The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-02-02
FATHER PLEADS FOR SON
1srrib|e Strain Begins to Tell On
Elder Thompson
DRAMATIC SCENE IN MURDER TRIAL
JURY IS AssAiLED BY ELOQUENT
LAWYER AND BROKEN
PARENT.
DRAMATIC SCENE IN MURDER TRIAL

TACOMA, Feb. 2.-Never. perhaps
in court of justice has there beer
such a scene as that enacted in Judge
SHELLS department of the Pierce Coun-
ty superior court.
Sobbing, eloquent, speaking his
thoughts in the metaphor of scholars
rhetoric. Will H. Thompson, lawyer
his son, Chester, charged with the MUIR
der of former Judge George Meade
Emory.
All the strain under which this mar
has been laboring for the months that
have elapsed since the shooting is ev
ident today. That he is maintain
ing his powers-pOwers which have
been sadly tried in the past two months
dent. And even, possessed as he is
of great will, there are times when
his emotion gets the better of him
and his eloquence trails off in a bro
ken. choking cry.
There are many in the crowded
court room who have been moved by
| the sight and sound of this aged father,
and on occasions audible sobs are
heard. At times the faces of the two
brothers of the defendant have been
distorted by efforts to maintain their
| self possession as they realized all that
depended upon the fathers last effort.
That it is his last effort. the father
himself has said, and in the saying he
gives evidence that he is cognizant of
the fact that he is physically unable
to go through the ordeal of another
trial.
For God Almightys sake, make
verdict and make it now. 1 can't go
through this again. Let's have an end
Of this terrible thing"
Thus the father pleaded that the sus-
pense be ended.
Am No Coward.
Il am no coward" he said, and then
he referred to his own career as a SOL
der in the Confederate army.
A greater portion of the forenoon
fulsome praise of the jury and in
pleading that his sons life and lib
erty be granted him. Time and again
he referred to his life as Confederate
soldier, in this connection, saying that
he had been cautioned by friends that
! there were men On the jury who had
been Union soldiers. He described bat
ties in which he had taken part, and he
said he had told this friend that such
would not be held against him.
Then in stating his position the law
yer-father said that he was not after
the hearts of the jurors but their con-
science. He appealed to them to MAIN
tain the law. and said:
eff the law doesn't shadow and pro-
tect the head of that boy let him die.
Death is not such a serious thing. If
boy of mine, I could take him by the
hand and walk up to you and say
Chester, We are about to die I could
do that for there is no cowardice in my
ancestry. But I am not fighting
against death. l am fighting against
dishonor. 1 have faults as thick as the
dust in vacant chambers, but I am not
a criminal. There Is no word OF
crime defiling the pages of my family's
history and 1 don't want you to place
it there now"
His Mighty Eioquence.
Once further along the father turned
on Lawyer Vance for the state and,
sobbing with emotion, referred to the
state lawyers remarks about the lack
of parental authority as blow from
feather across bruised and bleeding
shoulders.
At another time he dwelt on the dy-
ing accusation of Emory as given on
the stand by Daniel Kelleher, and said
that there was no man whose word he
would believe as implicitly as that of
Emory, but George Meade Emory is
much for the word of Daniel Kelleher."
Speaking of his own family and that
of his dead wife the father emphasized
the horror marking the pages OF the
history of this family and that the dis
dishonor of her son being branded as
criminal ,be not visited on this
yoothor fhot fho ,,nt,,rnod face in the