The Washington times., 1901-09-25

our institutions will be set aside and over
thrown. and. If we are not misinformed
as to- the state of the mind OF the puDlc
IN some parts of our country. the time
is fast approaching when men charged
with crime will not be permitted to come
into the court and submit to a calm and
digniiied trial. but will be strung Up on a
tree. upon the bare suspicion that they
may have committed some crime.
Now, j suggest, gentlemen, that that
class Of oar community who are crying OUT
in our streets and who are sending letters
suggesting that man. charged with the
crime that this defendant is, should not
b" permitted to have n trial before court
of Justice, i submit that they are a more
dangeroAs class of community than the
anarchists about whom We read so much.
Duty of Citizenship.
No; 1t is the duty of every American
citizen, of every good man to stand firmly
by the law, to put his face against any
idea that man should be punished for
any crime until he is proven guilty in a
court beyond any reasonable doubt.
My associates and myself are here to
uphold the law Some weak-minded. fool
ish people entertain the notion that
lawyer. when he appears in defence of a
criminal. is in court TO obstruct the due
administration of law; is in court to raise
the trial and to reverse any verdict which
a Jury may render: but no man who un-
derstands and knows the better class of
the members of the bar entertains any
such notion. My associates and myself
are here for the same purpose that the
learned district attorney Is hereto see
that this trial progresses in legal, or
DERBY. and proper manner; but. as l suS-
gest We must, in every way possible, put
down and suppress this feeling that cases
may be disposed of without the interVen-
tion of courts of justice.
Il remember, gentlemen, when l was
young man, living in the city of Auburn.
studying my profession, that the news
cameeti1at coloTed man had gone upon
the shore of the Owasco Lake and=there
had murdered practically an entire fam
ily by the name of VanesS. me news
came into the town where was AT tlie
time and ii created an intense exclteihen.,
The people gathered upon the streets u
hear the news. In the course OF the az
ternoon. after the commission OF the
crime Il was understood that the coioreu
being brought to the city to be incarcer-
ated in the fail. The people upon tne
streets became more and more cAci.So, ~
They began to talk about meDpinS the
colored man-that he was not enutled 10
MIR. William H. Seward. who was then
n r. .sident of the city of Auburn, ap,,
peared upon the street ana couiissie SCI ~
IN III.
and see whether the man was guilty OF
the crime. and to permit him to nave
legal, lawful trial But the people pro
tested that he was guiity Desona of att ~
once Mr. Seward st.li insisted, ana they
succeeded in incarcerating Freeman IN
lhe jail 1t soon became known tldt MI.
Seward had volunteered, without any
designation of the court, to defend the
negro when he was put upon triai, ahu
then the Indignation arose again that ne
should interpose defence in such a case
But that far-seeing man. that states
man, who saw that there was an oppor-
tuuity to give an object lesson 10 the
world as to the proper disposition OF sucn
a case stubbornly in.isted that he would
defend the negro. He was put upon trlaI,
and for two long months that triai pro
ceeded As L remember. II occupied some
three weeks In obtaining jury, and the
trial consumed at least two months, ana
i sat by during almost the entire length
of that trial and listened to the defence
that Mr.. Seward interposed-not that he
cared anything for the negro, but he
wanted to teach the people of the coun-
try the sacrednesS of the law; he wanted
to impress upon them the Importance OF
maintaining the law -and putting GOWN
mob violence
and this trial Is a great object lesson
to the world in that regard. Here Is
case where a man has stricken down the
beloved President of this country in
broad daylight, in the presence OF nun
dreds and thousands of spectators IL
there ever was a case that would excite
the anger, the wrath of those who saw it,
this was one, and yet, under the advice
of the President, let no man hurt him.
he was taken. confined in our prison, in
dicted. put on trial here. and the case is
soon TO be submitted to you, whether he
is guilty of the crime charged against
him.
THAT, gentlemen. speaks volumes in fa-
vor Of the orderly conduct of the people OF
Rtrff
exalted position of President of this great
Republic. man of irreproachabie char
acter, man against whose character not
the least stain had ever been known. who
had come to assist us in promoting the
prosperity of our great exposition He
submitted to being met by the people who
desired to see him, in order to help on
this great enterprise in which We have
been interested, and he was stricken down
and died from the effects of the wounds
1t has touched every heart in this COM
munity and in the world. and yet We sit
here today in this room. quietly consider
ing the question whether this man is re-
sponsible for the act which he committed,
and that. gentlemen. is one that you are
called upon to decide.
Gentlemen. we have not been able to
present any evidence upon our part The
defendant has refused on almost
every occasion, even to talk with his
counsel All that l can say to aid you is
that every human being-yes, neariy-cer-
tainiy every human being-has a strong
UeSlre 10 uFe- Death Is a spectre that we
all dislike to meet, and here this de-
fendant. without having any animosity
against our President without any mo-
tive, SO FAR as We can see. personal mo-
tive, we find him going into this build
ing. in the presence of these hundreds
of people, and committing an act which,
IL he was sane, must cause his death
Now, could man, with sane mind
perform such an act? OF course, the rab-
BILE In the street would say, no matter
whether he is !. sane or sane, he deserves
to be killed at once. but the law says
no. The law says consider all the cir
cumstance. and see whether the man was
in his right mind or not; but one may
say. Why, II is better that he should be
convicted. as a terror to others II il
can be that you find that this defendant
was not responsible for the crime for
this act, you would aid. in uplifting a
great cloud off the hearts and minds of
the people OF this country and OF the
world"
When Judge Lewis finished Justice
Titus said: ''lf the court please. the re-
marks Of my distinguished associate
have so fully and completely covered the
ground and so largely anticipated what
] INTENDED to present to the jury myself
II seems entirely Necessary for me to
reiterate wha. has already been said on
this subject. and we therefore, rest with
the remarks made by Judge Lewis"
While Judge Lewis was speaking tears
came into the eyes Of one of the Jurors