Sunday morning globe., 1901-09-08
The Scheme of Pugh Trial Judge
Succeeds,
AND HE SITS IN JUDGMENT
On His Former Friend Through The Able AssIs-
lance Of Secret Service Agent Bunn-FaIlIng
Into a Well Laid Trap fol- N.Y. Neck by Judge
David F. Pugh-The Trial Commences and
the Jury Is in The Box,
PART II.

who touched me for witnesses. Mr..
Burns is now in the U. S. secret serY-
ice under Chief HaZen. At the time
of the street duel, and for some years
previous. Mr.. Burns and his younger
brother conducted a merchant tailor
ing establishment During the lifetime
of the father of the boys this store
was Headquarters for Irish Republi-
cans and the politicians Of that party
who trained with them, the Burns fam
ily being the only distinctive Irish
family in the city belonging, father
and sons, to the G. o. p. In this
store Judge David f. Pugh spent a
portion of his leisure time, and was on
Intimate terms with the boys. The
store was located on the principal
street (High) of Columbus, about a
block around the corner from my news
paper office.
Now. while ] never visited the store
I knew everything transpiring there,
as. besides my brother being steady
visitor. the Burns boys called alter
natelv at the Capital Office to retail the
news. political and otherwise While
confined i'm the Jail l heard the news
from the Burns store and by it guaged
public opinion and the trend Of the
matters which vitally Interested me-
There was quite an intimacy between
the Burns brothers and my brother
myself they rather disliked but were
apparently devoted to him. hence when
"BiUy" lthe detective) came to the
Jail he spent most of his time and i'm.
parted all his information to my
brother
Through the latter, / ascertained
Judge Pugh's opinion of our case, its
gravity owing to the ferocious assaults
of the Columbus newspapers and the
necessity for a stiff and elaborate de.
fense. The judge repeatedly commits
stoned Billy" to convey to me the as
surances of his sympathy and his read
iness to aid us in any way which would
not compromise his dignity as judge
and his position i'm the community as
a conservator Of the public morals.
NV leading counsel, Hon. Geo. l.. Con
verse. suspected treachery in these as
surances, and he time and again warn
ed me Of the double-dealing character
istics of Pugh, but l had implicit trust
and confidence i'm Dave and ascribed
Mr.. Converses bad opinion Of him to
professional jealousy politics etc.
Hence when Burns came one night
with a story that he had a long talk
wl,n Judge Pugh that the latter, after
the usual expressions Of sympathy ven
tured the opinion that our necks were
in dang owing to the public opinion
aroused by the press and the unscrup'
ulous methods being resorted to by
the prosecution in making up its case
but that he (Pugh) would stand by us
to the last Fortunately it was his
turn on the criminal bench next term
Of court and il | would not ask for a
postponement Ito which ] was legally
entitled) but try the case before him
he would find means to see me safe
out. This was glorious news indeed,
and brought tears of gratitude to my
eyes. Here was a friend and if 9th
ers basely deserted me he was true as
steel and redeemed in my mind the
long 4st of contemplate creatures who
at the first mutterings Of the storm,
trimmed their sails and sought safety
I'm desertion or joined their voices to
the volume Of condemnation raised by
the press. l instantly summoned my
attorneys for consultation, and with
out compromising the judge, informed
them of my desire to stand trial at the
first term Of court, and to prepare
their defense accordingly They en-
deavored in every way known to law
yers to dissuade me from the mad pro
iect of going to trial in the midst OF
the public prejudice aroused by my
enemies in the press But / retorted
that inasmuch as I was willing to take
the consequences and hold them blame
less for the result and as ! was the
person TO suffer, they finally yielded.
Mr.. Converse, however, suspecting that
/ must have some special reason for
going 10 trial at the first term and re-
fusing TO wait until the public mind
calmed down and the memory Of the
outrage my rash act had caused SOFT
ened or mellowed by time, visited me
the next day and WOrmed out Of me
bit bv bit the secret. He then solemn
lv warned me Of the treacherous char
acter Of Pugh. and his own dealings
with him. He even offered to refund
his fee and retire from the case. He
pointed out that Colonel Holmes, who
was assisting the prosecution profes
sionally, owned Pugh, and guided, If
he did not write and dictate all his de-
cisions in chancery cases. But ! would
not be advised; my confidence in Pugh
could not be shaken, and ] finally par
TALLY convinced Mr Converse, by re-
calling to his mind the Church divorce
case and the fact that the same ele-
ments which procured that would now
work in harmony with Pugh, and that
he could not afford to betray me, nor
would Joyce, Miller Bliss ct al. permit
him. Thus my confidence and friend
ship for Pugh overcame all obstacles,
and on the 10th of May, 1891 he sat
upon the criminal bench to try for his
life a former friend, associate and ben
efactor.
The state elected to try me first and
under the indictment for the killing of
Osborne. Mr. Converse, who stlll dis
trusted Pugh, had prepared a number
of afhdavits setting forth that | could
not obtain a fair trial in Franklin
County and asking for a change of
venue to one of the adjoining counties
I'm tho iudfofaI digtript which was cpm- ]