Evening journal., 1907-05-17
HANDY'S PLEA
SAVES A NEGRO
Comes to Rescue Of PenniIeSS
Prisoner and Gets Him
Liberty
ORATOR SEEKS A KINGDOM

He was a poor. unlearned friendless
negro and occupied a seat in the Cen
eral Sessions Court pen. The state
believed him guilty of larceny and
thought he should suffer with other
wrong -doers for his crime. L. Irving
Handy. big in body, heart and soul
believed him innocent Of the crime as
charged, volunteered to defend him be-
fore the law without thought of finan-
cial remuneration and got him his lib
erty. This is the story Of one Of the
most piuful cases that have come be-
fore Criminal Court of this county in
a long time
William johnson, n middle aged
black man, was the principal charac-
ter in the life story. lIe was in the
prisoners pen to answer for the lar
ceny of scrap iron from the receivers
of the Diamond State Steel Company
Mr.. Handy, knowing the man to be
penniless, and without friends, and be-
lieving him innocent Of the charge
elected to defend him. The state prov
ed bv different witnesses that Johnson
had been caught a short distance from
a bag of iron on the Steel Company $
rroperty. that he had been prosecuted
Tor trespass; that an unknown negro
had been seen on the property the day
before the arrest of Johnson; tha'
Johnson had confessed" HIS crime TO
the officer to whom the company's Of
ncials had surrendered him, but failed
in every way to prove that he had laid
his hand on the bag of iron, much
less attempted to carry it off the
premises.
Made a Defense
Then Mr.. Handy began his defense
bv calling the negro to the stand
Johnson knew little other than that he
was innocent of larcenv. In his own
rliterate way he told of trespassing on
the company's property, which. he said
was only four squares distant from
his Lord street home, because nature
compelled MIN, and Of being arrested
The officer who accompanied him e
the police station tried to get him e
confess that he was about to carr,
off the bag of iron in question, but h'
feclared he made no such confession
In CITY Court the following mornini
he pleaded guilty to charge OF tres
mass. was sentenced TO a brief term o
Imprisonment and later went tree
Then, to his surprise he was haie'
into county court the other day u
plead to an Indictment charging lar
ceny. of course he entered a plea o
not guilty. He declared he was inno
cent of the charge and left the stan'
with perhaps no hope that jury o
twelve white men would believe IN
sworn testimony Of an ignorant blacl
man And, perhaps, the jury woul'
not had it not been for the eloquent
pathetic plea of Mr.. Handy.
II Handy Were King
There can be no larceny under tn
law" declared Mr.. Handy to tn
Jury. without the carrying away q
goods. The State has not proved tina
tbis black man carried away a penny
worth of property and ] am here {
see that he gets justice. am her
without hope of REWARD except tina
which comes to the man who know
that he has done his neighbor good
This man is my neighoOr. Yes, 1 ar
The friend of the black man 364 days
the year and this is one of those days
Believing him to be innocent OF I'M
crime want to see him breathing I'll
air of freedom with you men. 70
can give him the freedom he desire!
You say he has confessed! Police cor
fessions bosh! When the bottom fall
out of a case police and detective
fraue I'D a confession to save them
selves If were king, fhe confession
of the patrol wagon and prison ce
would never be told on Witnes
stand" Then Mr.. Handy sat dow
Twenty minutes later johnson was
free man.
Charles Gibson, colored, accused
stealing a watch, the property OF jaime
Sandbury, was acquitted. as also we
Edward Truman. accused OF tne la
ceny Of four rubber shoes from Barhe
Weinstock.