The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1907-08-30
A STORY OF
90. THE LAW.
tOriginal.l


tage. Such concentration leads the
thinker to place an undue relative
value upon the subject of his thought.
a specialist in throat diseases Is apt to
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-
fessiOn without 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
mOnomania tends to make the court
room Il tournament of lawyers. The
real object of court, to do Justice, is
buried under rank professionalism
that has grown up like weeds In q
flower garden.
Edward Avery, brilliant young
lawyer was especially under the infiu-
encc of this professionalism. Having
been elected state attorney, he consid
cred 1t his duty to convict alike the
innocent and the guilty. AS soon as
his duty to the state had ended and he
became an Independent attorney he
considered 1t his duty to secure the
acquittal of any client, whether inno-
cent or guilty. His friends used to re-
monstrate with him on the want of
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
Is but n machine which will grind out
ANYTHING thnt ic ,,nt into y
One day while Avery was practicing
OH his own account a main whose trial
for hGrglary was to come off imme-
diatcly sent for him and asked him to
make his defense.
but l know nothing about the case"
Don't want " to know nothin' about
the case. The more you know about
1t the wo'se for me-
Avery'S fancy was ticlilcd at going
into court to conduct case he didn't
know anything about. He pridcd him
self on his readiness and resource. He
would add another TO his already large
number of stories that he was used to
telling his friends illustrative Of these
faculties. The accused man had but
80 TO give him for Il retainer, but
Avery was not after money. His OBJ
jcct was TO have an opportunity to
show what he could do impromptu.
The case came off the same after
noon. Avery was somewhat surprised
to see In the courtroom several of his
chums- .-uloStly of, -thp legal profession.
was t~ld that they had heard he had
taken case he didn't know anything
| about. and they We're curious TO see
how lie would handle it, Avery was
pleased. This meant that they We're
there To witness bit of professional
fireworks.
Avery In summer lived in hand.
some suburban residence. In winter
he 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 fUr the defense was SURPRISED
10 see among the latter faces of his
noighbors In the country. But what
was his astonishment when the pros
ecution brought out the fact that the
robbery had been committed in his own
house.
AVcry's friends We're watching him
and when this fact dawncd upon him
they Snickcrcd. The young attorney
saw ut once that they had placed him
in position 10 defend his client from
robbing him. But he was game. Not
the slightest change of countcnunce in
dicatcd that his professional equanim-
ity had been disturbed. He listened
calmly t. the evidence against his eli.
,,f L.
and quick tlashings in his eyes told
that he was straining his brain to find
some weak spot in the prosecution.
some technicality by which he might
secure the acquittni of his client.
The burglar hld been seen coming
down trellis from an upper story by
man with whom Avery was we'll ne
Quaintcd. He had been chased. but on
the way had contrivcd to get rid of
some valuable articles. When appre
hended. lie Lad nothing on him 10 con.
vict him of theft or course the Jury
were entirely ignorant of the situation
that had been brought about by Av-
cry's friends When the prosecutors
evidence was all In. Avery took the wit
ness who had seen the burglar descend
the trCllis and asked him how he knew
the prisoner was the same person. The
witness could not swear that he was.
lie had seen him run. and he had been
followed by policeman and several
citizen but the witness had merely
d! descend the trellis What
'H..l he c,. not know. Avery trapped
him into saying what threw doubt on
the fact OF the identity between the
man who had descended the trcilis and
the prisoner, then showed how easy II
would be ISr the one TO be mistaken
for the other. He closed by n powerful
argument against running n mans life
by evidence that was defective and q
pathetic appeal for the prisoner The
Jury brought in verdict of not guilty.
There was dinner served that night
nj the bar association club rooms. Civ
en- by those who had played the Joke
ln Avery. He revealed The fact that
ne hnd lost articles that had hrrY In
MS iamily for POO years by securing
" 80 l.