The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-15
A KNIGHT COURAGEOUS.

oH~AA
scandle the most conspicuous figure
is Francis Heney, who was shot I'M
der the most dramatic circumstances
while he was conducting the prosecu-
ton of Ruef, the notorious. In his
relentless crusade against lawlessness
Heney has not confined his operations
to the city of San Francisco. Although
he is still a young man he has dis
tinguished himself among his fellows
for his activities against the land
grabbers and timber thieves, which
subsequently led to his employment
by Rudolph Spreckles to run to ground
the rascals. The tale of Schmitz and
Ruef is too well known to need COM
ment.
The significant thing about the
whole affair is the great danger under
which courageous prosecutors labor
while discharging their duty. The time
is no longer when the prosecutor is
young fellow who performs a per-
functory round of ordinary affairs and
sticks the fees into his pocket-he
must be a fighter and as such is I'M
der constant peril for his life. This
Heney was, "Heney the fighter" and
today Heney lies at the point of death.
There will be those, however. who
will discover the other side of the
shield. Who was the man who shot
Heney? 1t was Morey Haas, the re-
jected talesman of the Ruef case,
whom the ever wary prosecutor show
ed had at one time occupied a con-
vict's cell and walked in lock step.
1t sounds almost like a melodrama
doesn't it? The unmasking of Haas,
has on the face of it, pathetic look
"a mans whole life destroyed after
his attempted reformation because by
fate he was by a chance called juror.
Every day the press dispatches wash
up a case of reformed convict.
|
Heney, who was simply discharging
his duties, nor yet with the misguided
and probably insane Haas-but it lies
hardest and heaviest on the public,
which has an animal disposition to
kick a man when he is down. If pub
lie sentiment were more forgiving
and forgetting toward fallen men and
women this tragedy would not have
happened.
AS for Heney here is hoping that he
will get back into the ring again and
continue his fight.
In this age of barren romance it
may seem absurd to liken Heney to
the good and true knights of the age
of chivalry, but such men as he are
the modern counterparts Of st. George
and the dragon.
The younger generation of lawyers
must realize that they are face to face
with the problem of arraying them.
selves with the side of lawlessness
or not. The role of corporation law.
yer who gets his pay for picking flaws
in the letter of law in order that
dishonest men may evade the spirit OF
the statute, is not so attractive but
far more lucrative than the Heney
style. OF course some one has to be
corporation lawyer and man may
do so untouched and untarnished. But
how many untarnished corporation
lawyers are there?
Some years ago man named Del
mas Cater of the Thaw case) made
wonderful fight in a right cause
with no compensation, that started
him on the road to fame. He now
stands at the top of his profession
Not long ago another man who haC
been present at that first momentum.
trial in which Delmas won his spurs
wrote to Delmas and told him that hi:
example had sent him into the con
flict against graft and lawlessness ant
that he owed it all to his example. I
few days later came the answer, Sc
am much touched by your letter. /
recalls to me the brightest page of m.
S life. But you have written to tn,
: wrong man-that man who won tn,
splendid battle is dead"
:. And even though Heney die from
the wound inflicted by the ex-convic
l. that man viii live-a knight Cour
l. ageous.