The Washington bee., 1911-12-30
Lawyer Nutter's Argument.

Lawyer Nutter's Argument.
May it please the court" said the
attorney, "and you gentlemen OF the
jury, the learned prosecutor had laid
great emphasis upon the fact the de
fendant could have fed the house
when pursued by her husband, and
that since she failed TO do so she
should be held for murder IN the sec
Ond degree But ! say to you, gen
tlemen, we want no compromise; we
want no middle ground; we want an
acquittal If you done acquit her,
then we say hang her; but we ask
for no compromise. We want an ac-
quittal. / say further to you gen
tlemen, that for you TO have expected
her to have been able to deliberate
and reason III the heat OF the aWIui
excitement that must have attended
that awful and fatal fight on that mght
OF May 80 last, would be to expect
more OF this little woman than was
expected of Christ, the lOwly Naza-
rene, who, in Holy writ says. r oNes
have holes. the birds OF the air nave
nests, but the son OF man hdth nol
place to Law his head 1t IS generally
admitted that the Christ was laDorlhg
under unfavorable circumstances, Dut
gentlemen, | present to you the PIC
ture of this little woman as appalling
as ANYTHING to be endured by poor
frail humanity-this little woman
fall Our Saviour was all wisdom, all
love and all powerful. lie was,
cleansing the lepers, healing the Cen
turion's servant and Peters mother.
He was stilling the tempest with
"Deace be still" and when he was
SET the multitudes came unto him;
tbev paid homage and bowed at his
feet But in the face of this little
woman. born amid ignorance and su-
DerstitiOn, started out to make a wO-
man of herself, and through energy
and great effort obtained culture and
refinement and Is an honor to the
community in which she lives. Fall
ing in love with the deceased Peck,
she reached down into the dead world,
lifted him up from depravity and vice,
hon0red him with her virtue and love
and transformed him into a being OF
decency and self-respect- Unceas-
inglv toiling, day and night, she ca
tered to his whims and wishes, saved
her money, set him up in business,
and when he feels that he has sapped
the last of the fruits OF her labor he
permits the serpent IN the form OF
the outside woman to come into his
temple of domestic happiness and at
tempts to discard his wife at the be-
hest of this serpent. He allows his
former employee to drive him on to
dethroning his wife in his home that
she had built up for him, and who
has so much influence over him that
he tries to get rid OF his wife either
through separation or attempted muir
der. He fails TO kill her with the
bullet put III her back, and because
he failed this little woman stands be-
fore YOU pleading for her life, but
asking for justice only. Nothing
more, nothing less than justice Gen
tlemen, shall we expect It at your
hands? Is it not your sworn duty!
We ask for an acquittal without your
leaving the box, and according to the
evidence does she deserve It?
She was hit on one cheek by Peck
and turned the other that he might
WELD his fist thereon, following the
edict of Holy writ He struck hel
on that one with a clock that he hurl-
ed at her, and still dazed by the
blows she fled from the room, pursued
by him, charging upon her with brutal
knife, frOthing at the mouth, and bent
upon numbering the wife who haC
done everything for his uplltt. AnC
this little woman, facing untlmell
death, defended herself the best she
could, running, hitting and wardIng of
blows.
When Peck found that he could no
WELD the dagger with immediate Ell
feet he seized the gun with murder
Gus intent, and chased this little wO
man from room TO room, as she ha
testified, and when she found 1t i'm
possible to escape she wheeled upO1
him. crOuching as he rushed upon her
and as if seized with supernatural
power, she knocked the gun just as ht
fired. and the gun fell from his hand
Then came the fatal struggle. Gen
tlemen. God was with the little wo
man, and she and the Almighty wer
victorious over Peck and the devil
for in that struggle the gun gOe
off and the little woman Crawls iron
under Peck almost in safety. kell
rescued her from further danger, an
the death angel calls Peck to tn
realms of eternity TO suffer the penal
ty of his folly. Gentlemen, can ther
be the least doubt as to his murder
Gus intent to do this woman seriou
bodily harm, or as to her defense
After reviewing the testimony O
the States witnesses Kelly, Mitchell
Thorpe, Senseman, then he went int
the story as told by the defendan
on the stand. Gentlemen of tn
Jury" began Mr. Nutter, what is tn
story of Mrs Peck as related to you?
"She took him out of the gutter an
made man OF him, built a home 70
them, a castle, drew all of her none
out of bank and set him up in bus
ness: and when he had got all tn
money she had saved he tried to di;
card her first, by having her to sig
papers Of separation, and on her rC
fusal, he attempted to kill her, Will
her back was turned to him Thi
first attempt at murder on his PAL
was stopped by the timely intertel
ence Of Detective Thrope, who grail
bed him and took the gun from hin
Then he resorted to mistreatment, an
by that attempted TO drive her frO1
her home Still she clung to him.