The Forrest City times., 1901-09-27
the belief that they have committed some

Whlte man. What 1t was the paper did
 not say, but he was strung up. i suggest. gentlemen, that that class of the com
 munity who are crying out in our cities and are sending letters to lawyers suG getting that the man who is charged with the crime that this defendant Is should
 not be permitted to have d trial before court ot justice, are more dangerous class to the community than the anarch- lsts about whom we read so much. Now it is the duty of every American citizen, or every good man, to stand ! f1rmly by the law, and put his voice against any idea that d man should be punished for any crime until he is proven
 guilty in court, beyond any reasonable doubt.
 My associate and myself are here to up-
 hold the law. Some weak minded people { entertain the notion that the lawyer who | appears in defense of a defendant is in court to obstruct the due process of the law to balk justice and to delay by tech nicalities. But every man who knows the members of the bar understands that this Is not so. My associate and myself are
 here for the same purpose that the ! learned district attorney Is here for, 10 see that this trial progresses in a legal. | orderly and proper manner We must in every way possible put down and sup
 press this feeling that cases may be dis
 posed of without the intervention If courts { of justice.
 remember. gentlemen. when | was a young man living in Auburn. studying my profession, the news came that colOred man had gone up on the shores of Owasco lake and there had murdered practically an entire family named Van Ness. The news created intense excite ment. The people gathered on the streets to hear the news. In the course of the afternoon 1t was learned that the man, Freeman had been arrested and was be- ing brought to the city to be incarcerated. | The people upon the streets became more and more excited They began to talk about nobbing the colored man when he arrived. Wm H. Seward, who lived in
 that city, appeared upon the street and counseled moderation, counseled the peo- pie to wait and see whether the man was really guilty of the crime or not and per init him to have d legal trial But the people protested. He was guilty, they said. and must be disposed of. Mr. Se- ward insisted, and they incarcerated Free man in Jail. It soon became known that Mr. Seward had volunteered to defend the negro when he Was put on trial, and indignation arose against him, but that far-Seeing man. that statesman, saw that then Was an opportunity of giving an oD ject lesson to the world as to the proper disposition of that case, and for two long months the trial went on with Seward defending the negro. It occupied some three weeks in obtaining jury ana l sat by almost during the entire proceedings of that trial, and listened to the defense | that MT. Seward interposed. Not that he cared anything for the negro, but he wanted to maintain the jaw giving every
 man trial. and to put down mob vio- lenCe.
 This trial here is a great object lesson
 
 has stricken down the beloved president of this country, in broad daylight, in the presence of hundreds, of thousands, of spectators If there was ever q ease 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, indicted, put upon trial here and the case Is soon to be submitted to you as to whether he k guilty of the crime charged against him. That, gentle | of derly conduct of the people of the city 1 of Buffalo.
 Here is d man occupying an exalted posi- | ton. a man of irreproHehable character; he was man who had come here 10 as- sist Us in promoting the prosperity of out great exposition. And he was shot down | while holding reception.
 His death has touched every heart in | this community, and in the whole world. and yet we sit here quietly considering | whether this man was responsible for the 1 act he committed. That question is ono you are called 10 decide
 The law presumes the defendant inno- l cent until he is proven guilty, and we | start with the assumption that the de- 1 fendant was not mentally responsible for the crime he committed. We have not been able to present any evidence upon l our part. The defendant has even re. 1 fused on almost every occasion to talk | with his counsel He has not aided us, so we have come here uuaided to consider | this important question. But know there I is in every human being a strong desire | to live. Death is spectre that We all dislike to meet. and here this defendant. l without having any animosity against | our president, without any personal mo- | tive so far as can see, committed the l act which he knew. if he was sane, must cause his death. How can q man with sane mind perform such an act2 The rab- ble in the streets will say no matter l whether he is insane not. he deserves to be killed. The law, however says that 1 you must consider the circumstance. and a4 he m or lf when he committed the deed. IT you find i he was not responsible you would aid in lifting a great cloud from the minds of the people of this country. If the beloved president had met with q railroad acci- dent and been killed our grief could not compare with what it is now. If you l find that he met his fate through the act of an insane man it k the same as though he met it by accident. l had the
 profoundest respect for President McKin-
 ley. l watched him in congress. and dur , ing his long public career and he was one of the noblest men God ever made. His policy We care nothing about, but it al ways met with my profoundest respect. | His death was the saddest hlow to me 1 that has occurred in many years" Judge Lewis was crying when he finished and the eyes of many of those in the court room were filled with tears.
 Judge Titus then arose and said that Judge Lewis had so completely covered the ground that it seemed en- tirely unnecessary for him to reiter-
 ate it and he would, therefore, rest At 3:10 District Attorney Penney be-
 gan summing up. He spoke in clear,
 well-modulated voice. and every word
 could be heard in any part of the room. He sad:
 Ii is hardly possible for any man to stand up and talk about this case without the deepest emotion. It was the most
 awful tragedy that ever came lpon the world
 We have shown vou how this defendant stood in the Temple of Music that after noon and shot town our beloved ptesi- dent. We have shown you how he aeliDsr- ated and planned this awful crime. We have shown you how he attended an archistic and socialisuc meetings at which were sown in his heart the seeds of his terrible act.
 The counsel for the defense says if the defendant was sane he was responsible and that if he was insane he must be pre- stunned to be innocent. He tells you that ia a Of