Blue-grass blade., 1899-02-19


the BLUE GRASS BLADE.
The following is the questioning
In part
MOORE long have you been
n subscriber to the BLUE GRASS
BLADE2
Rucker-well, for a number OF
years.
Moore-How many yearsp
Rucker-Wcll, | don't know just
exactly. -.
Moore-Did you take II when u
was first published2
Rucker-I guess | began taking
IL about that time.
Moore-How Jong ago was thatP
Rucker-Severa years ago.
Moore-Do you not distinctly
know that IL was just thirteen years
ago7
Rucker-I am not certain OF the
date.
Moore-Did 1t advocate Free Love
when you first subscribed for it?
Rucker-I cannot say.
Moore-Have you read 1t closely
enough TO know what IL has advo-
Gated?
Rucker-I cannot say that | have,
Moore-Have you read 1t as close
ly as you do the ordinary newspaper
Rucker-Well, yes at times.
Moore-And you don't know the
principles that II advocates?
Rucker-Well, have noticed that
1t advocates variety Of things.
Moore-Do you not know, as well
as you know you are sitting there
that my paper is an Infidel-Prohibi-
tion paper, that 1t is now such,
always has been such, and Is now re-
parded by everybody as such?
To this Rucker gave some evasive
reply and Moore again pinned him to
the question. The Court here inter.
fered and protected Rucker. But
YOUR Honor, said Mr.. Moore THE
District Attorney charged me with
being a Free Lover, and publisher
ot a Free Love paper. 1t is false
every word of it, and | want to
prove it by Prof. Rucker himself
who, If he tells the truth,a will say
that it is false.
Here Moore lost his head; the un-
fairness exasperated him and his ad-
dress to the Court was impertinent,
but lust and natural enough under
the circums lance. The Court re-
minded him that she was at liberty
to conduct his own case, but he must
observe the usual rules OF propriety;
that a fair trial would be given him,
and there was no inclination on the
part OF the Court to persecute him. :"
Moore asked His Honor II he
would again be permitted to ques-
tion Prof. Rucker? The Court re-
piled that he could summon him ii
he wished. Later on when Mr..
Moore asked that Prof. Rucker be
called to the stand, it was found that
Prof. Rucker had drawn his witness
fees and taken his departure for
aoms; Mo2Y sHss Hax; Axx;v-lxsUS x9sUs'
permitted to question him again. :"
well" said His Honor, ~ guess
he has gone home. You ought to
have"-(the rest did not hear. This
is some Of the guaranteed fairness.
After that Moore became ratified and
and an Indian statue in front OF
cigar store could have put up almost
as able defense, that is from leg
al standpoint.
Here was a man who had been
taking the BLADE most OF the time
for 13 years and didn't know
what it advocated. II Rucker
ever knew much of anything he
don t look like it. Maybe when he
is called to the witness stand again
he'll know something about it. In
my opinion, the worst reflection that
can be cast upon Moore is that he
should ever have had anything to do
with man who knows SO little.
During the noon recess, l talked
to the District Attorney, and told
him "that his charge that the BLUE
GRASS BLADE is Free Love paper |
was absolutely false; that he Ger
,tainly was misinformed; that he
could not afford to have it known to |
the thousands Of Liberals in this
city, that he had misrepresented
Mr.. Moore; that it was very evident
that he would succeed in convicting |
Mr.. Moore anyhow, without misrep-
resenting him and convicting him on
a false charge; that 1t looked to me
that it was the Infidel aimed at.
He replied, "If it is not Free
Love paper, would like to know
what you call it?" l answered,
"These two papers you have in your
possession are the only issues ever
sent out by Mr.. Moore which con-
taiued articles on Free Love, except
issues in which he had scathingly
denounced it, and to my knowledge
no man in the country had more
forcibly denounced it than Mr..
Moore. | asked him II he consid-
cred the Enquirer Christian pa
per, because ii inserts church notes
10 its columns every week, and occa-
sionally prints Talmage's sermons?
Or If he called the Times-Star an
Infidel paper because it always in
serts Ingersoll's lectures when he
apnaars here?"
When Court was called at 2 p. m.
Mr.. Bundy began his speech by