The daily Alaskan., 1907-06-11
A STORY OF
 THE LAW.
IOrlgInaL

[OrigInall
 Among the many advantages of con- centration of thought is one disQdyau- l age. Such concentration leads the thinker to place au undue relative value upon the subject of bis thought. | A specialist In throat diseases Is apt Go 1 refer all the ills man is heir to to the throat. The professor of ancient Ian guages cannot understand how man can be properly equipped for any pro- fesslon without a knowledge of Greek and Latin. To the merchant the chief end of man Is to buy cheap and. sell dear
 In the legal profession this species of monomanla tends to make the court room a tournament of lawyers. The real object of a court, to do justice, is buried under a rank professionalism that has grown up ike weeds In l flower garden.
 Edward Avery, a brilliant young lawyer, was especially under the lnhu- euce of this professionalism. Having l been elected state attorney, he consld- cred 1t his duty to convict alike the Innocent and the guilty. AS soon as l hls duty to the state had ended aud be ] became an Independent attorney be considered 1t hls duty to secure the acgulttal of any client whether nno- l cent or guilty. Ills friends used to re- ! monstrate with him on the want of l elasticity of his principles, but with out avail. He was intensely logical and could give the best of reasons for ! his deductions He forgot that logic 1 Is but a machine which will grind out anything that Is put Into IT,
 One day while Avery was pracucmg ou his own account a man whose trial l for burglary was to come of mme- dlatcly sent for him and asked him to make his defense.
 But know nothing about the case
 Don't want y to know nothiu about the case. The more you know about it the wU'se for me-"
 Avery's fancy was tickled at going Into rourU to conduct a case he didn't know anything about He prided him- Self on bis readiness and resource. He would add another to his already large sonumber of stories that he was used to telling his friends Illustrative or these faculties. The accused man had hu, S5 to give hlm for retainer, but Avery was not after money. Ills ob- feet was to have an opportunity tu show what he could do InprompJu.
 The ease came off the same after noon. Avery was somewhat surprised to see Iu the courtroom several of his clums. mostly of the legal profession, and asked why they were there. He was told that aey had heard be had taken case he didn't know anything about, and they were curious to see how be would handle it. Avery was pleased. This meant that they were there t0 witness a bit Of professional fireworks.
 Avery in summer lived in a hand some suburban residence. Tn winter be shut 1t up went to the city and lived In apartments till spring. When the prisoner was brought Into court and the witnesses were got together, the counsel for the defense was surprised to see among the latter faces of his neighbors in the country. But what was hIs astOnlshment when the pros ecution brought out the fact that the roNberv had been committed in his own house.
 Avcrys friends were watching him, and when this fact dawned upon him they suickered The young attorney saw at once t' at they had placed him in Dositic.. to defend his client from robbiug l.m. But he was game. Not the slightest change of c5untenauce ln- dicated that his professional equontm. ltv had been disturbed. He listened calmly to the evidence against hls eli. eut while the expression of bis face and quick iashlugs In his eyes told that he was straiuing his brain to find some weak spot in the prosecution, some tpchulcalIty by which he might secure the acuulttal of his client
 The burglar had been seen coming down a treuls from an upper story by man with whom Avery was we'll oc. 1ualnted, He had been chased, but on the way had contrived to get rid of some valuable articles When appre- heudei. be had nothing on hlm to con vict him of theft. or course the jury were entirely ignorant Of the situation that had been brought about by Av- erv's friends. When the prosecutors evidence was all in, Avery took the wi ness who had seen the burglar descend fine trclIls and asked him how he knew The prisoner was the same person. The witness could not swear that he was. He had seen him run, and he had been followed by a policeman. and several 1 citizens, but the witness had merely seen a man descend the trellls. What man he did not know. Avery trapped hin. into saying what threw doubt on the fact of the Identity between the man who had descended the tre4is and 1 the prisoner, then showed how easy 1t would be for the one to be mistaken ! for the other. He closed by powerful 1 argument against running mans life FH---- --sn- HaraH+frra ca