The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-05-02
Arguing For the Chorus
Girls Freedom.
MURDER OR SUICIDE7
There Can Be No Compromise Verdict,
He Declares. Nan Patterson is
Guilty of Murder in the First
Degree or Not at
All.
(By the Associated Press.)

(By the Associated Press.)
New York May 1.-'"This case is
one of deliberate murder or suicide.
There can be no manslaughter about
it. There should be no compromise
verdict. She is either guilty Of muir
der in the first degree or not at all"
With these words Abraham Levy,
| counsel for Nan Patterson, brought to
a close this afternoon his five hour
argument in defense of the former
| chorus girl charged with the murder
| of Caesar Young.
During the long argument Miss Pat
! terson faced the jury unflinchingy.
| The court room was crowded most of
! the attendance being women, who
struggled to get look at the defend
| ant. At one time during the after
noon the judge was compelled to stop
| Mr.. Levy, while court officers expelled
! from the room some women who per-
sisted in discussing the case in aud
| ible tones TO the annoyance of all
! present.
Mr. Levy reviewed al 1.-The testimony
in detail and declared not a word had
been introduced which showed any
| purpose on the part of Miss Patterson
or her brother-in-law or sister, Mr..
and Mrs. j. Morgan Smith, to threaten
the life of Caesar Young.
The Suicide Theory.
The suicide theory was strictly em-
| phasized by Mr. Levy, who contended
| that the powder stains on Young's
/ fingers proved he had SHOT himself.
Mr.. Levy secuted the idea that a girl
would be able to make such an as
sault on a trained athlete like Young.
| He also ridiculed the idea that Miss
! Patterson should have chosen crowd
| ed street q sd place for murder, when
| she had so many opportunities to at
| tack Young where there would have
! been little danger of detection.
/ When the trial was resumed today
/ Mr.. Levy formally announced that the
defense would rest on the States case
| and then begun his closing argument
] for the prisoner. Mr.. Levy accused
| the prosecuting attorney of unfair tac-
tics, saying he had attempted to create
| the impression that the pawn tickets
were dated June g. when they really
| bore the date of October
Mr. Levy declared that the prose-
! cution had failed to prove that j. Nor
gan Smith bought the pistol and also
had failed to prove a motive for the
| deed.
Mr. Levy argued that Nan Patter-
son was victim of her own weak
nesses and the Establishments OF
| Caesar Young. 1t was admitted that
| she was the mistress of Young, he
| said, but before that she had been
true to her husband and was as loyal
! to Young as if she truly had been
his wife. Young was the master;
she the weakling. He asked the jury
| 10 read the letters from Young to
Miss Patterson and to determine
whether they were written to a wo-
man whom the writer wished to get
away from.
Says Young Pursued Nan.
"These letters were signed 'All
love, said he, "and in them we have
a voice from the dead Indicating that
this married man was pursuing this
girl instead of she pursuing him."
IF Young did not shoot himself,
! then how did the black spots like
powder marks get on finger Of his
right hand?" said Mr.. Levy.
There were no powder marks
found on her hand, and this indicates
that Young shot himself.
There is no woman absolutely de-
praved. There is some good in wo-
man even if she is an unfortunate
victim; so you will find that this de-
| fendant did not want to break up
| Mrs. Young's home. The prosecu-
ton has failed to prove that the de-
| fendant followed Young from place
| 10 pace, out the IdcIS indicate IndI
he was infatuated with her and pur-
sued her"
| After reviewing the examination of
Julia Smith by Mr. Rand and declar-
! ing that no frail weak woman could
Withstand such an onslaught Mr.
| Levy discussed the alleged purchase
of the revolver by J. Morgan Smith,
He said that if that had been proved
the case would have been greatly
changed, but declared that the failure
of pawn-broker Stern to identify
Smith brought that phase of the case
to an end. Mr. Levy said he was
| glad the pawn tickets were intro
duced in evidence as they showed that
Smith was in the habit of pawning
| things at Stern's, and consequently
could readily have been identified by
Mr.. Stern if he were the purchaser
of the revolver
Mr.. Levy ridiculed the contention
of the district attorney that Young
was marked for slaughter from May
3. He said if the defendant were a
mercenary woman she would not
think of cutting off the source of her
money.
How the Deed Was Done?
IF the defendant shot Young"
said Mr.. Levy, she would have had
to stand uD i'm front to have done it.
Think of Young, an athlete. permit
ting her to do anything like that. If
it were impossible for him to have
Continued on Page Two.l