Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1911-02-10

he act charged against him. he Is
guilty Of no crime because no WAS led
to believe by that old counterfeiter
Delinsky that the work he was doing
was for tho government. He did not
know that the plate was counterfeit.
He In the innocent victim Of . plot
planned and carried out BY the Gov
eminent detectives"
Shaking his finger as he pointed
towards the detectives, he declared In
q tragic voice that they could not
deny the charge he made. He said
the chief had acknowledged furnish
ing the money for the purpose OF buy
ing the printing press. the paper and
the Ink upon which the counterfeit
currency was printed.
The jury appeared dazed. While
the charge against the Russian was
not for printing counterfeiting cur
rency, but for engraving plates, for
that purpose, the muddled jury did
not seem to understand the difference.
The old lawyer SAY that he had
made a point and lie now rested his
strangely fascinating eyes upo the
jurymen. Raising his long arms
above his head he roared with a voice
resembling distant thunder.
my Cod Gentlemen of the jury. Is
this poor, ignorant man to be de-
prived of his liberty upon the unsup-
ported testimony Of these htrellngs?'
This as HI again shook his long
bony foref1ner and pointed towards
the detectives. Turning partly around
he placed his hand tenderly upon h
hood 80 tAo ID ,,coiou orI hp1a him
| arise and stand where twelve honest
men could look him In the face Stuart
| declared he had been employed by
| the broken-hearted wife of the poor
man to say a few words in his behalf.
For this service I have received no
fee, and l wouldn't accept one. This
poor mar could not tell his own story.
For the first time in his life he has
been arrested. He does not know a
good piece of money from a bad one.
| He has a wife and family to support
At this moment a poorly clad wo-
man with tears running down her
cheeks stepped forward. Four half
| frightened children were hanging to
her skirts. The old lawyer o the
woman by the hand n turned to
the jury as he said:
This is the wife and children Of
| the unfortunate prisoner. May God
help them. II their father is con
victed these children will be left to
! starve and the wife will be compelled
to endure the sneers of all who know
her. These cunning detectives have
pursued this innocent man to the very
verge Of destruction and 1t rests with
you gentlemen of the jury to save
him"
When the old lawyer sat down sew
eral of the jurors had their handker-
chiefs in their hand and were wiping
away their tears. There was silence
In the court room when the govern
ment attorney arose. He blinked a lit.
tie as he briefly reviewed the evil
dence. The judge made his charge
and the jury retired to a side room.
After celebrating about five min
utes they came back and rendered a
verdict of acquittal. The government
attorney M detectives were as.
founded. AS soon as the prisoner
was discharged he threw his arms
around his attorney nj kissed him
on the cheek. He then shook hands
with each of h jurymen, and had
they permitted 1t he would have
kissed them. He lex embraced his
wife and kissed her, n taking up
one of the children in his arms the
family went out of the court room.
Several days after the trial Judge
Stuart came to my Office. He was
considerably excited when he told me
that it had been discovered that the
wife and children brought into court
as the family of the Russian engraver
were not his at all. They we're the
family of another Russian and had
been borrowed for the occasion. The
Judge put his hand into the inner
pocket of his vest and drew out a roll
of bills.
Here" said he. lis the stun that
ID scoundrel paid me for defend
ing him"
saw at a glance that the stuff
pulled out by the Judge consisted OF
counterfeit bills on the National Shoe
and Leather bank, and l learned that
the old lawyer came very near being
arrested for passing some Of this
bogus He said he wanted me
to catch the rascal and give him fif
teen years. in the ~penitentiary.
1t was too Iate-the Russian haC
fled to Canada.
Copvripbt nv w q Channanl