The Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1911, 1911-04-14
Judge CoWan Reviews
Charges Before Senate
Defendant Jurist Makes Excellent impress
sion on the Impeachment Court
in Lengthy Address.

0AA6 80 = ANN
with whomste remained the rest of the
night, goingt to the court room at eight
thirty in the morning and holding
court. This was the affair testified to
by Rex and Campbell, He gave these
men credit for being mistaken or being
poor judges.
The charge that he had slept in the
court room, the Judge said, would be
disproved by evidence showing that
it was a habit with him, to sit for a
long period in the court room with his
eyes closed,5for the purpose of resting
them. He, admitted that there had
been times when, he believed, the SEN
ate would admit that there had been
just provoeation for sleeping, referring
to some of the attorneys that had tried
cases before him.
One charge, that he had been drunk
during the trial of the Slavin case in
Rugby during January, 1910, he said,
witnesses would be produced who
would refute such evidence without
any modification, one of the witnesses
to be called being a woman who had
sat through the trial. This woman, he
said, was one of the leaders in North
Dakota's w. G. T. IT,, in whose word
the court must place every reliance.
"Since the year 1901 J. have been
charged with habitual drunkenness, in
other words being common drunkard,
and much time has been spent by tt
board of managers and able counsel ir
unearthing specified and unspecified
charges. Iii plain language it means I
have become so addicted to the use OF
Intoxicating liquor and other drugs
that I have become impaired and lost
control both mentally and physically.
He introduced himself as Exhibit
One.
Then followed a general review of
all Of the charges of drunkenness.
BISMARCK, N. D., April 13.-When
the prosecution rested last night it
was rumored that Judge Cowan him
self would open the address of the de-
tense to the senate today Such an
event willsbe be5unprecedented in the his:
Ttoffsss*s'ief !. impeachment = 'pf0c eedines,
though not uncommon lately in the at.
tempted removal of United States sen.
I,ators.
All We're glad to know that at least
half OF the Cowan impeachment trial
is over and that it. will now be only a
few days more until all the charges
Will have been answered and put up to
the senate for the final decision. Until
this week Judge Cowan did not person.
ally show the hard strain under which
he has been working, but within the
last two days there have been indica,
tions that he is beginning to be ia.
tigued with the number of times the
the prosecution has attempted to bring
in the charges in the unspecified cases
Many Of the senators are tired OF
hearing the monotonous testimony day
after day in regard to delayed matters
OF litigation, which in the opinion OF
many outsiders was not SO condemna
tory or glaring. The attorneys on both
sides appeared to be laboring under a
hard strain, so that the end of the
charges came as welcome news to ali
concerned in the case.~
Just what Judge Cowan said today
on the floor of the senate was wholly
impromptu, as no outline was made OF
his address in advance last night. MOI
much time was given for the prepara
tion of any lengthy discussion or ans
wer to the various charges, and after
the accused and his counsel had beer
excused from the senate chamber YES
terday afternoon, all repaired to theil
headquarters at the Mckenzie hotel
where the balance Of the day was spent
in the hurried preparation of all thu
details in connection with the trial.
Judge Cowan, assisted by his coun
sci and an able corps Of friends ani
seevral clerks, delved o=ep into work
which they had not been permitted tt
do until now on account of their entire
time being demanded at each hearing
Of the trial and the preparation of Ger
tain arguments to be given before tht
serate in support of demurrers and OBJ
| jections.
1 It cannot be exactly foretold JUS
how much longer the trial will con
tinue, though it is generally conceded
that the. hearing of the testimony o.
the defense will require at least week
In snch an event the whole impeach
ment proceedings will have been com
pleted by week from Saturday.
It was announced last night by
Tracy Bangs, leading counsel for th'
defendant, that neither he nor his as
sociate counsel, comprising Counsellor
Cuthbert, McClory, Anderson and Net
cher, would take any part in the open
ing address for Judge Cowan today
The accused jurist himself, who is
former Attorney General of the stat
Of North Dakota and lawyer of ex
ceptionally ability, will occupy tn
principal portion Of the morning in al
the remarks that are made to the sen
ate.
Judge Cowan last night spent muel
time in going over the records and il
preparing list of notes on the point
brought out in the testimony of tn
prosecution on the delayed court eases
so that he could speak with accurac,
about them this morning. F!e wa
closeted with few clerks and denic
everyone the privilege of seeing him.
1t is understood that it has been
long time since John +. Cowan has ad
dressed big jury in "a criminal cas-
as it has been more than dozen year
since he was actively engaged in I'll
practice Of law, but he showed he wa
an adept when he addressed the jur
court in his own impeachment thi
morning.
!, Bismarck, N. D., April 11.-Onc
more the North Dakota court Of i'm
peachment voted to exclude the evi
dence or offer proof with reference t
the delayed court cases in the secon
judicial district, other than those spec