The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-02-23
Yoder,s states His Case.

Editor Oh Inc FtrEtnlant
Str,--ln your paper of "Wednesday
last / notice an appeal to those whom
| have contenGed against to join in
petition for pardon for me.
May ] be allowed space in your
valued paper to state that | most
earnestly insist that ] do not desire
TO be placed in any such compromising
position and ] do not want TO be par
doned If 1t comes in this way.
My little wife to whom pardon
would come most acceptably and who
has suffered most by my trials does
not desire it If 1t has 10 come with
the sanction of those whom l have
felt it my duty to critisize.
! do not ask for mercy. | only ask
for justice. and l am willing to leave
1t to the world after the facts are
known to Judge the right of all my
acts.
The jury had before it on Monday
+epideAee- sfow-attfat MIR Scherer
was wrong In his statement. reiterated
in your paper, that / contradicted my
letter of retraction to Carter Glass.
The papers never have brought out
the fact. which came out on Monday
In court, that | unqualihedly retracted
only one of Ave short editorials and
that others which Mr. Glass's letter
termed more offensive were never re-
tracted
/ The stenographic report of the
/ trial is before me and shows l have
I not misstated anything.
The real reason j lost my case Is
that / borrowed money last summer
from one whom the jury believed had
malice toward the plaintiffs or some
| of them and this malice, according
to instructions. must be imputed to
me under the circumstances. even
( though they may have believed my
motives right Let me also state here
I that in the very first number of The
Idea, published In Lynchburg in july
nearly four years ago. l severely con-
demned the action of the police board
of LSnchburg and that my policy OIL
lighting such evils in this way was my
policy for three years before | evel
heard of him whose malice is now i'm
T puted TO me. | write not to con
denim the jury for both | and m,
attorney were too completely exhaust
ed to property consider bringing or
this and other most Important eVi
dence
1t should he borne in mind that tn.
Saunderss suit alone, lasting more
than a week. was by Itself enough Il
sap the energy of both client ant
counsel. Before the first days of tina
trial my boy contracted pneumonia
and the servant girl left us. After TIVE
days the baby slipped and fell on
gas stove, and severely burned boil
hands and his face, then the -thiri
boy had to have the doctor. | ha'
, to sleep with two of these babies Will
my wife herself almost a week nurses
the third one. | got no rest at nigh
and was subjected to the most in
, tense strain in day for eight days
Then after one day Of hurried prep
rkstz q
. torney on the apparent verge of
breakdown, the prosecution insisted o.
going into the second trial. although
, Mr.. Meredith plead earnestly on TIL
, grounds of my condition and as h
:. SO stated to the cuurt.fur frs
II time in his practice. on grounds o
} his own weakened physical condition
/ went through this trial. at time
conn letely bewildered. and always a
one in a dream. in an absolutely pas
, sive state. arousing only with intens
effort to refute a grossly unfair ad
vantage. / voluntarily and frankl
brought forth all of my relations wit
Mr.. Atkinson on my arrival here
,, Though l have always felt EN-
barrassed by this as we'll as any othe
I financial obligation still ! have don
nothing of which | have had or hav
: any cause to be ashamed. l ma
=
: ment but | have made no mistake /
morals aud not one witness was eve
brought to show ! had done anythin
except of my own motive for RICH
Al least a hundred people hav
Sc given me first suggestions as to m
articles afterwards written. but nc
one article was written except of m
own purpose to right what ] saw wa
, wrong | do not fear the verdict of tn
, / people, can wait for that / ca
= only ask that / bo not judged h
newspaper reports of the trial. whic
[ to say the least. was in many In
stances misleading. The Idea wi
publish the evidence from the aC
7 curate public stenographic report {
, the trial. e.
| accepted the verdict of the coui
without asking for new trial becaus
felt absolutely deserted and thu
, financially unable TO continue the legs
= fight against overwhelming odds
Thanking you for your courtesy ]
: printing this, | am
Sincerely yours,
ADON A. YODER.
! Richmond. Va. Feb. %.