The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-02-18

tice him as he looked in at the
door. For a moment he stood there
fascinated. Then he left the club
and returned to his rooms, and, sit.
ting down before the fire, began
to think the Lorimer case over
from beginning to end, conjuring up
possibilities, weaving new theories,
testing and examining each in
fruitless effort to fit it with the
thread he had picked up on the
floor of the club dining room.
At last, one day, stream of law
yers, clerks and witnesses pouring
into the rotunda rapidly carried the
news that Prayer VS.. The Placento
was on trial at special term, part
TX.
Maddox, with his assistants and
Mr.. Prayer with his supporting wit
nesses, occupied one Of the long
tables forming a right angle before
the judges desk, and Nugent, My
rick, Mr.. Rutledge, Mr.. Soaring and
a bevy of Placento directors
crowded about the other.
Maddox sat with his back to the
audience, his chair slightly tipped,
and his hands thrust in his trousers
pockets, staring straight before him
into the panels of the judges desk.
The moment that the judge looked
down over his glasses and nodded,
Maddox rose to his feet, all his lazy
Indifference gone, and in it's place
keen, earnest determination and
alert attention. The few prelimin-
airy formalities of trial, unintelli-
gible to the lay audience, were con-
Quoted in low tone between My
rick, Maddox and the Judge, and
then Dave began his opening adj
dress.
The history of the Placento con-
spiracy came fro mhis lips free
from all technical reference or COM
plications. Every sentence was
simple, lucid, but incisive; every
accusation was definite, positive,
but undeclamatory. He spoke to
the Judge as though he were the
only person in the room, telling his
story with logical sequence and
personal conviction.
Again and again Myrick inter-.
rupted with objections to break the
force of the narration, but each
time he did so Maddox waited
calmly until the judge nodded. and
then took up the thread of the story
exactly where he had dropped it.
Only once did he turn upon his OPP
ponent, and then with flash of
anger in his eyes which Myrick
could not meet.
Il understand these Interrupt
tions." he Numbered. But | warn
the learned counsel of saying
often quoted in this court, that The
more more you shake the torch of
truth the farther it shines!'"
His long arm shot high above his
head as he spoke. and then sud-
denly descended like beam of
light pointing directly to Myrick's
face. He paused for moment, and
deep hush settled over the court
room, and when he continued he
met no further interruption. The
audience listened no less intently
than the Judge, and when the
speaker ceased the history of the
Placento conspiracy had been out
lined with such point and suggest
iveness that the attention of the
most careless listener had been
caught and his interest aroused.
The moment his address closed
Maddox called Mr.. Prayer to the
stand and the testimony began. His
questions were short, sharp and
businesslike, giving but little
chance for cross examination. and
holding the witness down to what
he was called to prove. Witness
succeeded witness in rapid success
sion, each forging link in the
great chain of evidence which was
rapidly Stacking the conspirators.
The speed of the attack and the
complete system with which it was
developed seemed to take Nugent
and Myrick by surprise, for they did
little to check the onslaught, to
the evident dismay of Mr.. Soaring,
who kept nudging them in the back
and showing penciled memoranda
before their eyes. But his hints
and suggestions did not result in
anything, and the Placento presi-
dent finally pushed back his chair,
whispering long and earnestly to
Mr. Rutledge, whose set stare of
surprise was rapidly turning to a
look of alarm.
nv, h.~