The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1898-05-13

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When the court reconvened in the
afternoon District Attorney Vandegrift
turned to the court and said:
MAY it please the Court and gentle
men OF the jury, SO far as my presenta-
tion OF this case is concerned shall en-
deaver to give facts, and so far as the
Government is concerned, these facts Law
IN these books, in which were placed the
accounts of Ezekiel T. Cooper at a time
when the people who made the entries
did not believe they would lie and made
with the intention of not connecting a
man with crime; a man whom we had
known all our lives and never up to the
date of this occurrence, questioned as to
his honesty and integrity.
| Nor did these same gentlemen know
that l would be compelled to prosecute
a man who was one of my warmest
friends and whom | aways respected as
the soul of honesty and integrity.
civilian N. Boggs on that witness
stand gave his statement as to how he
was involved in speculation by the de-
fendant. So far as Boggs is concerned
the die is cast. In this case he has alb
solutely nothing to gain by lying and
especially against men who had been
his friends all his life.
place W. N. Boggs and the men who
aided and abetted him in the looting of
this bank, who would lie, w. N. Boggs?
No he had no occasion to lie, for since he
first commenced on the downward path
he has passed through hell itself, through
carrying load that was almost impOs-
slb'e for human endurance.
There was no cause for him to periure
his soul; no occasion for him to place his
hands on the book Of the Almighty God
and thus perjure himself. Who would
lie then? why the men of cou,se who
aided and abettcd hin in deirauding the
bank; the men who assisted in the loot
lug of the bank and the men who have
perjnred themselves knowing full we'll
that the cold walls Of the penctentiarv
were staring then in the lace.
Upon this case hangs the reputation,
the liberty, and yea almost the life of a
man when we all heretofore honored and
respected.
Now think Of it, the defendant-a
business man, Il professional man and a
literary man-all occupations that re-
quirel the highest grade of education
and Intelligence, and, yet, on June 2,
1896, he drew Hp check for $1,000 in
favor OF E. B. Cuthbert a. Company,
brokers, against the First National Bank
Of Dover, when he knew that he had
already Overdrawn his account to the
amount of $472 The same may Ee
said of the other checks
When +. I. Cooper drew his first
check for $3.50, believe that he never
thought he would ever be before bar
of justice. He would have shrank from
It with the same aversion that we would.
believe that f. 7. Cooper was and rs
naturally an honest man. But he had
no idea of the step he had taken, and
when the pool of $780, in which Cooper,
Boggs, Hawkins and Boggs were inter-
'sted, was lost, then was his time to call
/ halt.
81 don't have to depend on William
\. Boggs fer my testimony. Take the
elegrans, take the checks, take the
heck books aud take these books and
What do You find? Call you $500, $1,000,
1900, $1,000 $1,000, and say it is pre-
'ostcrous that his statement that he
new nothing of the looting OF the bank
ntiI May Is, 1897, and the truth is not
lin. Is this man child. and one that
ou can't believe? Think of it gentle
len of the Jury f. T. Cooper LAWYER
nd editor and travelling gentleman
laiming that he knew nothing Of these
had no knowledge of til
hecks, etc. Why, if he says this, le
lust be an idiot. Would You believe
:mp
| don't want him convicted, gentlemen
the jury, if You think him innocent,
ut what | do want is that he be con-,
tied in this case, providing yoh find
lat he committed this crime beyond a
'asonable doubt and | believe he has
one so.
Now for an instant, take W. N, Boggs,
ter he hal burned the first check of
80, pleading with man for restitution
ut without hope, and from that day on,
the hands OF vultures who lived upon
Young fellow who had no idea that the
ndly act be had first committed for
ere men would eventually ruin him,
ace him before the world as an en-
'zzler and eventually make him
Ion and COMPEL him to occupy felon's
II in the penltentiary.
One Of them. W. n. Boggs, has now
Used beyond. whilst the other is hold a