The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-10-01
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The plea of Attorney Fred Crum-
packer, for the defense. and OF sfs,
torney t. VI. HembroT aud Joseph Con-
roy, for the prosecution, in the famous
Coons case, in which the defendant was
charged with a NEST unnatural crime
against his daughter. Miss Mary Gseib.
have been heard. Judge Virgil s. Reft-
err has given his instructions to the
jury and that body of men is now de-
IiberatinG the verdict.
Court Room Is Packed.
The court room was packed to the
doors this afternoon when Attorney
| Conroy finished his arraignment of
| Charles Coons and there was hush fell
over the court room when the argu-
ments were ended and the jury, which
is TO determine the fate of the pris-
| oner, left the jury box and went into
the jury room. 1t is not believed that
the jury will be out long.
Arguments Were Limited
The arguments of both the attor-
neys for the state and the attorney
for the prosecution were confined to a
| limited period of time. Attorneys Con-
roy and Hembroff called attention 10
| the condition of Miss Gefb They
claimed that it would be the most un-
natural thing for her to desire to see
her father punished for it if he was
not guilty. They pointed to the matrf-
| monial record of Mr.. Coons and showed
! that he had been married three times,
and had trouble with all of his wiVs1
and finally had attempted to break ap
another family by charging that the
father had been guilty of alternating
the affections of Coon's wife when he
was not even legally married to her.
Attorneys For State Talk.
The attorneys for the state stated
that after Coons had ruined the lives
of three older women he then began
to entfce younger girls to his room in
the Maine hotel and finally when re-
| duced to the last extremity, had ruined
his own daughtr by first winning her
affection and then taking advantage of
it. He ended his argument by point
! ing to Mr.. Coons and calling him, that
insatiate brute"
Crumpacker's Plea.
Considering the testimony which had
been introduced in the trial. the fact
that the sympathy of the jury must
have been with the girl, that Charles E.
! Coons, because of the very nature of
the charges. was without friends, and
most important of all the credibility OF
the girls testimony as compared with
that her father. the defense was as
j strong as it could be. Mr.. Crumpacker
took the position that Mr.. Coon's at
titude affection toward his daughter
was only a natural one. He said the
! evidence had not brought out single
thing which showed that the relations
of the father with the daughter had
been other than they could be.
Tell of His Manner.
He said that the only evidence which
tended to show that Mr.. Coons was
guilty of the specific thing with which
he was charged was the testimony of
the prosecuting witness. He spoke
about Coons' frank manner and of the
many admissions he had made that
would not have been made had he tried
to shield himself in every way pos
sible.
Judge Virgil 5. Reiter's instructions
to the jury in the famous Coons' case
were so clear and complete on the mat
ter of guilt or innocence. without the
reasonable question of a doubt. that
they brought forth favorable comment.