the doctor to
come in. Entering. no found tho doctor
putting on shirt, and thus for the
moment disabled, and, remarking, You
had tho drop or mo this morning, but
I've got it on yon now. fired, striking
tho doctor IN the neck and inhictsng a
dangerous bat not fatal wound.
The case soon came on for trial.
While che defendant's version Of tho
occurrence as he had given 1t to mo was
very different from the one in the fore
going yet It was 80 improbable in itself
and 10 inconsistent with the attendant
circumstances that 1t looked al Il SEN
tenoe Of ten years was inevitable if the
cnse was then tried. To gain d post
lent an objection was interposed
anetency Of the court ON the
rs rotated by affinity
called. Next an
81 q oontinu.
anoe. The state fought this aggressive
~, thus giving warning Of what was to
COME aud il too. failed.
In sheer desperation l tben Whispered
60 my client, Your real name is Pat
rick. not Patsy, ism it?' The indiot-
ment Ramed him Patsy Donovan. Then,
moving to quash tho Indictment for Npe
mlsnoper, wrote ont the defendants
affidavit II support. The affidavit stated
that the defondant's name was Patrick
band that he was commonly known and
called by This name and not BY the
naine of Patsy Donovan. He took the
affidavit aud read, On seemed to road II
carefully and going 60 the clerk desk,
swore 20 Il and signed it Patsy Done
van This, Of course, WAS tho way he
usually signed his name, but he never
reflected that 60 sign it Patsy this time
was 70 aford the strongest evidence Of
tho falsily Il tho at1ldavit.
Arguing tlao case without looking at
the aailayst slsdnl Soc how he had
signed i De ele attorney had
noticed toa gnalara ana ii his reply
called The eeur;s n 10 ik This
disclosure raisea tfn 81 laughter
and 3eeriae Ia tiie ccurtE6oni. I was
COMPOUNDED and af the end Of my ro.
sources Mt S0 was Patsy Pn8ffYfnr