The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1907-05-28
As STOR Y OF
TIE Law.


yatne upon tlle SUBJECT OF mis- thought
A specialist In throat diseases Is ant Il
refer all the ills man Is heir to to ths
throat. The professor Of ancient Ian,
guages cannot understand how mar
can be properly equipped for any pro
fession 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
monomania tends to make the court
room a tournament Of lawyers. The
real object of court. to do justice. Is
buried under a rank professionalism
that has grown mp Ike weeds In a
flower garden.
Edward Avery. brilliant young
lawyer, was especially under the infin,
ence 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 limo.
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 machine which win grind out
anything that is put into It.
One day while Avery was practicine
ON his own account man whose trial
for burglary was to come OF imme.
diately sent for him and asked him to
make his defense.
But know nothing about the case. Z"
Don't want y to know nothln' about
the case. The more you know about
1t the wo'se for me-"
Avery's fancy was tickled at going
into court TO conduct case he didn't
know anything about. He prided 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
S. to give him for a retainer, but
Avery was not after money. His OBJ.
ject was to have an opportunity to
show what he could do impromptu.
The case came of the same after.
noon. Avery was somewhat surprised
TO see in the courtroom several OF his
chums. mostly of the legal profession,
and asked why they were there. He
was told that they had heard he had
taken a case he didn't know anything
about, ana they were curious to see
how he would handle 1t. Avery was
pleased. This meant that they were
there to witness bit of professional
fireworks.
Avery in summer lived in a hand.
some suburban residence. In winter
he shut 1t up, went TO the city and lived
In apartments till sbrlng. 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 establishment When the pros
ecution brought out the fact that the
robbery had been committed in his own
house.
Avcry's friends were watching him,
and when this fact dawned upon him
they snickered. The young attorney
saw at once that they had placed him
in position to defend his client from
robbing him. But he was game. Not
the slightest change of countenance in.
Dictated that his professional equanim-
ity had hem disturbed He listened
calmly to the evidence against his eli
ent. while the expression of his face
and quick Hastings 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 acqulttal OF his client.
The burglar had been seen coming
down a trells from an upper story by
a man with whom Avery was well ac-
quainted. He had been chased, but on
the way had contrived TO get rid Of
some valuable articles. When appre.
hended, he had nothing on him TO con.
Wet him of theft. OF course the jury
were entirely ignorant of the situation
that had been brought about by Av-
ery's friends. When the prosecutors
evidence was all in. Avery took the wit.
ness who had seen the burglar descend
the trellis 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 policeman and several
citizens, but the, witness had merely
seen u man descend the trellis. What
man he did not know. Avery trapped
him into saying what threw doubt on
the fact Of the identity between the
man who had descended the trellis and
the prisoner then showed how easy It
would be for the one to,,be mistaken
for the other. He closed by powerful
argument against running n mans life
by evidence that was defective and a
pathetic appeal for the prisoner The
jury brought IN verdict of not guilty.
There was a dinner served that night