Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1908-05-01
An Attorneys Coup.
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tOrlglnaLl
Having n case in court. was wait
ing until the one on the docket was
disposed Of young girl was trying
to break her fathers will. He had
been bedrdden for some years before
his death, his sister had taken care OF
him, ana he had left her all his prop
erty on her verbal promise that shg
would take care Of his daughter, his
natural heir 1t was claimed that the
OLD man had been incompetent 10 make
q will and that his sister had used
undue influence to make him do so mi
her favor. At any rate. she had but
meagerly fulfilled her promise to pro
vide for the girl who should have in
heritcd
The attorney for the plaintiff was
physically and mentally a splendid
man; the attorney for the defendant
had bad case aud resorted to petit.
Goggng. The girl from whose claim he
was defending bis client sat motionless,
with her face toward the jury. TIcr
countenoncc wore an expression Of
habitual sadness.
As the case proceeded the attorney
opposing her case seemed to be dis.
turbed over the effect her personality
was having on the jury. There was
little available evidence to prove her
claim. and he had no doubt but for
this personal charm that he would win
n ,o1 t,, fol IN.
advantage of statement made by his
antagonist to forestall this effect
ITS impossible" said the girls ad.
vocate. that my client should have
seen ell that was going on in that
household for the reason
"If your client" interrupted the
counsel for the defense. could not see
what was going on in that household
with eyes which she is now endeavor.
ing to win the jury to her side. then
no pair of optics can see anything"
His opponent stood motionless, with
his eye fixed upon the pettifogger,
| while the seconds we're being licked
away. He neither spoke nor gave sign
| that he intended to speak. The silence
of the courtroom was unbroken. Judge,
| jury, even the clerk of the court, who
had been driving pen, looked at him
| fiXedly. The thrust had Jared upon
! their sensibilities. and they watched
intently the lips from which defense
was expected. The girl sat apparently
| unmoved.
At last her defender relinquished his
statuesque rigidity and, after slowly
raising his right hand in gesture, be-
| gan to speak in a voice which, had not
the courtroom been perfectly still,
would have been inaudible.
There are eyes" he said, that will
perceive evil where no evil exists, be-
cause when turned in upon themselves
they can see no good. There are eyes
that can see no evil because introspec-
ton reveals only purity. But, whether
they see good or evil. they are blessed
with the power of sight. When their
eyes are opened in the morning they
may rcvel in Il beautiful world slowly
emerging from the night shadow. For
them the dawn unveils the plains. the
valleys, the hills or the mountains.
They may see the waves of ocean roll
ing with their green concave and
white, shaggy names in upon the
sands, breaking the sunshine into myr-
lads of sparkling gems.
"But there is more, far more than
this, to delight them-the forms and
faces of those they love. The lover
may look upon the features of her who,
in his eyes at least, Is always beauti-
full. The mother may see her newborn
babe lying beside her and experience
therein the great JOY of her life. The
young may look with reverent affec-
ton on those who have begotten them.
! These and myriads Of other objects are
the heritage of those who have been
blessed with sight"
The speaker paused, then continued
in q still more impressive tone:
But what shall we say of those con-
demned to live in perpetual darkness?
| For them nature has no pictures. They
may feel the pressure of a hand, but
can see no smile of welcome nor the
| lOvelight dart from the eyes of those
they love. They are prisoners in
! dungeon"
The speaker paused again. Every
eye except that Of the young girl whose
case was being tried was fixed upon
her defender. Hers were fixed straight
before her. Lowering his voice almost
to a whisper. her advocate added;
Gentlemen of the jury, my client is
blind"
1t was some time before the sounds
incident to a courtroom recommended.
When they did they served for back
ground to the monotonous reading by
the judge Of his charge to the jury
No one Of the iurymen listened to 1t.