The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-01-03
!. IE XII I'D d EIIE CASE
FATAL EFFECT OH BROTHER SPEARS
MUSICAL TESTIMONY.

After the Jury Heard ri They Ac-i
quilted the Naughty ChiIdren who
Laughed In church and Disturbed
the Religious AssembIase.
A well known lawyer of Lancaster
Mo-, related the following legal Incl
dent One Of the most original lawyers
l ever met in my life was Sam Dysart
who many years ago was d resident Of
our county. Sam was a born humorist
and could have made his fortune in the
lecture field. When he lived UP our
way, he was engaged on one occasion
to defend a lot Of boys and girls charg
ed with disturbing a religious assem-
bly, out in the country Laughing and
gigglingv is the way the information
read The case was tried before Squire
A G. Bailey, a good old man who has
long since gone to his final reward
Like all cases of the Sort It attracted
an immense crowd from the vicinity of
the alleged outrage
T. c. Tadlock prosecuted, and he was
instructed BY the church people toI
spare no pains to convict the disturb
ers. who were very much frightened
by being dragged into court. All the
defendants were children of good fam
lilies. and 1t was their first offense.
They candidly admitted they laughed
out lin church., and the state insisted
thatEby their own mouths they were
condemned.
Brother Tice Spears. a righteous man
Of Puritanic type, was the main prose-
cutting witness. He had conducted the
service, and he testified that the peace
was sadly disturbed by the unseemly
behavior of the rioters After he
told his story in chief he sat down with
.clasped hands, waiting for the defend
ants attorney to begin on him. He
didn't have long to wait. The exami-
nation began like this:
Brother Spears, you led the meetin'
that night?'
II did. sir"
"You prayedT"
Il did, sir
"And preached.f
Il tried to-
"And sang?
II sang"
'tWhat did you sing?"
There Is Fountain Filled With
Blood SIR
Here Mr.. Dysart pulled hymnbook
from his pocket and handed it to the
witness with the remark
"Please turn to that song, Brother
Spears"
The witness did so.
"That's what you sang that night?'
ut is, sir"
"well, stand up and sing it now, if
you please
"Whatr'
"You heard what I said, Brother
Spears"
sBut can't sing before this sort of
crowd"
Brother Spears" with much appar-
ent indignation, do l understand that
you refuse to furnish legitimate evil
dence to this jury?p
mo, no but, you see"
'Your honor" said Mr. Dysart, Il
insist that the witness shall sing the
song referred to just as he did on the
night of alleged disturbance. 1t is a
part of our evidence and very impor-
tant. The reason for it will be disclos-
ed later on"
There was long jangle between
the lawyers. and the court finally or
dered the witness to get up and sing.
"And mind you, Brother Spears,
said Dysart seriously. .'you must sing
xcf n hat fn1& Won
change a note, you will have to so back
and do it all over again"
The witness got up and opened the
book. There is vast difference be-
tween singing to congregation in
sympathy with you and a crowd of
courtroom habStues. Brother Spears
was painfully conscious of the fact.
You know how these old time hymns
are sung in the backwoods settle
ments? You begin in the basementl
and work up to the roof and then leap
off from the dizzy height and finally |
finish the line in the basement.
That's the way the witness did. He
had a good voice-that is, 1t was strong. |
If Gabrel's trumpet ever gets out of
whack he could utilize that voice and
wake the dead just as readily. Ii |
seemed to threaten the window lights. |
The crowd didn't smile, it just yelled
with laughter. The jurymen bent
double and almost rolled from their
seats The court bit his corncob pipe
harder and looked solemn. 1t wasn't
any use. Thsre were only two straight
faces in the house. One belonged to
a deaf man and the other to Sam by
sart.- The singer finished and sat down
He looked tired. Sam Immediately ex
cused him.
When the time for speechmaking
came Sam remarked to the jury III
you gentlemen think you could go to
one Of Brother Spears meetings and
behave better than you have here, why |
you may be justified in convicting these
boys and girls"
That was all he said, but it gave
the jury lots to think about. They
brought IN a verdict of not guilty, |
with the request that Brother Spears
sing anothey song But that gentle
man had gone home and court ad-
journed Macon Republican.