Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1905-01-28
A Strange TRAGEDY
A FAMOUS CRIMINAL LAWYER
TELLS THE STORY OF HIS
MOST PECULIAR CASE.
Defaulter Shot Down-Clearing an In
nocent Man Who Believed Him
self Guilty-Tangle
Unraveled.
Bv Emmanuel M. Friend, LII. D.

-
Foremost Lawyers.)
I SOMETIMES wonder that lawyers
are anything more than mere ma
chimes, ruled solely by brain and devoid
of any of the gentler or more human
emotions. For a lawyer is of necessity
brought into contact with the seamiest
side of life, as well as with knotty prob
lens in whose u%ntangling there is no
room for sentiment.
Yet, despite the comic paper jokes,
the best lawyer is the lawyer with a
heart and with a conscience which is in
decidedly good working order. The
man who does away with heart and con-
science will in the long run also do away
with true success.
Still. the strain of constant contact
with tragedy, litigation, perjury, crime
and misery is terrific. Each lawyer
worthy the name has his clients inter-
ests at heart, and to a certain degree
must suffer with such clients. That is
why / wonder that the emotions are not
worn out by the time a lawyer has been
in practice ten years.
A lawyers memory, too, is a close
packed library of life histories or "hu-
an nature" episodes, more thrilling than
any dime novel. 1t is of one of these
episodes that | am about to tell. Also
OF an instance where sympathy with a
client urged me to efforts that might
otherwise have been beyond my scope.
1t was 10 years ago this winter that
I was summoned in haste to the home OF
an old friend and client, Mrs. Pashley,
of Westchester. | found Mrs. Pashley
and a s%ingularly beautiful young girl
awaiting me. Both were he~artbroken.
The girl was a Miss Foote. who was en-
gagged to Mrs. Pashley's only son, How
ard. The cause Of their grief vas as
follows:
Chase for Defaulter.
Howard Pashley was the junior part
ner in a commission house. The cashier
of the firm, George Furman by name, had
stolen a large sum of the company's
funds and decamped. The theft had been
discovered at once. Pashley, acting on
the theory that the mar would not ex-
pect detection so oon and that he would
probably go home for a few hours before
making for Canada or Europe, took the
next train for the ex-cashier's Williams
bridge residence.
His partner had been averse to turn
ing the case over to the police, and had
urged that Pashley try first to catch
the man and TO persuade or force him
TO give I'D as much of the money as re-
NAMED unspent, On the chance that
force might be necessary he had urged
Pashley to carry a revolver on the trip
This the younger man reluctantly had
done. He had not intended to use the
weapon, but merely to display it If neces'
sary to enforce his arguments.
Pashley went to Williamsbridge
turned into the street where Furmar
lived, and met the man face to face
Furman had been on his way to thu
station. At sight of Pashley he dropped
his yalise and ran. Pashley called Il
him to stop. The other quickened hi:
pace. At length, as Furman was gain
ing on him, Pashley drew his revolver
shouting:
"Stop, or III shoot"
A Fatal Shot.
On the instant Furman halted
whipped out a pistol and turned on Pash
ley. 1t was twilight at the time, and thu
men were nearly so feet apart. AS Pash
ley stepped forward Furman fired
Pashley's forehnger had been on tn
trigger of his own weapon, and the f1asl
and report of the others weapon 81
startled him that his grip on his revolve
frightened convulsively. He thus mad
vertently pulled the trigger, The pisto
shot rang out through the dusk, and a
the smoke cleared away the horrifie'
pashley saw Furman stretched out a
full length on the sidewalk. He threy
down his revolver and rushed to tn
fallen man > Sluc, Ouiy " INV thN ~
. sconder was already stone dead.
Pashley, half insane with the horro
of having taken a human life, gave him
self up to the police.
His mother had sent at once for m
. to beg me to take her sons case. TIL
grief of those two stricken women wa
pjteous. At first | attributed 1t to thei
fear lest the son and lover be forced
suffer death or Imprisonment for hi
act.
After making close investigation
= however, aud questioning the only tw
q witnesses of the shooting, | returned
them with the assurance:
"You need give yourself no uneasines'
. can get Howard off without troubl
when the facts are known. Two wit
nesses are ready to swear that althoug
the two shots were almost simultaneous
. Furman fired first. 1t was a clear cas-
of self-defense. No jury in the worlt
knowing all the facts, a fail to acqut
g Howard. The facts are all in his favo
and beyond temporary inconvenience h
will go scot free
Conscientious Sorrow.
I If | expected this assurance to consol
the two ladies, | was to be ~grievousl
y disappointed. The fact that Howar
y was not in grave danger of loss of III
/ or liberty had little effect in assuagin
y their sorrow. After a few amaze
y queries from me the truth came out.
l. 1t was not Towards supposed per
d that weighed them down one-tenth
d much as the fact that he had taken
y human life; that he had broken the sixt
commandment; that the man they bot
# adored had the ineradicable stain
blood on his hands.
a In other words, it was not the Leg
y but the moral aspect of the affair thi
< held them aghast and heartbrokeI
&c Both were of strong religious temperi
* ment, and in their eyes Towards a
d ranked with deliberate murder. The
to refused to be comforted; and snow
Nd head and gold-brown head alike we
bowed to earth with the shadow OF al
G. others sin and disgrace.
Despairing of making them take
~ more sane view Of the case or of pc
n suading them that Towards act had nj
been premeditated or even %intentions
i he was unfortunate rather than guilt
W | went to visit the young mai himself.
-. | found him in scarcely better cond
H.. 49,. 80, ksc ,,nfhar and uusGa