The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1911-02-10

n believe by that cid counterle'ter
DeIinsky that the work he was DOING
was for the government. He did not
know that the plate was counterfeit
He IA the innocent victim or a p'o'
MANNED and carried out by the gov
| eminent detectives.
Shaking his finger as he pointed
towards the detectives. he declared IN
a 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 anu
the ink upon which the counterfeit
currency was printed
The jury appeared da2ed While
the charge against the Russian was
not for printing counterfeitlng cur
rency, but for engraving plates for
that purpose, the muddled jury did
not seem to understand the difference.
The old lawyer saw that he had
made a point and he now rested his
| strangely fascinating eyes upon the
jurymen. Raising his long arms
above his head he roared with voice
resembling distant thunder.
I MY Godt Gentlemen of the jury, Is
this poor. ignorant man to be de-
priyed of his liberty upon the unsup
ported testimony Of these hirelings?'
This as he again shook his long
bony forefiner and pointed towards
the detectives. Turning partly around
| he placed his hand tenderly upon the
head Of the Russian and babe him
arise and stand where twelve honest
men could look him in the face. Stuart
| declared he had been employed by
| the brokenhearted wife OF the poor
man to say a few words in his behalf.
For this service have received no
| fee, and | wouldn't accept one. This
! poor man 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 wife and family to support"
At this moment poorly clad wo-
man with tears running down her
cheeks stepped forward. -Four half
frightened children were hanging to
her skirts. The old lawyer took the
woman by the hand and turned to
! the jury as he said:
This is the wife and children Of
the unfortunate prisoner. May God
help them. If 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 It 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 lit.
tie as he briefly reviewed the evil
dence. The Judge made his charge
and the jury retired to side room.
After celebrating about five min
utes they came back and rendered a
verdict of acQuittal. The government
attorney and detectives were as.
| founded. AS soon as the prisoner
was discharged he threw his arms
around his attorney and kissed him
on the cheek He then shook hands
with each of the jurymen. and had
they permitted it he would have
kissed them. He next embraced his
wife and kissed her, and 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 were 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. rs the stuff that
id scoundrel paid me for defend
ing him"
] saw at glance that the stuff
pulled out by the Judge consisted Of
counterfeit bills on the National Shoe
and Leather bank, and | learned tina,
the old lawyer came very near being
arrested for passing some Of this
bogus money. He said he wanted me
to catch the rascal and give him fiji
teen years In the penitentiary.
1t was too late-the Russian had
fed to Canada
Copyright by W. G. Chapman.)
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