Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-07-01
aelistellaneuus 8eaaing.
SLEEPY MANS SPEECH.

II Had an Electrifying Effect on the Jury
and Brought a Verdict For the fiain''h'
St. Louis Globc-Dcmocrat.
When newspaper writers IN WASH
ipgton are "shy" Of good stories they
have only to look into the career ol
Hon. George Vest, senator from the
GREAT state of Missouri. There the
fund of good material is apparently In
exhaustible. Walter Wellman has
been taking a turn at Vest, and finds a
new story that is worth repeating.
The scene is located in Missouri, OF
course, and the preliminaries tell how
Vest was employed by a man whose
dog had been shot by a neighbor.
Other eminent counsel attended to all
the preliminaries of the fight, while
Vest was there, his head sunk down
between his shoulders, and apparently
asleep. Finally his associate nudged
him and told him that he must make
the concluding speech. He demurred,
but seeing he must do something to
earn the fee which had been paid him,
rose and after gazing earnestly at the
iurv for some minutes, began speech
of which his is a stenographic copy:
"Gentlemen Of the Jury-The best
friend a man has in this world may
turn against him and become his ene-
nv. His son or daughter that he
has reared with loving care may prove
ungrateful. Those who are nearest
and dearest to US, those whom we
trust with our happiness and our good
name, may become traitors to their
faith. The money that a man has he
NAV lose. 1t flies away from him,
perhaps when he needs it most. A
mans reputation may be sacrificed ID
a moment of i'll considered action.
The people who are prone to fall on
their knees to do US honor when sue
cess is with us may be the first to
throw the stone of malice when fall
ure settles its clouds upon our heads.
The one absolutely unselfish friend
that man can have in this selfish world,
the one that never deserts him, the
one that never proves ungrateful or
treacherous, is his dog.
"Gentlemen of the jury" the sena-
tor continued, "a man's dog stands by
him in prosperity and in poverty, in
health and in sickness. He will sleep
on the cold ground, where the wintry
winds blow and the snow drives fierce
ly. if only be may be near his masters
side. He will kiss the hand that has
no food to offer, he will lick the wounds
and sores that come in encounter with
the roughness of the world. He
guards the sleep of his pauper master
as if he were a prince. When all 9TH
er friends desert he remains. When
riches take wings and reputation falls
to pieces he is as constant in his love
as the sun in it's journey through the
heavens. If fortune drives the master
forth an outcast in the world, friend
less and homeless, the faithful dog asks
no higher privilege than that of ac-
companying him, to guard against
danger, to fight against his enemies,
and when the last scene of all comes,
and death takes the master in its en-
brace and his body is laid away in the
cold ground, no matter if all other
friends pursue their way, there by MS
graveside will the noble dog be found,
his head between his paws, his eyes
sad but open in alert watchfulness,
faithful and true even in death"
What followed the veracious Well
man describes in this way:
"Then Vest sat down. This remark
able speech he had delivered in a low
voice, without a gesture. No refer
ence had he made to the merits of the
case in hand. Not word had he ut
tered about the evidence. When he
finished judge and jury were seen to
have tears in their eyes. The jury
filed out and in a minute or two re-
turned to the court room. The plaintiff
had asked for 5000 damages. The
verdict gave him $500, and several OF
the jurymen wanted to hang the de-
fendant."