Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-11-28
THE .HARCUR TRIAL.
Schuylki11 County Papers Commend One
of Our Brilliant Attorneys.

Schuylki11 County Papers Commend One
of Our Brilliant Attorneys.
The acquittal of Thomas Harcur, who
was tried last week at Pottsville for the
murder of Ralph Mills at Oneida during
the strike, has made record for our
townsman, D. j. Mccarthy, ESD, in
Schuylkill county. With few excep-
tions, his mastery defense of the accus-
ed is commented upon by all the news
papers OF that section. In its report of
the trial the Mahanoy City American
says:
1.-The case was stubbornly contested
by Coke Bros. & Co., who had engaged
what was supposed to be the best legal
talent in the county. But new man
whose mind is stored with legal lore,
whose brain is active and brilliant.
whose tongue is persuasively eloquent
or writhingly sarcastic to a degree, had
come to the front like rocket and
scattered to the winds the imaginary
prowess of more than one Schuylkill
county attorney.
"His name is Daniel j. Mccarthy,
Esq, of Freeland, formerly a miner
residing in Mahanoy City. To Nc
Carthy's ingenuity and eloquence is
due principally the verdict rendered in
favor of Harcur.
I'm his speech to the jury Mccarthy
scored corporation lawyers. and their
methods, paying particular attention to
John f. Whalen, whom he roasted in a
most frightful manner. His address
was, in part, as follows. He said:
Thomas Harcur, the defendant,
may stand up and face the people proud
ly lie has II character to be proud of,
and the commonwealth, with all the
criminal machinery of PENNSYLVANIA,
with all the millions of corporations at
its back, dare not assail it. We resort
to no tricks in defending this man.
The witnesses of his character were
placed on the stand first and every
chance was given to refute the evidence,
but it could not be DONE
HE said the defendant is 81 years
old, and across the sea. 1000 miles
away, an old grandfather awaits anxi-
ously to know whether a loved grandson
shall be deemed guilty of capital crime.
HIS parents are dead, and fifteen years
ago Tom Harcur, one of the great mass
oppressed by the aristocracy and mon
archal institutions, imbued with the
love of liberty found in every man, and
seeking the rights of man, came to
America. The fact that Harcur be-
longs to labor union was referred to
and the speaker said Chief Justice Pax
son has said workmen have that right,
along with the privilege of working or
not working for whom they please.
HE said no disturbance occurred at
Oneida from the beginning of the strike,
September 20, to October 10, but it was
desired to have trouble SO that the strong
arm of the military might be invoked to
drive the workmen into submission. The
poor, downtrodden Hungarians were not
at the bottom of this trouble. 1t was
charged that everything up there be-
longs to Coke Bros. & Co. Continuing.
Attorney Mccarthy said:
land who is Elliott A. Oberrender,
the prosecutor? There is not drop of
Ralph Mills blood in his veins. Who is
he? He is representative of Coke
Bros Why didn't the county officials
prosecute? Why does the district attor-
ney sit silent on his chair? Why have
they got the Demosthenes, the Socrates
and all the Tees here to push this case?
The ablest lawyers at the bar? And
what are the corporations after? Why,
the life of this poor Hungarian? Did
you ever see such greed after blood?
There's danger ahead Look out,
there's danger ahead!'"
DAN DOWNS wHALEN.
In its editorial column the American
has the following:
Dan Mccarthy, the new luminary in
the legal armament, made John Whalen,
the egotistcal Pottsville lawyer, drop
peg or two in his own estimation during
the trial of Harcur, on trial at Pottsville
for murder committed at Oneida. Me
Carthy scored Whalen numerically,
was frail thing when up against
brainier and more forceful character
Mccarthy gave evidence that he will